Last fall, Carnegie hosted a webinar focused on Student Search. When I polled the 150 attendees and asked them what they thought I meant when I said those words “Student Search,” the answers in the Zoom chat were telling:
“Buying names and sending students emails”
“Names from College Board”
“Prospect communications”
It’s time for higher education marketing to evolve and change the way we think about Student Search. It’s not just buying names, and it’s not just the direct marketing campaign that follows. Student Search, as Carnegie is redefining it, is building a cross-channel, personalized, and responsive communications plan that ultimately is more about the prospective student than it is about the school. It’s about engaging students and triggering multiple and meaningful micro-conversions that build affinity while incrementally advancing them through their college search journey.
