Albion College.
From Alarming Demographics to Skyrocketing Deposits.
A declining population in a historically fertile recruiting area threatened Albion’s stability. They needed Waybetter’s help to enroll more students. We increased their deposits by 28% in just 18 months.
The Challenge
Like many small, regional, four-year private colleges, Albion College suddenly found themselves battling stiff competition for an everdecreasing number of prospective students.
Their initial response (before hiring Waybetter) was something we see all too often at institutions in similar positions—they overspent on generic marketing efforts in an attempt to increase applications.
These efforts initially appeared promising as applications went up 70% from the previous year. But it turned out these were “soft” applicants—they were prospective students who knew about Albion, but they didn’t know Albion. In the end, Albion’s yield actually decreased dramatically as deposits stayed flat. Despite the time and money they spent, Albion was treading water.
The Better Way
The first thing we did at Albion was listen. We had to understand their mission and their strengths so we knew what we should be telling prospective students.
Then, using our innovative data-gathering and analytics capabilities, we let these prospects tell us what they wanted to hear. Were they interested in specific majors? Did they place campus life high on their list of priorities? Were they worried about cost? Were they interested in need- or merit-based scholarships? Whatever they needed to know, we gave them specific, individualized answers. This not only helped them truly get to know Albion, it helped ensure they were a good fit for Albion.
Results
Waybetter's process is a proven winner.
After one year, our enrollment went up 30%. Prospective students are overwhelmed with college search material. Fortunately, Waybetter has a unique way of cutting through the clutter with their personalized strategic approach."
— John Thompson, Vice President of Marketing, Albion College