Part One of this series discussed research that demonstrates that when prospective students put forth effort (by visiting campus in this case), most will justify that effort with increased appreciation for what they see. If their campus tour is presented by a qualified tour guide who tailors the tour to their interests, their appreciation will further increase. As Will Smith might have put it in Hitch, once that process has begun, the admissions office’s job is “not to blow it.”
What can admissions officers do to avoid squandering this beneficial effect? What does scientific research show can increase prospective students’ liking for what they see? How can you improve your institution’s chances of enrolling qualified students who visit campus?
How “not to blow it”
A substantial body of research has proved the truth of the saying, ‘You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.’ Because of a phenomenon called Confirmation Bias, once a prospect or his/her parents get an impression of your institution, it’s very hard to change it. As social psychologist and textbook author David Myers, PhD put it, “We are eager to verify our beliefs but less inclined to seek information that might disprove them.” Therefore, making a good first impression is essential. How can you do it?
Effective marketers use research to anticipate their prospects’ feelings and foresee their needs. That shouldn’t be difficult to do. Just think back to the last time you drove a long distance. What would have made your arrival more pleasant? Most likely, a warm welcome and a clean, attractive bathroom. Be sure to provide both for your guests and you will start them off on the right foot.
Feeding your prospective students’ interest
Do you provide students and parents with a snack? Research shows this can be a very good idea. In Influence – Science and Practice, persuasion expert Robert Cialdini, PhD describes Dr. Gregory Razran’s experiments on the power of food to change attitudes. According to Influence, Dr. Razran found that his subjects became “fonder of the people and things they experienced while they were eating.” Research reported on by The Providence Journal showed why this might be. People were given a brain scan while eating their favorite food. Their brains’ pleasure centers lit up like New York harbor on the 4th of July.
The pleasure produced by good food can make your providing it a pleasure. Research shows that the human brain is very good at recognizing how it feels. It is not nearly as adept, however, at focusing on the source of the good feelings. Good feelings generated by tasty food can rub off on everything else a person experiences at the time. This is Classical Conditioning. We see this constantly in “feel good” commercials, where advertisers stir up warm feelings with puppies and cute kids while showing their product. As eminent social psychologist Dr. Elliot Aronson put it, “by associating positive emotions with a product, an advertiser can turn a bland product into one that evokes feelings of nostalgia, love, warmth and general goodwill.”
Creating good feelings about your institution
PET scan studies have shown that genuine, friendly smiles can also stimulate the brain’s pleasure center. Effective tours will have plenty of these in supply as well. And while institutions want students to choose them for well-thought-out reasons, the good feelings generated by a warm welcome and a fudge brownie could help a student choose Dartmouth over Brown, Brandeis over Williams, Quinnipiac over Providence and so on.
It’s for this very reason that colleges would do well, when resources and schedules will permit, to accommodate younger students who want to visit campus. Their having an enjoyable, stimulating visit can help them develop positive attitudes about college in general and your institution in particular. These good feelings can give your institution an edge when those students start thinking seriously about choosing what they will do after high school. Besides, these tours are often requested by local schools. Local students can enroll without taxing dormitory resources. Admissions departments find there are years when a high commuter population can be a real asset.
Campus tours, if handled effectively, can provide institutions with pools of students who are predisposed to enroll. The key, then, is to find good ways to encourage more students to visit. Research has found a number of tools that can increase students’ interest in visiting. To discuss this further, please email me at lrondeau@thealliedgrp.com.
