Service Line: Lead Generation

Learn about Rising Senior Campaigns from CollegeXpress and how they generate a flow of new inquiries for higher ed institutions.

In college admissions, it has become a challenge to connect with prospective students via email. So how can a higher education institution find a way to connect with prospective students in this overly communicated world? The answer is text messages.

Higher education marketing and enrollment strategy leader Carnegie announced today its acquisition of the National Small College Enrollment Conference (NSCEC), the industry’s only conference dedicated to serving the needs of small colleges. Ensuring the NSCEC continues to thrive is the first of several commitments Carnegie intends to roll out in 2023 as part of its new Small College Initiative.

When I first started working in college admission more than 25 years ago, the “admissions funnel” was part of everyday jargon in our office. From prospects at the top to enrolled students at the bottom, the funnel was analyzed to project how successful the year would be.

The process of lead generation in higher education has changed drastically. My first job in high school was transcribing inquiry cards collected from a college search tour that traveled across the country promoting different institutions and advising students on the college search process.

We recently hosted a webinar called It’s Time to Redefine and Redesign Student Search, where we made the case for a new model of Student Search—one that’s market-minded and student-centric. We got so many great questions that we didn’t have time to answer live, so we’re delivering those answers now.

In 2018, I attended a higher education marketing conference where one idea in particular captured my attention: authentic voice. At the time, I was a Director of Graduate Programs—35+ master’s, doctoral, and post-bachelor’s programs, to be more specific.

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.

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.

Higher ed student lead generation has been in Carnegie’s blood since 1985–it’s the OG service that started it all. While it’s gone through many iterations of names, services, branding, and more, the original mission has never waivered: connecting colleges and universities with the right students and students with the perfect school for them.