Every family enrolled at your school has to go through your admissions process. That’s why we say admissions is the engine room of net tuition revenue. The more dialed in your admissions processes and strategies are, the more effective you’ll be in moving right-fit families from interested to enrolled. But the reality is many admissions teams are underperforming due to inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and communication gaps.

If you’re interested in expanding your awareness of admissions processes and strategies that work, you won’t want to miss the next Enrollment Marketing Geeks Show & Tell Show.

Over the last three years, there has been a surging interest in independent and faith-based schools from families who never imagined themselves paying for private education. This dynamic has some schools scrambling to find more space. Others have seen a lift but still have seats to fill in key grades. Others are wondering if they missed the boat; they’ve got plenty of unsold inventory.

In this episode of the Show & Tell Show, Rick and Andy will discuss strategies for these three scenarios: the school that’s beyond full, the school that’s sorta full, and the school that’s not-so-full. The Geeks will share their perspective on prioritizing marketing and admissions strategies based on your current realities and enrollment goals.

Brendan Schneider is no stranger to the school marketing world. With a background in admissions and marketing, he has consistently been at the forefront of implementing online marketing strategies. Through his blog,  Brendan has freely shared his journey and experiences to help school leaders implement online marketing strategies.
 
During this show, Brendan will share about launching the MarCom Society — an online group that connects K-12 marketing and communications professionals through training, support, and community. Tune in to learn how this resource is helping many school MarCom leaders navigate their jobs.

As many schools have experienced increased demand, managing “waitlists” or “wait pools” has become a challenge. It’s hard telling a highly-qualified family that you just don’t have room or financial assistance available in a specific grade. It can be even harder to keep families engaged and patient as they hope for a spot to open up. And ethically, it is challenging not to recommend that they choose another school.

“We’ve experienced a lot of growth over the last three years,” said Natalie Waters Seum, Director of Admission and Communication at Mounds Park Academy in Saint Paul, MN. “We saw the need for a very clear process for managing our wait pools and put a strategic focus on developing the right system.” Join the Geeks for an insightful conversation with Natalie and an assistant director on her team as we unpack the importance of language, priorities, communication, and process in wait pool management.

For over a decade, the admissions team at Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools in Traverse City, MI, has organized one-hour info sessions for interested families. Yes, an hour. From October to April, prospective families sign up to attend “Experience the Difference,” once-per-month events, where they listen to various voices from the school unpack the learning experience at GTACS. The payback? More than 90% of attending families enroll.

“We do this because we want families to know what they’re signing up for,” said Cindy Weber, Director of Admissions at GTACS. “And once enrolled, these families stay and add value to our culture.” Join Cindy and her team as they unpack the “why” behind this major commitment and outline their approach for these highly effective recruitment gatherings.

Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, GA, will Show & Tell their Encounter Week. Encounter Week encourages middle schoolers to continue their academic journey in high school at Mount Paran. The admissions team works with high school leaders to organize a week of events that showcase the high school experience for middle schoolers.

“We were seeing a fall-off from 8th to 9th grade, and we concluded that middle schoolers just didn’t have a good grasp on what was in store for them,” said Stephanie Dunn, Director of Admissions. “Encounter Week has helped us bridge the gap.” Join the Enrollment Marketing Geeks for a conversation with Stephanie and her team. We’ll discuss the idea, the logistics, and the results from a signature Mount Paran program.