10 Ways the Admissions Departments Can Connect With Gen Z
Michael Baikepi
Connecting with zoomers can be difficult if not done right. These are adventurous youngsters born in the golden age of technology. Their attention span is at a record low, so admission departments should innovate modern ways to connect with them. Here are ten ways they can do that:
1. Keep your Content Real
2. Use Visual Aid
3. Create a Communication Plan and Consistently Engage With Them
4. Be Concise
5. Have a Welcoming Tone
6. Use Social Media
7. Focus on Their Needs
8. Grab Their Attention
9. Cater Your Communications
10. Keep Your Content Organized
In full:
1. Keep your Content Real
Nobody likes fake. Not even the previous generations. Whatever marketing medium you use needs to have an authentic vibe to it.
Don’t use slogans like “We’re the best college in the world” or something like that because everyone knows you’re lying, even you, except if you’re Harvard or Stanford.
· Show the real side of your school.
· What you do daily
· Show the professors,
· The campus,
· And the history.
2. Use Visual Aid
Humans are visual beings, Gen Z more than most because they were born in a visual era.
Modern technology has afforded us the luxury to communicate visually in a variety of different ways.
· Video (the best)
· Audio
· Images
· Emojis
· Memes
· Infographics
· Slideshows, etc.
Pre-millennials grew up in the age of text, so they respond well to it, millennials grew up in the age of sound, so they respond well to it. Zoomers grew up in the age of video, so they respond well to it.
3. Create a Communication Plan and Consistently Engage With Them
Create a communication plan that maps out all the communication you’re planning to use to connect with them.
· Emails,
· Phone calls,
· Text
· Mail, etc.
Many admission departments often suffer the pitfalls of low registration in their schools because they never created a solid plan. Schools need to start the customer nurturing process as soon as the students opt-in because if you don’t, they’ll lose interest and turn to another college. Auto-respond, follow-up, and continue engaging with them.
4. Be Concise
The average attention span of humans has drastically dropped from twelve seconds in the 20th century to less than seven in the 21st century. Because zoomers were born in this era, they’re affected by this phenomenon more than most. Scientists claim their attention span is less than that of a goldfish, which is crazy. Make sure that your marketing messages are lightweight and digestible. The shorter, the better.
5. Have a Welcoming Tone
The tone of your brand matters now more than ever. Because of cheap debt, your competitors have a budget to market to the same people you’re targeting.
To outwit them, you’ll have to find your unique voice and selling proposition.
· Make sure your message is engaging and entertaining
· Make it’s easy for students to voice out their questions.
· Use the slippery slope copywriting technique to articulate the importance of reading your message.
6. Use Social Media
58% of Gen Z students use social media daily.
· YouTube
· And now TikTok.
Students use social media for different reasons, some for entertainment purposes, some for research, and others for connecting with their peers. Make sure you don’t become the elephant in the room by posting corporate things that don’t resonate with your target audience. Catch and ride the social media trends while bringing awareness to your brand.
7. Focus on Their Needs
The worst thing any salesman can do is to sell their product or service. If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, you have already lost the sale.
Don’t be pushy, instead offer value to your prospective students, and in turn, they’ll reciprocate. They’ll want to know more about your institution and will be more inclined to become a student if everything goes according to plan. Focus on your prospect’s needs, and they’ll focus on the institution’s desires.
Create personalized communications that answer the needs of these prospects burning questions and concerns rather than selling your institution’s products and services to them.
8. Grab Their Attention
Similar to Point 4. This point reiterates the importance of grabbing the attention of your prospects in less than 8 seconds. The best marketing medium for zoomers is video so;
· Have a great headline for your video,
· Have a great intro,
· And have an engaging video.
Be sure to include captions to your video and make it interactive because if they remain dormant all through the video, they’ll eventually click off.
9. Use People They Trust
Influencers these days have more power than parents, lecturers, or politicians. They’re given pristine dominance by the community they serve.
Find influencers in your area to come and endorse your school. For this strategy to be effective, find influencers who’re about the same age as your prospects so they can resonate well with them. You don’t need a super influencer with 100 000 + followers to do this. You can find a small number of students in your institution with around 10 000 or so followers to get the job done.
10. Keep Your Content Organized
There’s nothing worse than launching your marketing campaigns only to attract prospects to a mixed-up website and social media profiles.
After seeing your message somewhere, zoomers will likely want to know more about you, so they’ll do a quick web search. If they land on your social profiles or website and finds them unorganized, it’ll portray a negative message about you. That’ll scare off your potential students.
Organize your online real estate accordingly, and you’ll be surprised at how many people come knocking at your institution’s doors.
I hope these ten tips helped you a lot. Which one did you like best?
One Response to 10 Ways the Admissions Departments Can Connect With Gen Z
Good blog indeed!