A faithful and lasting relationship is the dream of many people. But calm down, we are not talking about marriage! The subject here is the relationship rule with students, do you already know this concept?
We are keeping an eye on resources for attracting new students and school retention, but we know that none of this happens if the educational institution does not maintain a good relationship with students. In fact, interaction begins even before enrolling, so it's good to think of methods to build and maintain contact.
In fact, any resemblance to personal relationships is not coincidental! Therefore, we have prepared this article especially for you to understand what the communication rule is and how to put the strategy into practice.
What you will see in the post:
- What is a relationship ruler?
- 5 good practices of the communication rule
- Welcome
- Sending Offers
- Content production
- Contact on commemorative dates
- After-sales strategies in the relationship ruler
- Bonus tip: the relationship after lead conversion
- What are the benefits of the relationship ruler?
Come on?
What is a relationship ruler?
The relationship ruler (or communication ruler) brings together a series of marketing actions to build a good relationship with the consumer. The Inbound Marketing strategy is based on the user's behavior in the communication channels and must accompany him as he progresses through the sales funnel.
Thus, contact with the person is constant, including both the prospect and the lead as well as the already loyal customer. The intention is to interact with the public in a personalized way, that is, individualizing the service and the content that reaches each one.
The idea is to seek to understand how he behaves and thus improve the brand's communicative approach with the aim of attracting and retaining him.
But, after all, how to put the concept into practice in an assertive way? See below.
In the current context, the adoption of AI-based personalization and intelligent automation in student communication is growing. The use of GenAI (generative intelligence) has been identified as transformative for personalization at scale, enabling more authentic and relevant content and interactions. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) emphasizes that successfully leveraging this technology requires a clear strategy, strong leadership, and collaboration between technical and creative teams.
5 good practices of the communication rule
It is important to know that a personalized and successful communication depends on a main factor, which is knowing the consumer's profile.
The personal information that the user provides on its platform is valuable for the methodology to be applied efficiently. Just think of the following example: if someone calls out to you in a crowd, but doesn't mention your name or some very personal characteristic of you, will you look?
Let's list some marketing strategies that will be useful for your EI when creating a good relationship rule with students.
Image: Best practices for student relationship rules
1. Welcome
Everyone likes to be welcomed and there's no denying that! And we are not just talking about physical establishments, because, even in the virtual environment, we can please those who are arriving.
When a lead signs on your page, it's only fair to thank and welcome them, isn't it?! This first contact will be valuable for the brand, which, right from the start, will have shown to be receptive.
2. Sending Offers
Did someone say offer? That does call the consumer's attention, even more so when he receives exclusive offers.
A discount on enrollment or tuition won't do anything wrong, see? Remembering that segmented promotions make communication with the student even more individualized!
And both for the first contact and for sending future opportunities, the ideal resource is one that we already know well: the workflow design email marketing.
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- Automation: how to create a purchase flow in 5 standards!
3. Content production
Not only sales experience a relationship with the customer. Incidentally, the story is unlikely to start with sales, which is why it is so interesting to offer relevant content to potential students.
Inbound Marketing is a favorable tool for this, after all, attracting new students and nurturing leads are also part of the strategy.
Think about your students' needs, present the solutions and call them to action. O call to action makes all the difference! Whether to read another post, subscribe to the newsletter or request a product or service, inviting the reader is always a good idea.
Another essential trend is the implementation of an integrated omnichannel strategy with real-time personalization, supported by platforms that consolidate data via APIs and artificial intelligence. This enables cohesive interactions — via email, WhatsApp, websites, or chatbots — that respect the student's context and significantly increase engagement.
4. Contact on commemorative dates
Have you thought about congratulating the students of your educational institution on the most special date of the year for them?
Send congratulations on your birthday, but also on student's day and even on enrollment anniversary, why not?! The idea is to work on creative and happy communication, which creates an even closer bond with the student.
5. After-sales strategies in the relationship ruler
After-sales, finally, is a crucial point in the relationship and email marketing rule, since the support given to the customer says a lot about the school and, consequently, about the user experience.
In this case, it is essential to maintain service channels to solve students' doubts and questions, and even to avoid evasion (the famous churn). Yes, student support helps a lot with school dropouts!
And it is a fact that a humanized, personalized and agile service brings another positive point to the EI, and this can be done through chat bots programmed to serve students with little or no human intervention.
Bonus tip: the relationship after lead conversion
It is worth mentioning that the work does not end when the visitor becomes a lead. Even after conversion, contact with this user is essential to strengthen this relationship, in addition, feedback from this lead can be an important point of improvement in media performance.
This is because once the communication rule is over, another fundamental part of the process comes into play: the relationship rule so that the commercial part continues to nourish this user with relevant and valuable offers.
Furthermore, the continuous use of real-time data and analytics is increasingly crucial to the success of the relationship management tool. Tools that monitor email opens, clicks, conversions, and engagement across multiple channels allow you to optimize flows and accurately personalize interactions. This data-driven approach boosts the efficiency, scalability, and impact of communication initiatives.
What are the benefits of the relationship ruler?
Communication is the key to maintaining good relationships, have you thought about that? And in schools it is no different, since close contact can reflect positively on the experience of their students.
The benefits for the educational institution that adopts this good practice are many, but see just a few:
- Reduction of school dropout, which is synonymous with greater student retention;
- Increased ROI, i.e. return on investment;
- Increased customer loyalty;
- More engaged users in communication channels;
- communication aligned with the interests of each individual.
If what your educational institution needs is a solid and lasting relationship with students, get your hands dirty and develop a strategy. The starting point is to carry out a survey about the market and what is most important in the experience of people enrolled in your institution.
After mapping, it's time to look for actions that are more consistent with the school and the consumer's profile. Afterwards, it's just a matter of executing the relationship ruler!
Key learnings about the student relationship flow: The relationship flow is a continuous communication strategy that strengthens the connection between educational institutions and students, from enrollment to post-sale. Through practices such as welcome messages, exclusive offers, relevant content, greetings on special dates, and after-sale support, schools can personalize the student journey and increase loyalty. With automation, artificial intelligence, and real-time data analysis, interactions become more precise and integrated across multiple channels, including email, WhatsApp, and chatbots. Key benefits include reducing dropout rates, improving retention, boosting ROI, and fostering student engagement. This makes the relationship flow an essential tool for successful educational marketing.
Did you like this article? Do you want to know more marketing strategies to boost your student acquisition? Also read our post about Marketing Automation and CRM!
Student Relationship Journey: How to Strengthen Engagement and Retention
What is a student relationship journey and how does it work?
The student relationship journey, also known as a communication flow, is a marketing strategy designed to maintain continuous and personalized interactions with prospects, leads, and enrolled students. It guides them from the first contact through to enrollment and long-term loyalty. This approach is based on behavioral data and ensures that each message — whether a welcome email, an offer, or educational content — arrives at the right time. The goal is to nurture trust, reduce dropout rates, and strengthen engagement. With marketing automation and artificial intelligence, this strategy becomes even more effective and scalable.
What are the main practices of a communication flow with students?
The most effective practices include: welcome messages, which create a positive first impression; exclusive offers, such as discounts on enrollment fees; relevant content production, which educates and builds trust with leads; special date messages, like birthday or student day greetings; and post-sale strategies, ensuring continuous support and reducing dropout risk. These practices can be enhanced with automated workflows, chatbots, and real-time personalization, making communication more efficient and aligned with each student’s journey.
How does a relationship journey help reduce student dropout?
A well-designed relationship journey is one of the strongest tools for reducing dropout rates. By maintaining constant and personalized communication, institutions can detect early signs of disengagement and act quickly. Proactive strategies such as support channels, personalized reminders, and relevant content help students feel valued and connected. In addition, post-enrollment follow-ups ensure that students receive the guidance they need. Combined with analytics and automation, these actions reduce churn, improve retention rates, and maximize the long-term value (LTV) of each student.
What role does technology play in student relationship strategies?
Technology plays a critical role in making the relationship journey effective. Marketing automation and CRM platforms allow schools to create segmented workflows across multiple channels, such as email, WhatsApp, websites, and chatbots. Artificial intelligence further improves personalization by generating authentic and relevant interactions at scale. Data analytics tools monitor engagement in real time — such as email opens, clicks, and conversions — helping optimize campaigns continuously. This combination of automation, AI, and data-driven insights makes communication scalable while still individualized, delivering stronger results in student engagement and retention.
What benefits does a relationship journey bring to educational institutions?
The benefits are substantial: lower dropout rates, higher retention, stronger student loyalty, and increased ROI on marketing efforts. A well-executed relationship journey also creates more engaged users, aligning communication with their real needs and preferences. For the institution, this means predictable enrollment numbers, optimized marketing investments, and a stronger brand reputation. By leveraging automation and intelligent communication, schools can build long-term, trust-based relationships that directly impact growth and sustainability.
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