E15: Engage Parents for More Engaged Students: Communication Strategies for Enrollment Managers

Transcription

1 E15: Engage Parents for More Engaged Students: Communication Strategies for Enrollment Managers Tom Willoughby, University of Denver Madeleine Rhyneer, Albion College Pamela Kiecker Royall, Royall & Company

2 Today s presentation Opportunity statement Overview of research study Findings from parent survey Findings from student survey Key insights Parent engagement strategies in practice The case at University of Denver The case at Albion College

3 Opportunity statement Engaging parents creates greater opportunity for recruitment and enrollment, as well as improved student retention.

4 Overview of research study Online survey of prospective students and their parents Probability sample using student addresses and parent addresses provided by students in college and university inquiry pools Focused on parental influence in college choice, information needs, and communication preferences

5 Parent sample = 2, % are parents of seniors, 31.5% of juniors, and 10.4% of sophomores. 76.7% are mothers and 23.3% are fathers. 55.2% have a daughter going to college and 44.8% have a son. 76.4% are Caucasian and 23.6% are parents of color. 28.7% are from the West, 23.0% from the Midwest, 17.8% from the Middle States, 12.6% from the South, 8.0% from New England, and 7.0% from the Southwest; 2.9% are from outside the U.S. Yet, they are a special subset of parents: 75.5% have a four-year degree or higher academic attainment. 77.8% are in a traditional family (married with children in same household).

6 Student sample = 6,372 Participants Female Caucasian First to attend college From the West From the Midwest From the Middle States From the South From New England From the Southwest From outside the U.S. Seniors 2, % 52.9% 22.0% 31.9% 20.1% 15.3% 9.3% 6.0% 5.7% 11.1% Juniors Sophomores 2,223 1, % 56.2% 22.8% 32.7% 22.6% 13.5% 14.0% 5.0% 8.6% 3.4% 73.7% 56.9% 20.8% 24.8% 23.6% 15.9% 18.5% 5.2% 9.3% 2.4%

7 Key findings from parent survey

8 The primary areas of parental influence How much influence would you say you have over XXX? Mean Score How much is spent on your child s college education 4.38 The amount of debt the family will incur for your child s education 4.37 The amount of personal debt your child will incur 4.10 Whether your child contributes personal funds to pay for college 3.91 The specific school(s) your child visits 3.65 Whether your child works while attending college 3.52 The specific school(s) your child considers 3.27 Mean scores are based on a 5-point scale, where 1 = no influence and 5 = significant influence.

9 How parents engage in college choice Talked with child about schools being considered Searched for information on a college s website Read printed materials colleges sent to child Read messages sent directly to parent Helped child compare options by weighing the pros and cons of different schools Talked with child about different college majors Talked with child about financing college Reported by 75% or more of parents responding

10 How parents get the information they need Searching on institutional websites (85.4%) Reading materials mailed to them and/or their child (84.3%) Reading materials ed to them and/or their child (81.0%) Searching for information online using search engines (75.0%)

11 How parents search online Count Percent Search by a specific school s name 1, Search by academic majors 1, Search for college-related search engines Search by geographic locations Search by school characteristics

12 When parents want specific information Freshman Year Soph. Year Junior Year Senior Year Costs (e.g., tuition, housing, fees) 76.9% 49.8% 73.3% 52.4% Financing college 75.0% 40.6% 58.7% 34.8% Financial aid 73.5% 43.1% 62.1% 47.1% Scholarships 70.4% 46.0% 65.3% 46.2% General information about the college 64.9% 44.1% 48.8% 15.0% Application dates/deadline reminders 59.1% 21.4% 49.6% 60.6% Room and board options 56.5% 26.9% 44.2% 50.3% Housing options 54.4% 25.7% 43.8% 49.4% Location of the school and area around it 47.3% 27.8% 39.4% 14.3% Degree programs 41.6% 27.3% 37.9% 12.3% Majors/minors 38.6% 24.4% 34.1% 11.4% Career opportunities related to specific majors 26.5% 21.7% 29.5% 17.2%

13 Parents want (and expect) to receive information directly AND to view materials sent to their child 12.9% 13.7% 73.4% Materials for Parents Sent to Parents Materials for Students Sent to Students Both Parent and Student Materials

14 How parents prefer to receive information Mail Web Phone Costs (e.g., tuition, housing, fees) 62.4% 73.2% 67.7% 11.6% Financing college 56.3% 66.6% 52.9% 23.1% Financial aid 61.6% 70.8% 51.3% 34.7% Scholarships 65.2% 67.9% 50.7% 38.2% General information about the college 46.0% 62.0% 56.6% 12.1% Application deadline reminders 80.3% 44.3% 39.8% 45.1% Campus safety 43.1% 40.9% 63.4% 15.0% Room and board options 45.0% 55.2% 60.3% 6.9% Housing options 44.4% 53.7% 61.1% 7.5%

15 Another view Primary Channel Secondary Channel Costs Mail Web Financing college Mail Financial aid Mail Scholarships Mail General information about the college Mail Web Application deadline reminders Mail/Phone Campus safety Web Room and board options Web Mail Housing options Web Mail

16 Some popular digital channels not so popular Just 1.7% of parents have followed a school on Twitter. Just 2.6% have used online chat with a school representative. Just 4.9% have used RSS to subscribe to school updates. Overall, parents are unlikely to rely on blogs, podcasts, chats, wikis, and other social digital channels.

17 Key insights Parents believe they have the most influence over the financial aspects of college choice. Parents desire information, and they also want their children to have information.

18 Key insights Desired content will vary throughout the college search. Financial planning and feasibility > freshman year General college information > sophomore year Specific schools, majors, careers, scholarships and financial aid > junior year Applications (tips and deadlines), enrollment, housing > senior year

19 Additional insights Parents are using search engines to find the information they need, BUT Parents still want printed materials. For the most important information Online content on institutional websites serves as the backup source of content for them.

20 Students recommendations for communications with their parents

21 Channels viewed as necessary for colleges to use 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% For Communication with Students For Communication with Parents

22 Tools recommended for student recruitment College websites should include online applications. (1.61) College websites should include virtual tours of the campus. (1.90) Colleges should maintain mobile platforms for their websites for easy viewing from smartphones. (2.46) Colleges should maintain a group on social networks like Facebook so students can network with one another. (2.66) Colleges should maintain a profile on social networks like Facebook. (2.75) 16.7% of students indicated they would be more likely to apply to a college if it had a mobile-enabled application. Mean scores are based on a 5-point scale, where 1 = definitely necessary and 5 = not at all necessary.

23 Parent engagement strategies in practice

24 Global strategies for parent communications Build communication campaigns specifically for parents Provide financial information to support discussions within households Design on-campus events for parents Strengthen your website with a parent portal Maximize online search outcomes (SEO efforts)

25 The case at University of Denver A few examples: E-newsletter series Postcard and reminders Parent Relations calling program FERPA communications from Registrar

26 The case at Albion College A few examples: campaign throughout admission process On-campus and online events for parents Print materials focused on educational investment Structured faculty/parent interaction during campus visit programs

27 For more information, contact Pam Thank you!