Unleashing the Power of Nurturing
Empowering Enrollment Success through Nurturing Campaigns
A well-established private college dedicated to providing quality education and training for individuals pursuing careers in the healthcare field understands the importance of flexibility and offers career-focused programs on campus and online across 10 different campuses. The college sought to expand their prospective student nurturing capabilities and needed a partner that would match its commitment to helping students achieve their goals. The school turned to their trusted marketing partner, EducationDynamics, for support in testing the impact of a comprehensive nurturing campaign.
There were such strong results for the nurturing group compared to the non-nurtured group that the A/B test was concluded two months earlier than anticipated.
- 31% improvement in Inquiry-to-Application Rate
- 9.2% Improvement to Application-to-Enroll Rate
The Challenge
The school’s 10 campuses across Texas lacked a single standardized nurture strategy that supported prospective students as they navigated the entirety of the decision-making process. Some campuses lacked any nurturing campaigns whatsoever. EDDY’s expert team of higher education marketing professionals recognized the need for a well-crafted and automated communication plan that could deliver the right message at the right time based the prospective student’s physical location as well as their stage in the admissions and enrollment process.
The Objective
- Obtain tangible evidence to prove the true value of nurturing
- Execute a nurture A/B test on two different audience segments: new inquiries to application and application to enroll
- Improve overall inquiry to application rate
- Improve overall application to enroll rate
The Solution
EducationDynamics first set about creating a comprehensive A/B test across five campuses with an objective of establishing concrete evidence of the tangible benefits of a nurture campaign. The test involved dividing the inquiries received into two groups, with a 50/50 split. One group was subjected to a well-defined sequence of nurturing communications, while the other group did not receive any nurturing.
Originally planned to run from September to January, the test yielded remarkable results after a mere eight weeks, surpassing college’s initial expectations. As a result, the school promptly approved the implementation of nurturing for all inquiries without delay.
The implementation of nurturing initiatives at the top of the enrollment funnel led to significant improvements, ultimately resulting in a notable increase in student enrollments for the upcoming semester.
The Results
EDDY’s approach to A/B testing the nurture campaigns resulted in a 8.9% inquiry to application rate for inquiries that were nurtured vs. 6.8% for inquiries who were not nurtured and a 14.1% application to enroll rate for inquiries that were nurtured vs. 12.9% for inquiries who were not nurtured. Overall, a 31% improvement in the inquiry to application rate and 9.2% improvement in the application to enroll rate.
The EDDY Difference
EDDY’s data driven approach not only confirmed the effectiveness of nurturing but also solidified its pivotal role in shaping the success of the college’s enrollment efforts. With this invaluable knowledge in hand, the college can now confidently embrace nurturing as a cornerstone of their student acquisition strategy, fostering stronger connections and driving increased enrollment outcomes.