Interactive Marketing Insiders Forecast Trends in Higher Education Student Recruitment, Enrollment and Retention 
United States of America (Press Release) December 18, 2007 --
Hoboken, NJ—December 18, 2007—Increasing competition for students among for-profits, traditional schools and online learning programs will result in more aggressive recruitment and retention efforts targeting underserved student populations, according to Mark Shay, chief academic liaison at EducationDynamics and creator of EDUInsight.com. Forecasting emerging trends among higher education marketers for 2008, EducationDynamics and EDUInsight.com trendspotters say that above all, institutions will place a greater emphasis on marketing to underserved populations, particularly minorities and single mothers.
“The new year will incite an emergence of programs that provide easy access to a vast array of educational resources, and allow institutions to advertise to a diverse audience and recruit from a number of different constituencies,” says Shay.
According to EducationDynamics and EDUInsight.com, additional trends expected to emerge in 2008 are as follows:
• The more sophisticated marketers in the education space will focus their efforts on conversion and retention. Sophisticated marketers have already implemented online marketing, however the biggest challenge facing student marketing professionals is converting leads to enrollments. To improve rates of enrollment, institutions will increasingly implement technology solutions, most likely in the form of customized online academic and social networks.
• Institutions with less marketing savvy will invest more in online marketing. According to a recent survey conducted by EducationDynamics, nearly half of respondents said they intend to increase their commitment to online marketing in the coming year. Allocating more marketing resources toward online lead generation marks a shift in paradigm from the traditional vehicles of student recruitment, and will allow institutions to garner more qualified leads.
• Universities will continue to expand their use of video and social networking to attract and retain students. Video advertising will emerge as a popular way to connect with and engage prospects, and it will help schools explain their value in a way that is more in depth and personal. On the social networking front, these types of communities have proved to be extremely popular and effective in engaging and retaining students.
• Campuses will become increasingly internationalized and global learning will emerge as a key consideration. Students want to get an edge in the increasingly globalized marketplace by garnering international experience through educational opportunities. Institutions are leveraging these motivators by actively promoting global mobility on both sides. Not only do institutions want to cultivate globally competent citizens by sending students abroad, but recruiting international students adds diversity and international presence that enhances the campus and the community at large.
“The new year will incite an emergence of programs that provide easy access to a vast array of educational resources, and allow institutions to advertise to a diverse audience and recruit from a number of different constituencies,” says Shay.
According to EducationDynamics and EDUInsight.com, additional trends expected to emerge in 2008 are as follows:
• The more sophisticated marketers in the education space will focus their efforts on conversion and retention. Sophisticated marketers have already implemented online marketing, however the biggest challenge facing student marketing professionals is converting leads to enrollments. To improve rates of enrollment, institutions will increasingly implement technology solutions, most likely in the form of customized online academic and social networks.
• Institutions with less marketing savvy will invest more in online marketing. According to a recent survey conducted by EducationDynamics, nearly half of respondents said they intend to increase their commitment to online marketing in the coming year. Allocating more marketing resources toward online lead generation marks a shift in paradigm from the traditional vehicles of student recruitment, and will allow institutions to garner more qualified leads.
• Universities will continue to expand their use of video and social networking to attract and retain students. Video advertising will emerge as a popular way to connect with and engage prospects, and it will help schools explain their value in a way that is more in depth and personal. On the social networking front, these types of communities have proved to be extremely popular and effective in engaging and retaining students.
• Campuses will become increasingly internationalized and global learning will emerge as a key consideration. Students want to get an edge in the increasingly globalized marketplace by garnering international experience through educational opportunities. Institutions are leveraging these motivators by actively promoting global mobility on both sides. Not only do institutions want to cultivate globally competent citizens by sending students abroad, but recruiting international students adds diversity and international presence that enhances the campus and the community at large.
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