In this blog, we explain what is the consumer journey applied to the educational market and how this path can help your educational institution to increase enrollment. You learned the three stages of the sales funnel in education and the objectives for each of them.
But what we haven't shown yet is how to optimize the student's journey, making all those stages of the funnel agile and directed towards the purchase.
That is the task of today's article:
First step: mapping the student journey;
Tips for optimizing the journey;
- Automation;
- Elimination of unnecessary steps;
- Actions based on information;
- Documentation;
- Feedback and post-enrollment follow-up.
Grab your pen and paper (or your favorite text editor) and let's go!
First step: mapping the student journey
The first step towards a strategy that has marketing and sales aligned is the mapping of the student's journey. It has the function of directing the potential client to a final objective, identifying it and verifying the failures in the relationship that prevent the conversion into sales.
At this first moment, we do not intend to show you how to set up the journey, but we will give you a quick overview on the subject.
You must design the user's path step by step to sales consolidation, with a focus on that customer's experience. Define what leads the prospect to evaluate your offered solution, how he arrives at your company, how he considers the different options available in the market and what makes him decide for your institution. Mapping the journey means identifying each of these moments and subsequently applying appropriate actions to each phase.
Tips for optimizing the journey
Having identified the student journey, you might want to know: how to accelerate it to sales? How to convert more of those who are walking it? Check out these 5 tips:
1. Automation
Marketing automation is an ally of sales and indispensable for those who want to optimize the student journey.
With it, you can integrate your company's platforms and closely monitor each user action.the automation also reaches the campaigns at each stage, the lead qualification and sending emails. By strengthening this flow of nutrition, your contacts will convert faster.
SEE TOO:- The 10 Whys of Having a Blog in Your Marketing Strategy!
- What is the buyer’s journey in the educational market?
- Prospect x lead: what's the difference?
2. Elimination of unnecessary steps
In addition to automation, the elimination of unnecessary steps in the consumer journey makes it possible to optimize the path taken by the student. In addition to bringing the user closer to the purchase, you avoid wasting time and resources with actions that will not bring results.
This can be done right at that moment of journey mapping and with the help of the following tip.
3. Actions based on information
The mapping and elimination of irrelevant stages of the consumer journey must be done through accurate information, not assumptions. This data is acquired from your existing customer base or from market surveys developed for this purpose.
4. Documentation
Documentation is also important for optimizing the student journey. By writing down what went right or wrong in each of the campaigns and checking the result in each of the steps, you will be able to improve your strategy.
5. Feedback and post-enrollment follow-up
Closed a sale? Enrollments are booming? Don't forget about winning customers, after all, student retention is also fundamental to the success of the educational institution.
Post-enrollment follow-up should be carried out in order to identify the success factors of the strategy and what led the student to close the deal. Thus, you will be able to improve the other steps based on real and tested information in practice.
Optimizing your education sales funnel is no hassle. With the right tools and a good strategy, it is possible to speed up the sales process and make more enrollments!
Know now what lead nurturing is and how it can help you get more customers!
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