Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Having just experienced the receiving end of university marketing, as a parent, I'd make the following suggestions:

编写良好的电子邮件给学生们可以做很多give prospective students an idea of the campus. My daughter was very taken with the funny and clever emails from a few of the campuses. However, they should be 'true' to the personality of the school and its student body. The less impersonal you can make the interactions, the better off you are. I know you can get lists of prospects from the PSAT test-takers, but don't know what that costs.

Given your target market, I'd also look carefully again at social media -- start an Admissions blog, encourage current students to post to the blog -- anything to make your university seem like a real place full of real people. Get on Twitter and push fun facts about what's happening on campus or news. I don't think you expect to see immediate 'results' from this, but it could easily build, and, as you said, it's free...

Anne

I'll second what ajanzer says above. Dial up the "CRM" once a student has applied. Many apply to several schools, so you're STILL competing. Be the school that cares the most, that shows the most interest and personality.

Establish a system of nice, helpful dialogue, as personalized as possible, and use it often after a student has been accepted (or applies, even.) That should help you close more of those deals, and get the most desirable students to pick your school. Which in turn makes more of them likely to do it the following year, etc. The whole thing multiplies, fueled largely by students themselves.