“The Psychology of Search” is now available as an Allied Group White Paper. For a copy, just email me at lrondeau@thealliedgrp.com.
In that series of posts we considered the evidence that, despite declining response rates, Student Search is still worth the investment. We saw how busy students often use shortcuts, called heuristics, in deciding which schools to investigate. We considered evidence that personal relevance is the most important motivator for busy students to take the time to investigate your institution. And we saw how, under the right psychological conditions, colleges can make their school personally relevant to prospective students by using an offer to create positive feelings about the institution.
The problem is that many students who are interested in a college or university will make a web-based “stealth investigation” instead of inquiring in the normal way. Students who request more information by visiting a website or sending in an inquiry card are making a small commitment to the school. As we’ve previously seen, those small commitments can easily lead to larger commitments, like visiting campus or applying. But prospects who don’t inquire in the normal way are withholding that commitment. They may eventually apply, but many times Stealth applications prove to be “soft applications.” As an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education showed, yield rates for students whose first recorded contact is their application are usually substantially lower than for students who inquire in the normal way. The College Board’s presentation, Stealth Applicants – Myths and Realities showed, for instance, that stealth applicants made up 26% of Ohio State University’s application pool, but only 14.5% of the enrolled class.
Institutions that use demonstrated-interest as a criterion for admission may admit fewer stealth applicants since their interest has not been previously demonstrated. But in many cases, that interest is real. Students driven to an institution’s website by a captivating Search letter are showing interest in that school. But unless the college can learn the identity of those interested students, they may put them in the same category as applicants who merely checked off an extra box when submitting their Common Application. This could mean that otherwise qualified students will not be admitted. And, if admitted, allowing students to remain stealth prospects decreases the likelihood that they will enroll. So, how can a college or university turn stealth prospects into genuine inquiries?
The College Board’s presentation recommended searching nonresponders a second time. In these times of shrinking budgets, that can get expensive. Some institutions, though, have found a cost effective way to capture, convert and enroll substantial numbers of stealth website visitors. Quinnipiac University began a program in 2007 to do just that. Visitors to QU’s website were offered the opportunity to get a customized electronic brochure containing detailed information on their major of choice and further information on sports and extracurricular interests. They could also choose to receive a hard copy in the mail. What have been the results?
Although the numbers were small at first, some 4,000 students have inquired by this method since the program began. In one month, between February 2 and March 2, 2009, a full 500 students requested at least one eBrochure, and a number requested more than one. Quinnipiac, considering those who requested a brochure as inquiries, measured conversion and yield rates at the height of last year’s recession. True stealth students, for whom the eBrochure request was their first point of inquiry applied at the rate of 27%. This rate is substantially higher than their conversion rate from Search. Things got really interesting, though, if students obtained an eBrochure after inquiring by some other method. Those students, as Drs. Elliot Aronson and Carol Tavris might have put it, felt a stronger ‘need to justify what they did.’ Last year, these students converted to application at a rate of 47%.
Programs like Quinnipiac’s work for nontraditional students as well. At an ACHE event last year, adult learner expert Carol Aslanian said, “Adults are the ultimate stealth students.” Quinnipiac’s program was modeled after an initiative launched several years ago by Franklin University in Ohio. According to the demand print industry report, “Franklin University’s Customized Recruitment Brochures Increase Applications,” Franklin was able to convert an astounding 48% of inquiries through their eBrochure program into applicants.
Clearly, using an eBrochure program to capture stealth students can produce some great results. But, some might wonder, wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to offer just an electronic version, rather than sending the printed brochure as well. An article in the January, 2007 issue of University Business asked, “Does the digital generation really want to see information online and in print? A recent study, “Navigating Toward E-Recruitment: Ten Revelations About Interacting With College-Bound High School Students,” reports that a significant portion of students do. Of 1,000 students surveyed, 44 percent would rather read brochures on paper instead of reading them online. And more top students actually prefer print–49 percent of those surveyed–than B and C students, according to the survey, which was conducted by James Tower, consultancy Noel-Levitz, and the National Research Center for College and University Admissions.”
As institutions continue to receive an increasing number of stealth applications, wise enrollment managers will find ways to effectively convert stealth students into inquiries well before the application season. Those who do may find themselves enjoying higher numbers of qualified applications and an increased number of enrolled students.
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