3 Ways Competitive Analysis Can Improve Your Student Recruitment Strategy

Find Students Who Are Interested in Your Peers with College Board

To stay competitive and attract new students, it's crucial to incorporate regular and effective market research of your peers into your student recruitment strategy. As the market becomes increasingly competitive, college enrollment managers who are not keeping an eye on their competition could miss out on recruiting students who may be a good fit. 

College Board offers the Interest in My Peers (IMP) tool to help enrollment professionals identify and engage students who are interested in their competitors. 

Here are three reasons every college enrollment professional should incorporate market research into their recruitment strategy to stay competitive:

#1. Uncovering Hidden Competitors Affecting Your Admissions

Regular market research can help you adjust your focus beyond obvious competitors to discover hidden competitors. Look at out-of-state schools or schools with different class sizes. You might be losing applicants to them without even realizing it. By researching different types of colleges, you can get a clearer picture of your competitive landscape.

• Example: By performing a competitive analysis, one of our users found that many students who were interested in their college were also applying to a particular institution in a different state. Upon further research, they learned that this college was one of the few in the region offering the same niche program. As a result of their findings, the customer used IMP to reach out to students interested in that college to let them know that they offer the same program, and they highlighted what makes them unique.
• Tip: Take your competitive analysis a step further with our team’s expert insights. Our team has been in your enrollment shoes before. Unlike other providers, our team can develop a thorough analysis of the students who are adding your college and your peers to their BigFuture college lists, allowing you to pinpoint your true competition.

#2. Sparking Innovative Outreach Ideas

When analyzing your peers, you should analyze their online presence. Look at their social media and website. Institutions with strong online student engagement can inspire new ideas for your own campaigns. Engaged students are more likely to apply and enroll, so learning from successful marketing strategies is key.

• Example: By researching their peer’s website, one institution discovered that a peer college often held on-campus open houses on the same days they did. To address this, they shifted the time of their open house, ensuring it would take place after that of their peers. Then they used the IMP tool to launch an outreach campaign targeting their peer’s out-of-town inquiries, inviting them to stop at their campus just a few miles away after their peer’s event concluded.
• Tip: Combining the research of your peer colleges’ online presence with the capabilities of the IMP tool enhances competitive analysis, making it even more valuable to your student recruitment efforts. 

#3. Responding to Changing Student Preferences and Trends

Regular market research provides valuable insights into emerging trends and shifts in the enrollment landscape that could impact your recruitment goals. This could include things like high school students’ preferences, increased interest in specific programs, or preferred class delivery formats, to name a few. Staying informed about industry demands and how your peers are meeting them is crucial to remaining competitive.

Ready to Get Started?

The IMP tool can be a game changer for enrollment professionals. Use it to perform in-depth analysis and connect with students who have shown interest in your peers. Log in now to start building your peer groups. Not a Search user yet? Fill out this form and one of our consultants will reach out to you. We're here to support you every step of the way.