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If your institution is not tailoring its communication styles and messages to current and prospective students from different generations, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to speak directly to their interests and needs. To create tailored communications plans that speak to both your adult and traditional-aged students and prospects, consider the following:
- Take stock of your institution’s current marketing efforts. There are two specific funnels you want to catch in your admissions pipeline: adult learners and traditional-aged students. To do this effectively, you need to know which marketing tactics and avenues will provide the greatest returns with each population.
- Understand the differences between different generations of learners. As an example, millennial adult learners and generation Z learners are often lumped together as the same. This is a mistake. Typical millennial adult learners are now around 30 years old and in your “sweet spot” looking for a second career choice. Know each population’s general characteristics and needs to better tailor your marketing communications and appeal to their unique emotional preferences.
- Build separate communications plans for your different populations. Most institutions do not have a separate communications plan for their adult learners, but they need one. Take the following steps to build a communications plan directly geared toward your adult learners:
- Recruit faculty members to reach out to adult learners – this goes a long way towards establishing an emotional connection with your school.
- Use email to communicate most effectively.
- Build a script around job rates and career placement, and discuss support services your campus has to offer to emphasize the ways your institution will benefit adult millennial students.
Read the full article from the Enrollment Management Report here to learn more about the characteristics and preference of Generation Z and millennial adult learners, as well as strategies for creating individual communications plans for both populations. For more higher education marketing tips and strategies, visit our Resources page.
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