I’ve spent decades in the trenches of enrollment management, witnessing firsthand the incredible impact that genuine relationships can have on school admissions. It’s a simple truth that we often overlook, especially when deadlines loom and numbers take center stage. Let me share some insights from my journey on how we can ensure our relationship-building efforts are both effective and timely.
The Essence of Relationship Marketing
When I think about marketing, I see it as the process of acquiring students and parents by offering them an exchange of value and building a relationship over time. This journey involves two critical elements:
- Exchange of Value: Both parties have something the other desires. Over the years, I’ve seen many schools confidently believe they offer what families want. Yet, this belief needs constant validation and exploration to truly understand what families value.
- Building Relationships Over Time: Strong relationships make people want to stay together. In admissions, we aim for families to stay engaged from their first open house visit to their child’s graduation, creating an inspiring and lasting bond with our school community.
How Much Do You Value Relationships?
Relationships foster disciples—families who believe in your mission and are likely to enroll and spread the good news about your school. I’ve seen discipleship overcome competitive brand advantages and even offset minor shortcomings in a program.
In our education system, relationships are most impactful when formed directly by those involved in educating. When teachers, coaches, or students make connections, prospective families experience the educational service firsthand. Admissions personnel should position themselves as closely to this as possible. This sometimes means admission persons wearing multiple hats—teacher, coach, advisor, dorm resident—to make the connection more authentic.
Making Real Connections
The more prospective families interact with your school’s employees, parents, and students, the closer they feel to the right individuals. Offer a variety of events—both in-person and virtual—that allow these interactions. This includes open houses, class visit days, shadow days, and performances.
Virtual connections can also be powerful through testimonials, visuals, and pictures. Personal touches, like handwritten notes or emails acknowledging their child’s achievements, further strengthen these relationships. But nothing beats the in-person touch. Faculty, coaches, and students should be encouraged to make personal contacts as these are invaluable.
Bringing Relationships Off Campus
Sometimes, relationship-building needs to extend beyond the campus. When this happens, plan how you’ll build those connections in different venues. Position yourself as an expert, offering resources for test prep or interviews, and subtly introduce your school. Find common ground with families to ease the process of building relationships. In the boarding world, even visiting a family at their home makes sense and can be quite appealing to a family.
Timing is Everything
Most schools intensify relationship-building efforts only after acceptances are distributed. By this time, families may have already started forming bonds with other schools. Early relationship-building, starting at the inquiry or application stage, is crucial. Heads of schools must ensure resources are available for admission offices to be able to put in this time. It’s not always about hiring more admissions staff; faculty and administrators can also play significant roles.
Quality Over Quantity
The right amount of relationship-building varies. You have to determine what your market requires in order to build an effective relationship. Some schools in the same market areas may have to work harder than others. However, you don’t want to be the one that has to work harder against stronger brands, but you don’t have the time, effort or resources to do it.
Trust and Decision Making
Think about your own life. When making an important decision, do you turn to a stranger or someone you trust? When it comes to their child’s education, parents will choose the school they’ve built a relationship with. This connection might not always outweigh a better-branded school, but it will often tip the scales in your favor of similarly branded programs.
Building and nurturing relationships is a continuous, thoughtful process. Start early, engage authentically, and ensure every interaction adds value. This approach will not only enhance your yield but also create lasting bonds that define your school community.
