Recap: Attendance at Higher Ed INACAC, MACAC and OACAC
Conferences are back in person and we couldn’t be more excited about it! This month we’ve had the pleasure of presenting at numerous college admissions conferences sharing the power of personalized video in increasing yield and fighting melt.
With Covideo, admissions teams can record, send, and track videos across a variety of channels, empowering them to create better experiences, spark more conversations, and build stronger connections.
Given the competitive climate of college enrollment, higher ed admissions teams are looking for unique ways to differentiate themselves from the competition, personalize student recruitment, and increase response rates. As a result, teams are turning to video messaging to connect with students meaningfully and build relationships from the first point of contact.
Post-Pandemic College Recruiting
While college enrollment has been on the decline for a number of years, the pandemic accelerated the dip in student numbers. Check out a few stats that highlight the state of enrollment today:
- 500,000 fewer students enrolled in college in the fall of 2021l (National Student Clearinghouse).
- 3 million students had not attended public high school since March 2020 (New York Times).
- Gen Z unlocks their phones 79 times per day (Ruffalo Noel Levitz).
The historic decline of student enrollment means it’s more competitive than ever to attract students and reach enrollment numbers. If classroom seats remain the same, yet there’s a declining number of students attending college – this creates an imbalance in supply and demand.
As a result, colleges are going to need to adjust their strategy and find new ways to draw students to their school. That’s why admissions teams are turning to personalized video as a new tactic to engage prospective students, personalize outreach, and reach enrollment goals.
“Digital, video, and experiences are the new normal. Using those methods to convey a message of informed empathy that both knows and anticipates the wants and needs of prospective students and their parents/guardians, while also providing mass-customization and mass personalization, has become the new norm and is expectedfrom this audience.” – Jeff Kallay, Ruffalo Noel Levitz
What is personalized video?
Not familiar with personalized video? Platforms like Covideo make it quick and easy to record, customize, send and track videos across a variety of platforms. These are one-off videos recorded specifically for an individual or small group, therefore they’re highly personalized. Creating a personalized experience for each student allows you to establish a genuine connection from the start, and has shown to shorten response times, while increasing engagement.
In fact, adding personalized videos to email increases:
- Open rates by 19% when using “video” in subject line
- Click through rates by 65% with a video thumbnail
- Response rates by 200%
Personalized video use cases for higher ed admissions
Increase yield and fight melt by incorporating video into your recruitment outreach. Sending video messages creates a highly personalized experience for each student, giving your school a competitive edge, and building loyalty from the start. As a result, your team will increase conversions and see higher enrollment numbers.
When sending a video message, your video message is displayed on a branded video landing page for your school, with custom call to action buttons that can link to popular pages like your application or financial aid form – encouraging students to take action. Tracking and analytics allow you to gauge their interest level, by seeing who watched the video, and how many times.
Here’s how teams are using personalized video throughout their admissions strategy:
- Personalized video introductions
- Follow ups
- Invitations / events – college fairs, open houses, accepted student events
- Sharing news – congratulating on acceptance or official enrollment
- Gathering & sharing testimonials
- Virtual tours
- Answering frequently asked questions in detail
- Health / safety messaging for students
Want to learn more about personalized video for higher ed? See how colleges and universities are using Covideo to transform outreach, increase engagement, and maximize student potential.
Indiana College Admissions Conference 2022 Recap
Indiana Association of College Admissions Counselors (INACAC) hosted its annual conference, where admissions teams have a chance to learn and discuss upcoming admissions trends. We were excited to not only present at the conference – but also to attend in person this year! Shoutout to our users and copresenters from Ivy Tech Community College for joining us and highlighting their success with video. We had the privilege to present alongside our friends at Ivy Tech community college – sharing how they use Covideo throughout their admissions strategy.
When the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, Ivy Tech adjusted its recruiting strategy for a virtual environment. Covideo was implemented to endure the constraints of the pandemic in higher education. The Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg team adjusted their case management strategy and used Covideo to push out information like promos, return to campus details, job opportunities, etc. As a result, the Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg campus was able to meet and maintain campus metrics. Because of Lawrenceburg’s success, their video-centric strategy became a state-wide initiative!
Check out Christine Hamby, Assistant Director of Admissions at Ivy Tech Lafayette, experience using Covideo for admissions and student recruitment:
Michigan College Admissions Conference 2022 Recap
Covideo also attended the Michigan Association of College Admissions Counselors (MACAC) conference where we presented alongside our partners at Michigan State Univeristy. Similarly, we highlighted the success Michigan State has had with its video-centric approach to recruiting.
More specifically, these two videos had much success for Michigan State:
- Counselor Introductions: An admissions counselor sent an introductory video to high school counselors updating them on Michigan’s fall recruitment processes. His video received 84 views, had an 80% engagement rate, received very positive feedback, and opened the door to meet new counselors.
- Free Application Week: Videos were sent to prospective students informing them on Free Application Week for in-state students. As a result, the video received nearly 80 views, had an 82% engagement rate, and most importantly, informed students from their smaller schools about free application week.
See how Admissions Counselor Riley VanPelt, is using video to recruit students at Michigan State University!
Ohio College Admissions Conference 2022 Recap
At Ohio Association of College Admissions Counselors (OACAC) conference, we presented alongside our partners at Sinclair Community College. Sinclair has been using Covideo to:
- Interact with students in a visual way – Students more likely to watch a video than read a text-heavy email
- Promote events and encourage registration – Seamlessly record a video to promote upcoming events and drive action by sending students directly to the registration page with Covideo’s CTA buttons on the landing page
- Closed captioning = game changer for Sinclair – Covideo’s closed captioning has helped Sinclar enhance their digital experience for people with disabilities, comply with regulatory accessibility standards, and promote an inclusive, and equitable experience.
And their Covideo usage has had a direct impact on admissions. By using Covideo Sinclair was able to have a very successful Application Week. They were able to create short videos to share events taking place each day and to encourage students to apply to our institution. Video analytics has also been a helpful feature, giving them insight into how many students have viewed videos, time spent watching, and the number of times it was videos. This helps Sinclair react in a proactive way to assist students.
The 2022 Admissions Conference Tour Continues…
While it’s been a busy month, we’re excited for our upcoming conferences heading into April! Next up on our list, we have Texas and Illinois – if you’ll be attending, come see us and say hi! Interested in how personalized video can help your admissions team meet enrollment goals, increase yield, and fight melt? Talk to one of our higher ed video experts who can come up with a strategy that best fits your school’s needs.
