What Makes Online Leaders Successful?
It seems like all we hear is doom and gloom—rising student expectations, increased competition, the demographic cliff, reduced ROI on ad spending, digital ad fatigue, and more. Yet, dominant online universities like SNHU, Liberty, WGU, and GCU continue to thrive. Why? What sets them apart from universities struggling to grow their programs?
The answer lies in their execution of best practices—capturing interest and converting that interest into leads and action.
The Missed Opportunity in Higher Ed
Have you ever wondered why 98% of your web traffic leaves without submitting any information? No form fills, no chats, no inbound calls—nothing.
We wondered the same thing. So, we conducted research on 150+ universities (For-Profit, Regional Public and Private Non-Profit) with large 100% online student populations.
Our evaluation plan focused on:
- Evaluating the use of AI agents in the initial response and subsequent outreach
- Identifying opportunities to increase organic leads
- Measuring inquiry response time and persistence with live humans
- Evaluating nurturing channels and frequency
Key Finding #1: Weak Inbound Quality Scores
When it comes to capturing organic traffic and optimizing on-page conversion, most universities fall short. We created an “Inbound Quality Score” to assess how well schools are converting their existing traffic. The results?
- 84% of schools had a Weak Inbound Quality Score, missing out on up to 20% of their organic lead volume.
Despite investing heavily in paid media, SEO, and technology, many universities fail to see results because they overlook Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). CRO is the process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, like submitting a lead form.
The Potential for Growth
Based on our findings, universities that optimize their CRO can achieve:
- A 25% increase in unpaid, high-intent organic inquiries for graduate and online programs
- Increased web traffic and reach across all audience types
- Higher returns on marketing investment
We know these results are possible because we’ve helped several universities achieve them.
Key Finding #2: Speed-to-Lead and Persistence Matter
Another major differentiator for successful online universities is their speed and persistence in responding to inquiries. Our research found that:
- 60% of schools failed to make even one attempt to respond to inquiries.
This is a critical misstep. According to the Harvard Business Review, organizations that respond to customers within the first hour are seven times more likely to convert leads than those that delay.
Every moment that passes between a prospect’s inquiry and your response increases the likelihood they’ll lose interest—or worse, that a competitor will reach them first.
Opportunities abound for universities to grow enrollment without spending more money. However, many schools miss these opportunities due to poor response times and weak CRO. At Education Connex, we recommend prioritizing:
- Speed-to-lead—Engage inquiries immediately.
- Persistent follow-up—Stay front-of-mind through nurturing and multiple touchpoints.
Key Finding #3: Omnichannel Nurturing is Key
Amazingly, 50% of the universities failed to make a single phone attempt. Interesting also is the use of social, text, and email. First, 75% of schools used email and text, while a few schools used social retargeting.
Key Finding #4: AI Agents Deployed in the Initial Response
What’s very interesting is that the largest online universities still use live humans to do initial outreach. Only a few mid-level universities used AI agents, and the quality was terrible; transactional and impersonal.
AI is far from eliminating the need for human agents, especially for high-stakes conversations. Essential human traits like empathy, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving skills remain irreplaceable.
Our vision is for contact center AI to work alongside human agents, augmenting their abilities rather than replacing them. Throughout a customer conversation, AI can provide agents with real-time guidance, helping them tackle difficult questions and offering valuable insights.
The focus on automation and text should not overlook the prospect. The over-dependence on automation creates an impersonal prospect journey that, unfortunately, is too common. We leverage technology, but we believe the key differentiators are people. Therefore, the process should be personal, professional, and conversational.
Since 2008, we’ve helped colleges grow enrollment by turning web traffic into inquiries and inquiries into enrolled students. Let us help you do the same.
Call us at 877-434-1828 or email Greg at gswinhart@educationconnex.com. We’re here to help your university succeed!