In a Monday morning session at the 探花楼 Annual Meeting, Jacquelyn Elliott of Marion Military Institute presented a new version of the traditional admissions funnel.
The current funnel, derived from the field of advertising and adopted by enrollment managers, is structured as a series of steps including awareness, interest, desire, and action (or鈥攊n the language of admissions鈥攊nquiry, application, yield and enroll). In this type of funnel, the largest numbers of students with the lowest level of interest are at the top. As you move down the funnel, in theory, student interest grows and there is a trickle-down effect resulting in enrollment. But that approach doesn鈥檛 work anymore, Elliott said, noting schools with large pools of prospective students are no longer seeing increased enrollment at the bottom of the funnel.
Elliott said the traditional funnel falters for a number of reasons: it鈥檚 based on large searches but not quality of searches; it uses 鈥渙ne-and-done鈥 communication tactics where students aren鈥檛 being asked to take further action; and management happens at the top of the funnel versus at every interval of the funnel. She proposed flipping the funnel into a pyramid shape with matriculant at the top, followed by deposit, applicant, prospect, and suspect. Enrollment managers using this model would start at the bottom of the pyramid (suspect) and push students through.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e now building it,鈥 Elliott said.
Some of her suggested approaches for 鈥減ushing鈥 students through, are: be flexible; use analytics to purchase better names in the search; create segmented and personal communication plans based on interests; and keep the search an ongoing process throughout the year.
Audience members offered best practices on their campuses for how to use this new approach, including: create different funnels for different populations; look at data and tweak along the way; implement creative and personalized campus visits; make schedules more flexible; and make personal phone calls.
鈥淵ou have to build that pyramid almost stone by stone to get the student up there,鈥 Eillott said.