Enrollment Insights Podcast

This is a recording of a Niche webinar discussing the results of a yearlong secret shopping project to benchmark and provide feedback about junior comm flows. In this webinar, we cover the results, dive deeper into emails, provide opportunities and ideas for improvement, and answer audience questions.

The full recording and resources are available at niche.bz/webinar.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

This is a recording of a Niche webinar on how to use GA4 to track the ROI of your enrollment and marketing efforts, how to connect it to additional platforms you’re using, and how marketing and admissions teams can work even better together going into the next school year.

The full recording and resources are available at niche.bz/webinar.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students and families, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this second quarterly reflection Angela and Will talk through some of the things they’ve learned over the past 3 months and how they connect to opportunities and issues affecting PK-12 and higher ed. This time they tackle AI, content that answers audience questions, the growing trend of stealth applicants in PK-12, and the headwinds against maintaining and growing diversity among many other topics.

1:07 – Creating content that sells and answering your audiences’ questions and concerns as a strategy

2:48 – Don’t be afraid to tell people why you aren’t a good fit

5:51 – Tactics to make video more effective

12:48 – Strategy-first marketing and making sure data has context

14:35 – Window shoppers, self-service search, and stealth applicants… oh my!

20:26 – The trend of parents suing over diversity initiatives and being honest about where you are and how you’re getting where you want to be

25:17 – The power of listening to improve experiences

32:51 – The headwinds to maintaining access and equity

34:54 – Asking the hard question: “Does diversity actually matter to your institution and, specifically, why?”

45:00 – A few quick hits from the latest higher ed surveys

50:50 – The roles and possibilities for AI and Chat GPT in enrollment marketing

55:53 – Academic excellence is not a value proposition, you need specificity

56:50 – Angela and Will discuss Teresa Valerio-Parrot’s 400 Word Rule and flipping the thesis in marketing writing

1:02:52 – Thoughts on customer experience

1:08:08 – Will gets excited about bidirectional mentorship

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

This is a recording of a Niche webinar discussing the results of the 3rd annual Niche Grad Searcher Survey. We discussed some of the overall trends in graduate recruitment as well as three tactical insights and answered audience questions.

The full recording and resources are available at niche.bz/webinar.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this episode, you'll hear from Janelle Gates.

Janelle is a Partnership Manager at Teamtailor, a leading applicant tracking system that specializes in streamlining recruitment processes and enhancing employer branding and candidate experience.

With a strong commitment to supporting educational institutions in attracting and recruiting the best talent, Janelle brings a wealth of expertise to her role. When she's not empowering schools with top-notch hiring solutions, you can find her immersing herself in nature, exploring local state parks, and indulging in paddle-boarding adventures.

In this episode, Janelle shares employer branding tips for public school districts based on her work at Teamtailor.

0:00 - Introduction

1:40 - Planning is key—even if you're going on vacation

3:35 - How Janelle preps for brainstorming sessions

4:21 - How your personality type can impact your brainstorming style

5:21 - Using feedback to better understand your "customers"

6:52 - The two biggest opportunities for schools to improve their talent recruitment practices

8:41 - "Employer branding goes hand-in-hand with school branding."

11:00 - Districts that are rocking employer branding

12:10 - Components of a well-articulated employer brand

14:28 - How districts can use community-based recruiting to amplify your employer brand

15:50 - Tips for getting started with your district's employer brand

19:55 - The importance of putting yourself in prospective employees' shoes

21:27 - How to connect with Janelle

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this episode, you'll hear from Krista Coleman and Dr. Michael Grego.

Krista is K12 Insight’s chief customer officer. She’s dedicated to helping K-12 school districts across the United States provide superior customer experiences to families, teachers, staff, and other stakeholders. With over 15 years of senior executive experience in EdTech companies, Krista has been dedicated to helping schools find creative solutions to the wide variety of challenges that they face.

Mike, K12 Insight advocate, is an innovative leader who served in public education in the state of Florida for 42 years, spending the last 10 years of his career as superintendent of Pinellas County Schools. Under Dr. Grego’s leadership, Pinellas County Schools earned districtwide accreditation, achieved record-high graduation rates, and successfully narrowed achievement gaps between minority students and their peers. Twice during his leadership, the district earned the top score in Florida for offering the best choices for parents. Pinellas has also received national recognition for its digital curriculum and exemplary use of technology, and for preparing high school students for success in college, career and life.

In this episode, we talk about the important role that customer service plays in public school districts, K12 Insight's quarterly report series on customer service in schools, and the tools and strategies that districts can use to create a culture of customer service in their communities.

0:00 - Introduction

3:33 - Changing culture is a team effort

4:04 - "Technology itself isn't the complete answer."

6:00 - Balancing daily fires with work that moves your district forward

8:00 - Clarity as the foundation for brainstorming

8:20 - "They need to be more like Chick-fil-A..."

9:58 - Customer service as a competitive differentiator

12:15 - Districts need to compete to be the first choice for their local families

14:30 - "The world has changed for public education but how have we changed to address the needs of it?"

15:55 - You might tell a few friends about a good experience but you'll tell everyone about a bad one

17:39 - Monitor common questions to find opportunities to create clarity for families

21:35 - Digging into K12 Insight's Q1 report on customer service in school districts

26:20 - How parents are responding to automation and opportunities for self-service in getting their questions answered

31:04 - Strategies for determining where you stand with customer service

37:51 - How to engage other departments in building a culture of customer service

44:17 - School PR pros—get ready to cheer for Dr. Grego. He gets it!

48:36 - Wrapping up

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

This is a recording of a Niche webinar performed on the 2023 Slate Stage in which we diver deeper into what SFTP is and why admissions offices should be using it for importing students. Join Brian Clark, Damien Snook, and Will Patch to explore this topic and answer audience questions.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

This is a recording of a Niche webinar discussing the results of the 3rd annual Niche Spring Survey of Juniors. We discuss how students want to research colleges, the importance of diversity to prospective students, how students evaluate fit, the junior perspective of direct admissions, thoughts on enrollment marketing, and answer audience questions.

The full recording and resources are available at niche.bz/webinar.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this episode you'll hear from Teresa Valerio Parrot. Teresa is the Principal at TVP Communications, co-host with Erin Hennessy of the Trusted Voices podcast, and co-editor of Call to Action for Inside Higher Ed. Previously, Teresa served as senior vice president for Widmeyer Communications and vice president for SimpsonScarborough. She has almost 10 years of service at the University of Colorado, including an officer-level appointment as Assistant Secretary of the University. Teresa earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in public administration, both from the University of Colorado, and will earn a doctoral degree from Southern Methodist University this month. She holds accreditation in public relations from PRSA. In this conversation, we look at providing clear communications, building relationships, and how to improve your writing.

0:00 - Introduction

1:24 - Failure in believing that institutions can reflect our emotions (but keep yourself vulnerable to the institutions)

3:12 - Scheduling time for brainstorming, coming primed, and making time for reflection

5:27 - Allowing everyone to have their voice in brainstorming

10:05 - Teresa's "400 Word Rule" to improve marketing clarity and lead with the value, don't build to it

19:42 - Authenticity, plain language, and acting on feedback as clarity tools

22:56 - What authenticity means and the disconnects between authentic and aspirational

26:46 - Balancing factual and emotional communication? Lead with addressing emotions and focus on relationship-building.

29:34 - Addressing fears first rather than waiting

31:40 - Writing for a dialogue, not a monologue

33:42 - Popping the anxiety-filled balloons, we need more confetti, and everything deserves sprinkles

40:34 - Final thoughts

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this episode Angela and Will look back at things they've learned in the first quarter of 2023 and bounce ideas off each other. They tackle marketing, communications, and enrollment management topics before exploring imposter syndrome and what NFL free agency has to do with admissions.

1:26 - When schools should issue an official statement

5:11 - The metrics of brand strategy

21:00 - Mental availability and "awareness for..."

33:29 - Taking a stand on your institutional identity

36:51 - High-touch and personalized yield outreach

41:43 - Adding value to revisit or yield programs

46:00 - The diminishing value of traditional recruitment activities

51:17 - Parents as partners rather than roadblocks

54:22 - Building authentic communities and tactics vs goals

58:48 - How Angela is fighting imposter syndrome

1:03:19 - Why Will loves the NFL offseason (it's the strategy and data)

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.