December 12, 2012

Getting your CRM ready for the New Year

Dec. 12, 2012 at 08:27 AM | By Emma O’Neill | Comment Count

As the year comes to a close most of us will begin evaluating our achievements, looking ahead to establish goals for the coming year. Given the amount of change within the higher education sector over the past year, tuition fees and student number controls to mention a few, it is more important than ever to ensure previous marketing and communication efforts are maximized. In doing so, lessons can be learned that will aid when developing new work streams for just in time for college application season.

Here are a few things we recommend you mull over before you start:

Taking stock

Maximize the time before application deadlines to review successful campaigns from previous years.

What made them work?
Are there any aspects that can be recycled and re-used?
Keep in mind that e-mails, student letters and communication collateral can be copied with the click of a button.

Surveys

Engage with your newest students. Ask for their opinions by conducting surveys on the campaigns that most influenced their decision to enroll.
How? Use your CRM to identify last year’s students and cross-reference their feedback with their communications history. This can support your efforts moving forward or may challenge them, either way you will know what your students think.

Back-to-Basics

In a time of change, it is easy to get swept away in the tide of all things new. Ask your team the following back to basics questions:

Do we have the data we need to achieve this year’s goals?
Have new e-mail templates been tested?
Have new filters been tested?
Have any branding changes in the last cycle been reflected across interest pages and the application in its entirety?

Staying ahead of the game by understanding and tracking student decision making will become increasingly important for conversion activities as challenges faced this year continue into next. So speak to your students, get back to the basics, and don’t be afraid to recycle successful student communication campaigns, after all they worked for a reason!

Emma O’Neill is head of Client Services at Hobsons EMEA in London.