Just as the internet has created opportunities in the business world that were once unimaginable, it is also revolutionizing higher education, especially in driving student enrollment.
According to a Consumer Preference Index (CPI) by Prospectiv, a provider of online lead generation solutions and owner/operator of TheKnowledgeStop.com, the internet is a valuable tool for consumers seeking information about university degree and certificate programs. Nearly 82 percent of CPI respondents said they begin their education research efforts through online channels such as websites, e-mail, and online advertisements. In addition, 84 percent of consumers surveyed believe the reputation and value of online educational programs is improving.
Increasing consumer confidence in online programs is in line with the growing number of educational institutions offering more courses and degree programs via the internet. A survey by the U.S. Education Department's National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), entitled "Distance Learning at Degree-Granting Post-Secondary Institutions: 2000-2001," reported that enrollment in distance education courses nearly doubled between 1995 and 2001, with 56 percent of the nation's two- and four-year degree-granting institutions offering such courses in the 2000-2001 academic year.
As the internet becomes an increasingly popular and credible place to research and enroll in education programs, marketers of leading educational institutions are seeking ways to market their offerings online.
Internet marketing allows for a highly targeted approach in promoting both online and campus-based programs, especially when compared to traditional direct mail campaigns and college fair enrollment/recruitment events. Enrollment programs that use online marketing channels are also easily measurable in terms of success since education marketers pay only for the qualified leads they acquire.
Online lead generation is one innovative approach for using online channels to drive enrollment. In this approach, potential students actually request to be marketed to--saving educational institutions time and effort by ensuring their enrollment service reps are focusing only on those students who are most likely to enroll in their courses or degree programs.
A Closer Look at Online Lead Generation
Online lead generation campaigns can help marketers cost-effectively identify people interested in specific educational offerings. The approach also gives marketers access to detailed consumer profile data that can be used for other multi-channel marketing initiatives such as targeted telemarketing, e-mail, and direct mail. This invaluable self-profiled data provides the information necessary to ultimately tailor direct communications based on the prospects' specific educational interests.
Online lead generation strategies enable education marketers to:
Quickly build a high volume of targeted leads that have proactively expressed an interest in their programs.
Pay for results--not clicks or impressions.
Lower lead generation costs and show an immediate ROI.
Gain insight into market trends and access to demographic and attitudinal data.
In this new online marketing model, an online lead generation partner assumes responsibility for all aspects of your campaign, from strategy through execution, while education marketers maintain ownership of consumer leads delivered on a pay-for-performance basis.
Successful online lead generation campaigns include several critical steps, and an online lead generation provider's adherence to such steps will ultimately determine the success of a campaign. The first step is to develop a campaign strategy customized to achieve enrollment goals and a media plan that leverages a mix of online channels to reach millions of highly targeted consumers and drive traffic to education programs. Leveraging a variety of online channels is important since each consumer has unique preferences and online habits. Typical online channels for online student acquisition include e-mail, co-registration, vertically targeted web properties, dynamic polls, and advertising networks. By implementing a multi-channel strategy, marketers optimize their opportunities for getting the right information to the right individual at the right time.
