New higher education graduate report from LaneTerralever and Convince & Convert shows need to adapt communication and marketing strategies to align with generational needs — especially Gen Z prospects.
PHOENIX, May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- LaneTerralever, a national marketing and advertising agency for higher education, and Convince & Convert, a global leader in content marketing and customer-experience, conducted an online survey to better understand the graduate student of today — highlighting the need for diverse communication strategies that transcend the generational gap and acknowledges the pandemic's effect in their newly-released, Graduate Student Insight Report.
The report focuses on 920 prospective graduate students who have considered enrolling in a post-graduate program in the past 18 months, providing statistical support and perspective on areas that most impact student consideration.
"Capitalizing on student preferences is a key catalyst to success," said Lauren Hillery, Vice President of Brand Strategy at LaneTerralever. "Formulating a strategic plan to reach each uniquely different target market helps students feel they're being heard and encourages institutional loyalty."
The report focuses on 4 major generations, Gen Z (age 10 to 25), Millennial (age 26 to 41), Gen X (age 42 to 57) and Baby Boomers (age 58 to 67). Although all generations were adequately represented, what became evident was that in today's society, Gen Z's preferences need to become an essential part of the communication strategy. It's important to understand what motivates them, and while schools have become familiar with them through undergraduate recruitment, their needs change as they begin to consider higher education.
The good news is both interest in graduate school and enrollment has increased and Gen Z students have made their presence known with 38% of those surveyed saying they are more interested in graduate school now than before the pandemic. Enrollment stats from National Student Clearinghouse also confirm this as they've seen a 5% enrollment increase since March 2020.
Highlighting the need for schools to focus on communication and alleviating pain points of prospective students, the report found 61% of Gen Z participants would be the first person in their immediate family to attend graduate school — causing anxiety in 29% of those participants due to the list of unknowns.
Another area higher education marketers need to keep in consideration is who prospective students are receiving their information from. Social media plays a vital role in decision making as students are more likely to trust influencers and content creators than previous generations with 78% of Gen Z participants confirming social media plays a role in their school selection.
Not just in Gen Z, but across all generations, when it comes to committing to enrollment a high level of communication regarding relative costs and financial aid helps ease the potential tuition barrier. Largest of this group, a reported 90% of Gen Z students will seek some form of financial assistance, proving institutions must adopt transparent pricing or risk losing prospective students at the end of their consideration journey.
"Generational gaps create different perspectives which in turn require different types of communication strategies," said Hillery. "Many graduate programs are at risk of losing prospective students without a better understanding of this changing audience and prioritizing their preferences. Our Graduate Student Insight Report helps solve this."
For more information and access to the full report, visit LaneTerralever.com/industries/higher-education-marketing-agency/graduate-student-insights-report-genz-download.
ABOUT LANETERRALEVER
LaneTerralever is a marketing agency focused on uncovering student insights, developing seamless digital student experiences, and implementing lead generation strategies for higher ed institutions. Our work drives an increased understanding of today's student and helps improve the quality and quantity of inbound prospective students. We're proud to have worked with a number of institutions including American College of Education, Pima Medical Institute, Northern Arizona University, Northcentral University, University of the People, Arizona State University, and Southern California University of Health Sciences.
ABOUT CONVINCE & CONVERT
Convince & Convert is an experienced, highly-focused analysis and advisory firm that creates effective, best-in-class digital marketing, content programs and customer experience strategies for the world's most iconic organizations. We've helped a number of higher education institutions boost the effectiveness and impact of their digital communications programs including Arizona State University, Indiana University, Oregon State University, Purdue University, University of Arizona, University of California San Diego Extension and the University of Texas.
ABOUT EXPERIENCE DYNAMIC
Experience Dynamic is the first fully integrated customer experience (CX) collective currently comprised of LaneTerralever and Convince & Convert. Experience Dynamic services encompass CX strategy, change management consulting, customer journey mapping, digital experiences, content marketing and growth marketing, to help companies build loyalty and generate more revenue through targeted customer interactions.
Media Contact
Simon Noel, LaneTerralever, 1 (602) 258-5263, [email protected]
SOURCE LaneTerralever
Share this article