Because of the different wants, needs, barriers, and opportunities, the work of recruitment is student-centered and individualized. Not only is every student different, but so is every academic program and the work varies drastically based on the program.

Some programs have little to no recruitment support, while others enlist all of our services. Generally speaking, if a program has marketing support, recruitment support is required. This is to ensure that the return on our investment of marketing dollars is maximized. 

The recruitment team provides information to individuals via multiple channels (email, text, phone, etc.) to help reach prospective students through their preferred channel.

Enrollment Coach Services

Some faculty, program directors, and coordinators are surprised to hear that many students are more interested in learning about how to get into a program than about the specifics of the curriculum. That's where an enrollment coach can help.

Our enrollment coaches focus on building a relationship with every prospective student who expresses interest whether by filling out a form or reaching out in another way. If a prospective student is not a good fit for your program, our enrollment coaches will direct them to another UW–Madison program, or (in rare cases) to a program outside of UW–Madison.

In general, prospective students don't care which unit a person works in when they call, text, or email someone, they expect that they are speaking to UW–Madison. Our enrollment coaches work closely with each program to learn as much as they possibly can about the admissions process and requirements, the kinds of students that would be a good fit, the career outcomes, and the curriculum. 

Enrollment coaches engage with prospective students throughout their enrollment journey using multiple communication channels. including:

• Calls
• Text messages
• Calendly appointments
• Zoom meetings
• Emails
• Events/Webinars
• Statement of Purpose reviews

Enrollment Coaches Make a Difference

The Recruitment Strategies team utilizes Salesforce to track interactions with thousands of prospective graduate students, guiding them from inquiry to enrollment at UW–Madison. Through enrollment coaching and other services, the team contributes to higher application, admission, and yield conversion rates, ultimately improving enrollment outcomes.

Email Automation & Mass Texting

The recruitment team provides email and mass texting automation to PDC programs. The level of automation is up to each program. If you enjoy updating spreadsheets and copying and pasting the same email text to different people, then you don't need our help with automation. If you would rather use your time to complete your many other tasks, let us lighten your load.

The recruitment team has a variety of automated email and text campaigns, which all utilize Salesforce (to source appropriate email lists based on the campaign type) and Eloqua (to set up the emails and track engagement). All campaigns can be customized (you decide which emails are included), and all emails within the campaign are tailored to your program's needs. In addition, we monitor and optimize the campaigns as we go.

There are examples of automated campaigns below. You can see a much larger range of emails by selecting this link, which will create a copy on your Google Drive. 

Auto–response Email

Prospective students who complete an online request for information form will start with this email. (Note: marketing created and manages the request for information (RFI) forms, which can be placed on a program website, or a standalone link from a Facebook or Instagram ad.) The auto-response typically comes from the program director and introduces the enrollment coach or an individual from their department who can be contacted for questions. This is the only email that we require programs to have active if they have an RFI form.

Welcome Campaign

This campaign aligns with the PDC enrollment coach outreach (calling, text, email, etc.) as they try to connect with prospects to discuss your program. After an enrollment coach reaches a prospective student via phone, email, text, or other means, they check a box in Salesforce to stop the remaining emails in this campaign. Then the student moves into the next applicable campaign. This campaign is encouraged if you are using Salesforce and sustained engagement tactics are recommended by our enrollment coaches. If not, this is a campaign that can be skipped or altered to align with your efforts.

Recruitment Campaign

These emails provide information about UW–Madison and include information on application requirements, financial aid, careers, enrollment coach assistance, student testimonials, video content, GRE requirements, and more.

Only the emails that are relevant to your program will be included in the campaign we won't send an email about GRE prep if the GRE is not an application requirement, for example.

Application Deadline Reminders

Reminders can be sent out when applications open and at the following intervals before the application deadline:

• Two months (programs with only one start term)
• One month
• One week
• One day

This encourages prospective students to complete the application requirements on time. If your program has rolling admissions, we can alter our emails to align with those efforts.

Application in Progress Campaign

This campaign helps move people through the application process once they start their application. We share helpful tips and information related to the application (e.g., letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, application checklists, etc.). We recommend 3-5 emails in this campaign that are sent out over a few weeks to help people successfully complete their application.

Yield Campaign

Just because a student accepts your application doesn't mean they will show up on the first day of class. We can help increase the "yield" the proportion of accepted students who matriculate through yield campaigns. 

A yield campaign is a series of emails and mailings that show each accepted student how much they mean to UW–Madison. We send out congratulatory emails, gifts, and useful information about studying at UW–Madison (even if the program is fully online).

Programs that implement yield campaigns see higher yield rates according to the EAB, ensuring that your efforts throughout the admissions process pay off. A strong personal connection can make all the difference helping prevent admitted students from choosing another institution at the last minute.

Mass Texting

Prospective students have the opportunity to opt into receiving text messages on the RFI forms. They can select to receive personalized messages from their enrollment coach AND/OR mass texts regarding deadlines and other program information.

Mass texts can be automated and sent as a one-off message or integrated into the Eloqua campaigns to complement the email messages. The most common texts we send are regarding upcoming events and webinars, as well as deadline reminder messages. Additional texts feature information about Financial Aid, program rankings, links to program videos, etc.

Recruitment Events

Recruitment offers two broad types of events in-person and online. In-person events, such as career fairs, conferences, workshops, and symposiums, can be hosted on and off-site. Online events, such as webinars, are a good way to connect with prospective students from all over the world. Both types of events can take place with or without program staff being present

In-Person Events

In collaboration with each program, the recruitment team will identify events that are appropriate and considered good value for money to attend. If needed, we can provide the staff, equipment, and logistics for events. We typically hold conference planning meetings ahead of the event where the goals are identified, a budget is agreed upon, along with any cost-sharing arrangement, and the tasks and responsibilities are assigned. In some cases, a conference may have audiences that could serve multiple programs, so we ensure that all programs are represented when possible.

Programs can reserve conference materials for use at an upcoming event, including booth materials and signs and swag. Use the PDC Swag & Booth Materials - Reservations form to see what is available, then contact your project manager/coordinator with your needs to schedule materials pickup. 

Online Events

Webinars are a great way to easily reach a large group of prospective students at different stages of the recruitment funnel. Generally, webinars work best as a strategically planned series of events that match where your prospective students are expected to be in the funnel. However, one-off program overview webinars also have value, especially when prospective students have an opportunity to ask questions about a program they are interested in.

Common types of webinars include:

• Program Overview: This generally covers the people, the curriculum, the costs, and the application process.
• Application Assistance: This will still cover elements of the program overview, but focuses more on the application process and what prospective students need to do to be successful.
• Faculty Spotlight: This is a webinar where a key faculty member can talk about their passion and about the course(s) they teach. This webinar can serve as a yield tactic.
• Career Outlook: This will provide information about former students and the kinds of careers they are currently in, as well as job prospects. This webinar can also serve as a yield tactic.
• Alumni Panel: Programs that have been running for a while gather alumni to answer questions from prospective students.
• Student Panel: Current students discuss their experiences in the program, how it meets their academic needs, why it is a good fit and how it might help prospective students with their future pursuits.

We can help you plan, advertise, host, caption, and publish webinars–all you have to do is bring the content. Contact your project manager/coordinator to learn more.