I'm a father of 3 teenage boys. One is at The University of Connecticut. The next one is looking at colleges and the 3rd is right behind him.
This week is school vacation here in Massachusetts, and a perfect time to begin the college tours for Thing #2. We visited 5 colleges in Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. They're all so similar in their messaging. It's hard to figure out what's different about each one. They all even had the same anecdote about the essay NOT to write. (It's the one about your grandmother... which is weird because I don't know why you would write a college essay about your grandmother.)
They all put the learning in the hands of the students. They all have lots of student services. They all have the BEST financial aid. They all have their iconic campus and the infamous arch that superstitiously means you'll never graduate if you walk through it...
So in this environment where kids are making this huge decision, how do schools really connect with the kids to make them stand out.
Here's what one school did that was absolutely amazing:
Bryant University is a small school in Rhode Island. At points along the application process, they asked students questions. One of the questions must have been, "Do you have a dog? What's it's name?" I don't recall that question but maybe my son gave them the information. Someone did! Because, the Bryant University's mascot, Tupper the Bulldog, sent OUR dog, Kona, a bandana from Bryant along with a nice note telling Kona that he was excited that our family was considering Bryant!
In an environment where you get letters and pamphlets from universities every day, THIS gift really stood out. It was personalized to us based on a question they had asked us at some point. And it's the only school I still talk about from that round of selections.
So if you want to stand out in the eyes of your members and customers. If you want to form a connection with them when everyone else is trying to do the same thing, start by learning a little about them and personalizing the contact you have with them.
Think about how PropFuel can create custom messages based on the questions you ask on a continuous basis.
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