As many independent schools are facing increasing competition in the educational marketplace, I’m often asked, “How do you measure ROI from your admissions marketing?” More often than not, these types of questions will come from Board Members, specifically those members serving on Enrollment Management Committees. As a Head of School, Director of Communications or Admissions Director, it is critically important that you have a process which is highly measurable.
Digital marketing, specifically Facebook and Google, allows you the flexibility to measure ROI. One of the best metrics to use is to follow and track the admissions applicant’s journey through the entire admissions process. In order to successfully accomplish this, you should follow the six steps below. To do this, you will need to create an internal tracking system that follows a typical applicant through the admissions engagement funnel and into your admissions pipeline.
Metrics to Measure Digital Marketing – Example: A Facebook Content/Advertising Campaign
- Does the prospective parent click on one of the Facebook ads?
- Does the parent then complete a registration form on the unique landing page? This allows you to track each specific campaign (i.e., Facebook, Google, etc.).
- Do the parent and child attend the open house or admissions event?
- Does the student apply to your school?
- Do you accept the student?
- Does the student/family accept your offer of admission?
The entire tracking process can take several months, depending when the family first engaged with the digital campaign. This is how you can measure ROI.
To learn more about measuring ROI and running an effective Facebook campaign, please join us at the NAIS Annual Conference in Baltimore, on Friday, March 3rd, from 8-9 a.m. for a workshop, co-presented with Notre Dame Preparatory School on, “How a Multi-Year Highly Targeted Facebook Ad Campaign Helped Grow Enrollment.”
By Jonathan Oleisky, President of Kalix Communications.
