Bradley has struggled with freshman enrollment numbers for years. Enrollment for 2011 missed the target by about 100 students, 2014’s class spurred a $7 million budget cut and 2015’s enrollment caused Wyckoff Hall to close.
“If you don’t change the way you communicate, you will lose your brand,” then-Interim President Stan Liberty said in the Sept. 25, 2015, issue of The Scout. “Younger people are all mobile and into social media of all sorts [and] we got out of tune with that.”
Well, Bradley finally broke into the Digital Age.
With a focus on social media and digital marketing, Enrollment Management found a way to appeal to prospective students, leading to an enrollment of about 1,100 freshmen this fall. That’s an increase of nearly 200 students from last year’s numbers.
The InsideBradley app was a huge step forward. The app is a new social engagement platform aimed at showing prospective students the ins-and-outs of the college admission process, as well as introducing them to miscellaneous Bradley facts.
In fact, Bradley has become somewhat of a force to be reckoned with on social media. Admissions representatives from across the country have their own Twitter accounts, and the university itself reads and responds to each tweet directed at them. They are active on Facebook and Instagram, which is great for reaching tech-savvy millennial students.
Bradley’s website also has a new landing page — completed last September with the help of digital marketing consultants, which is aimed at attracting prospective students, and student visit days and tours were restructured to include a more complete Bradley “experience.”
These are all great public relations strategies, and it seems to be paying off. The Enrollment Management staff spent time creating a cohesive plan, and they have nearly 200 students to prove it.
We certainly applaud the university’s efforts. After getting off to such a great start this year, let’s not be complacent and forget the technological world is ever changing.
But we don’t think that will happen.
In fact, we believe this trend has the potential to continue for years to come.
