Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential element of any institution’s lead generation strategy and is a core tactic that should be at the center of your digital marketing strategy. Why? Your competition is investing in SEO. SEO delivers high-quality and high-propensity leads—great for top-of-funnel growth. Your web ranking improves when you add value to the web, increasing your visibility—Google matters. SEO is a low-investment, high-ROI marketing strategy, but it does require time and regular attention. Almost all prospective (graduate and online) students begin their search on a sea ..read more

This blog includes contributions from my RNL colleagues David Palmer, VP of Artificial Intelligence Technology Strategy, and Solomon Grey, Director Program Management. Higher education is in the middle of an AI transformation. As advances in AI happen more rapidly, the impact of artificial intelligence on how we analyze data, recruit prospective students, serve current students, engage alumni, and work on campus advances so quickly, it can be difficult to keep up. In fact, while higher ed has been abuzz about AI in recent months, many campus professionals are unsure how AI works, how it helps ..read more

While giving days are no longer a new concept, the way we engage with our donors is constantly changing. We had an awesome spring giving day season here at RNL with clients using our ScaleFunder platform. Let us show you what we deemed “fire” this season so you can take your giving day to the next level in 2025. Team effort and organizational buy-in A major key to a successful giving day is making sure your leadership and campus understand that this is an all-hands-on-deck initiative. Your marketing efforts will not be successful unless you have a team behind you to help push the word out and ..read more

Colleges and universities are facing shifting demographics in student enrollments, including an increasing number of first-time and returning adult learners. As institutions determine ways to best support their students, it is critically important to identify student needs and relevant services based on specific student populations. Simply put, a “one size fits all” approach will not suit the needs of adult learners A personal journey Upon my return to college, during my personal journey as an undergraduate adult student, I was excited to learn about the resources that were available to help m ..read more

How do students and families perceive the admissions process? This is the second in a series comparing student perceptions with the perceptions of university families.  The first article focused on satisfaction with financial aid and tuition value.  This one takes a closer look at the admissions experience.  These results are based on nearly 140,000 students from the RNL Student Satisfaction Inventory across three academic years, and over 20,000 families who completed the CampusESP/RNL University Family Engagement Report. Both populations were asked a series of questions regardi ..read more

Knowing which enrollment metrics to monitor can give you a competitive edge. It’s almost impossible not to know about the “enrollment cliff” (although there may be a second cliff after the one we’re already expecting). Fewer high school graduates with increased diversity coupled with a rising mistrust of higher education and the worth of higher education has many enrollment professionals rethinking their game plan. The pressure to enroll more students and drive revenue is unparalleled for this group of campus leaders. So, too, is the demand for a crystal ball, at the ready, to accurately predi ..read more

RNL’s new Online Student Recruitment Report presents findings from our recent survey of 1,500 prospective and enrolled online students. The report presents five interconnected strategies that will help institutions to both maximize the growth of their online footprint and to ensure that students rate the quality of their experience highly. Perhaps the most important finding in the study was the rating enrolled respondents gave to their current/recent online experience: More than 40 percent of enrolled online students (we did not ask those who have yet to enroll) indicated that the quality of ..read more

This post was authored by Nikki Hartley, Content Marketing Manager of Six Red Marbles. RNL and Six Red Marbles have partnered together to provide high quality instructional design for colleges and universities as part of RNL’s Graduate and Online Enrollment Solutions. Strong instructional design helps you both recruit and retain students. High-quality instructional design pays enormous dividends for colleges and universities. Having the right mix of programs and formats helps attract students to your institution. Creating engaging courses makes it more likely that students will complete those ..read more

Courtney Pourciaux (CP) Jaclyn Pingel Day (JD) Co-written with Courtney Pourciaux. What do you get when two new RNL Senior Consultants are invited to their very first RNL National Conference? Buckets of enthusiasm and a long wish list! With a dedicated track for fundraising this year, the RNLNC agenda is packed with something for every single member of an advancement team—from the rookie fundraiser all the way up to the president. Keep reading to find out what’s on our top ten “must do” list! Be sure to register for the conference early so you can save on your registration. Talking with vendor ..read more

You’ve got the data, now what? What do you get when you combine the expertise of two nonprofit industry veterans (Howard Heevner of the University of California, Berkeley, and RNL’s Sarah Kleeberger), university partners who are eager to learn about their constituents, and responses to key questions from more than 20,000 alumni across the country? The answer: A data set that both diagnoses the current state of philanthropy and predicts future trends that thoughtful fundraising shops can anticipate as we move into a new fiscal year. Of course, many of the findings of the RNL National Alumni Sur ..read more