The Big Game is here in football, and the press is full of profiles of Tom Brady, the old phenom who may or may not be the GOAT. But one thing Brady has undeniably done, at age 41, is adjust his game to his circumstances. Shorter passes and quicker releases have kept him and his team at the top.

We can see where Tom Brady’s adjustments have benefited the Patriots. Has your enrollment management game adjusted to your school’s unique circumstances (tougher public school competition, shifting consumer preferences, etc.)? Analysis of NBOA’s Business Intelligence for Independent Schools (BIIS) data system, indicates there are clearly “have” and “have not” schools in terms of applications and enrollment trends.

Schools at the top of their game continue to increase applications at double digit rates while median schools are flat to modestly down. Lower tier schools are in negative double digits.

If your numbers are indicating less-than-stellar performance at this stage of the admission season, here are three questions you need to be asking yourself and your enrollment management team about your school’s adjustment to the more challenging environment, and, if appropriate, acting on:

1. Have we invested in the information we really need to succeed or taken shortcuts? Thus,  do we have lists of truly PRIME PROSPECTS FOR OUR SCHOOL, along with their contact information, or do we simply know vaguely the ZIP Codes and neighborhoods where wealthy people live and have lists of vague psychographic descriptions of types of the people who frequent those ZIP Codes?
2. Do we really know, based on hard data (not supposition), what our school’s prime prospects believe is vital to their school choice decision making, and what they think about our competitiveness in those areas, so we can take appropriate action?
3. Are we evaluating marketing communication efforts’ effectiveness based on how they directly contribute to the things that matter, including enrollment inquiries, campus visits, and applications, or do we settle for statistics on click throughs, open rates, and website hits?

Now (today) is game time in the enrollment management world, just like it is in football. HARD DATA is the key enabler of success and has never been more attainable. “Lookalike” — to our current families — prospect lists with contact information, quantitative and qualitative research among prime prospects — not just current families, and the ability to measure marketing impact on our enrollment pipeline are within reach if we grasp them.

If you’d like to know more about to put your school on the road to enrollment management Super Bowl status, please contact Dr. Harry Bloom at Measuring Success below or call 202-684-7024