Standing Out in a Field of Columbias

Challenge

Columbia College of Missouri’s vision is to be a highly innovative institution of higher education, dedicated to excellence in its programs nationwide. When faced with an enrollment decline, team turnover, community brand confusion, and a lack of data on their prospective student personas, the enrollment team tapped into this spirit of innovation and excellence to create a new strategy that would deliver strong enrollment results. This strategy would need to hone in on learning who the college’s prospective students truly were, leveraging a partner who would maximize the team’s resources, and overcoming students’ brand mix-ups with other Columbia schools (e.g. Columbia College-Chicago and Columbia University).

Solution

Columbia College knew it was time for a strategy shift and turned to Encoura’s expert consulting and solutions to make the pivot. The school broadened their services to leverage forward-thinking marketing solutions, as well as industry-leading research, to deeply understand their market, build a high-quality applicant pool, and differentiate their institution from other “Columbia” schools. Next, the Columbia team prioritized their enrollment consulting meetings to work smarter, not harder, taking advantage of their expert consultant who could meet crucial strategic needs while it worked with less resources and staff. The admissions department also teamed up with the college’s marketing department during calls with their Eduventures Research analyst to develop a communication plan that was based on student research to effectively boost student engagement and enrollment.