Customize Student Communication to Maximize Recruitment and Retention

ESM Shares Strategies for Schools to Personalize Outreach Through Phone, Email, Text, Click to Call, and Social Media

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ESM, a provider of student lifecycle solutions to help students enroll, graduate and succeed, is guiding colleges and universities through the communication strategies that can better support students. The company’s new white paper outlines the trends in communication mediums, including mobile, social and traditional, and how leveraging each of these can enable colleges to more effectively connect with varying generations and types of students who have different communication preferences.

“Students’ needs are changing as many come to college with higher expectations, and most have fused technology into their everyday lives – a one-size-fits-all communications solution doesn’t work”

“Students’ needs are changing as many come to college with higher expectations, and most have fused technology into their everyday lives – a one-size-fits-all communications solution doesn’t work,” said Murray Smith, author of the white paper and Chief Marketing Officer of ESM. “While some students are more likely to communicate through text messages, some might prefer to interact through social media, and others will warrant a live phone conversation to fully engage with the institution. By paying attention to communication preferences and effectively using customized information in their outreach, schools can serve all types of students better and faster.”

It is becoming more important that colleges look across alternative contact strategies to reach students, especially considering the following:

• More than a third of people under age 35 - including about half of those age 25 to 29 - have only cell phones, no land line (CBSNews.com)
• Approximately 96 percent of 18-35 year olds are on a social network (KISSmetrics)
• Young adults aged 18-24 average nearly 800 text messages per month (Neilson Wire)

Schools need to reach students when, where, how and as often as necessary in order to fully engage them from inquiry to graduation. A school’s communication approach must facilitate meaningful personal contact, and that will vary from student to student. By implementing communication strategies that meet the unique needs of each student, schools will be better equipped to provide a more personalized experience.

Contact ESM to download a free copy of the white paper, “Five Ways to Customize Your Communication Strategies to Maximize Recruitment and Retention.”

About ESM

ESM provides student lifecycle solutions to help students enroll, graduate and succeed. Leveraging its highly trained people, performance-driven processes and advanced technology, ESM complements an institution’s in-house teams. As a premier Business Process Outsourcer, ESM operates the largest education-only contact center in the country with approximately 800 people. ESM’s enrollment services deliver rapid, cost-effective lead processing, high contact rates and strong conversion rates. Additionally, ESM’s student lifecycle solutions include retention services to improve graduation rates, career placement services to help students succeed professionally, counseling services to help students repay their loans, analytics services to help schools manage Cohort Default Rates (CDRs) and continuing education support to help student extend their learning. To learn more, please visit http://www.esm-sls.com.