A Modern Enrollment Strategy Ensures Future Success

The Challenge 

In a competitive market, simply increasing the number of names in the pool isn’t enough to spur enrollment growth. Today’s students have more control than ever over how they engage with higher ed. Mercer wanted to work smarter to earn their attention. The team at Mercer knew they needed to use their resources wisely and thus needed strategies that would give them an edge. To achieve their goals of optimizing enrollment and attracting students who would likely thrive at Mercer, they sought a full lifecycle enrollment strategy. They needed a partner who could build a custom approach, led by data-driven decisions, optimized tech, and personalization at scale.

Our Approach

In partnership with Mercer’s enrollment management team, we developed an integrated, multi-pronged approach fueled by personalization and real-time data. Leveraging a combination of advanced analytics and omnichannel tactics, we moved beyond simple lead generation to create a robust, personalized recruitment framework. At the core of this was a Student Search strategy that enabled us to identify students whose motivations, interests, and beliefs aligned with Mercer’s brand, so we could ensure that every communication was authentic and resonated with the individual student. We also incorporated a variety of digital awareness tactics to re-engage students who had previously shown interest.  

In addition to these tactics, we created pathways for Mercer to collect and make the most of their data. We built our strategy in their Slate instance to to manage the entire campaign: all application generation and Student Search communications. This gave their teams a transparent, central hub to access real-time data and make adjustments throughout the year. Clarity™ (our on-site attribution tool) offered a precise means of measuring campaign performance.