Fall is primetime for campus open houses, preview days, and tours. These events are one of your best chances to get students and families excited about applying to your institution. But the visits themselves are only the start of the work for your team. To drive real enrollment, you need a deliberate follow-up strategy that makes smart use of your event data.

1. Follow Up Thoughtfully with Attendees

Students and families who come to campus are already showing commitment. They not only registered for an event, but took the time to attend and engage with your school. 

Send a personalized thank-you message right away that references some moments from their visit (a department they toured, conversations they had with faculty, campus spots they liked). If bandwidth is an issue, at a minimum, send a general recap to all, capturing the excitement of that particular visit type or event. 

In either case, remind them of next steps, like: 

• Applying for admission.
• Scheduling a one-on-one conversation with the financial aid office, their admissions counselor, faculty, or athletic coaches.
• Learning more about the FAFSA and financial aid.

By showing them resources tailored to their interests, including majors, campus life, or career outcomes, you are presenting your institution as a place that truly cares, and one the student can imagine themselves succeeding at.

2. Re-Engage Registrants Who Didn’t Attend

Don’t treat a no-show as a rejection. These prospects indicated enough interest to register, so reach out kindly:

• A “We missed you” email with a recap of what they missed and links to virtual tours or upcoming events. If you went the “general” route above, simply send it to the no-show group as well!
• An invitation to schedule an individual visit (in-person or virtual).
• A prompt to encourage them to follow up with you, like “What questions can we answer for you about the application process?”

Frame your message with flexibility rather than reproach. This will help keep the student and their family engaged in the funnel.

3. Segment Your Event Data

Your registration and attendance data is gold. You know who came, who canceled, how far they traveled, what academic areas they asked about, and which family members joined. Use that to segment your communications:

• High-intent segment: those who traveled far or stayed on campus overnight.
• Academic interest groups: arts, sciences, business, etc.
• Family vs. student communications: parents often want to know more about ROI, outcomes, and affordability, while students are more concerned with academics and student life.
• No-show follow-ups vs. visit-attendee nurtures.

Feed that segmentation into your CRM and campaign planning tools. Use the data to fuel relevance and timing in your drip campaigns.

If your institution uses Slate (or another unified system), you can integrate your visit data with student profiles to trigger personalized nudges, creating seamless data-driven experiences for the student and their families.

4. The Follow-Up Window Matters, So Act Quickly

Fall open house season means many prospective students and families are freshly engaged and ready to take the next steps. The first few days post-visit are a vital opportunity window.

• Send your thank-you and “next step” emails the day after the visit.
• For no-shows, reach out within 48 hours.
• Use reminders to nudge students to the next steps in the following week, such as encouraging them to apply.
• Make sure attendees are added to your inquiry communication flows within your CRM system.

5. Build Long-Term Value from the Data

Don’t let your visit data go dark once the event is over. Use it:

• To inform future event planning. (Which programs drew the most interest? Which times/dates worked best?)
• To power admissions marketing campaigns later in the cycle. (How can you use students’ interests from the event to tailor emails, SMS, and social media to feel more personalized?)
• To refine which segments need more hand-holding. (Did first-generation families attend the event? What questions did they ask? Do students unsure of what they want to study need extra outreach?)
• To test messaging strategies. (Did emails referencing financial aid work better? Did academic-interest prompts get higher registrations?)
• To benchmark year-over-year trends. (Are fewer families visiting? Are some academic areas under-represented?)
• To help plan for your upcoming Admitted Student Day events in the spring. (What session topics, formats, or schedules should you repeat–or rethink–for admitted students and their families?)

You can also tie the data into your yield strategy: Once students are admitted, keep referencing their visit experience to reinforce belonging.

Campus visits are powerful tools, but only if you turn them into momentum. By differentiating your outreach to attendees and non-attendees, activating your event data, and acting quickly, you can convert more of your visitors into applicants. Then, let that data guide your communication strategy all the way through enrollment.

Reach out to our team if you need a hand in optimizing your visit strategy.