Let’s look at why an Adult Student will want to finish their degree. The reasons are many but there are a few that stand out. First, many who return to school are not happy with what they are doing or where they are in life. Some of the key reasons to return to school are:

• Change their career.
• Job security.
• Job advancement.
• A degree will bring a bigger paycheck.
• Prestige of having a degree among peers and friends.
• Set an example for my children.
• Family pressure to move forward and finish what they started.

These are just a few of the reasons someone would return to school. But the real issue is, how do you know who is in which classification (and realize that some may have multiple reasons). The ultimate issue is how do you promote your institution to such a wide range of reasons to return to school. The knee jerk reaction is “you don’t!” we must treat everyone the same since we don’t know each individual’s motivation. Yet, there is a way to find out.

If you look at a simple survey that asks, “which of the following reasons would you think is the reason you want to complete your degree (or get an advanced degree?” Then, simply list the bulleted points listed above and track who clicks on which option. From there, you can package your marketing efforts based on EACH INDIVUDUAL motivation to return to school. If you read my blog regarding Survey prospects 101, you will find that when we do your survey, we can segment the prospects based on their motivation, and from there you can design your marketing materials to meet each need.

If you don’t want to deal with a survey, you can always create an email campaign that asks them what would interest them when going back to school and list the motivations as they occur above. If they click on any one of them, it takes them to a landing page that discusses going back to school from that specific point of motivation! You create the list of motivations they tell you which one applies.

The primary issue is that motivation is not a universal concept. Everyone has a different thought or idea regarding why they want to go back to school. The key concept is to find out what that motivation is. If nothing else,

For more information contact David Fant, President of Market Mapping plus, Inc. Write me here at [email protected] or call (616) 956-7129.