The science of motivation holds powerful insights that can help institutions of higher education increase enrollment. To effectively engage students, it’s essential to address the various motivations that affect their actions and decisions. Whether you are using email, text, phone calls, or social media in your outreach, consider applying these simple strategies to boost enrollment and student engagement.
Reinforce Confidence, Value, and Agency
Research has shown that student behaviors are driven in part by three factors. First, the more confident we are that we can succeed at a task, the more likely we are to try. We build our confidence by seeing people we perceive as similar to ourselves doing well on the task. Breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable steps often increases confidence as well. Ensuring diverse representation and celebrating completed actions will increase students' chances to take all the actions needed to register.
The second factor is perceived value. We are more likely to take action when we value the outcome. Therefore, in the enrollment process, highlighting both the near term and long term value of the degree experience will bolster students’ motivation for the actions they need to take to enroll.
Agency is a third factor that explains students’ actions. When we perceive ourselves as the drivers of our actions, we are more likely to engage. Most students set out on their higher education journeys with the sense they are choosing this path. Finding ways to provide students with options and highlighting reasons they are making a good choice to attend your institution will help students maintain the sense that they are in the driver's seat and increase their persistence.
Express Care Concretely
We all want to feel cared about. We are more persuaded by concrete expressions of care than by sentimental messages. For example, during the early months of COVID-19, students were three times more likely to click on FAQ-style posts than “we are here for you” messaging. Research published by Dr. Michelle Riconscente at Motimatic showed that students perceive caring in a variety of ways. These include providing valuable information and taking the time to clearly explain how to navigate and complete steps within the enrollment process. When possible, express care by showing students how you made changes to the process to make it easier.
Elicit an Emotion
Finally, consider the emotional response that your email, social media post, or text will elicit in the student. Does the imagery capture your attention and generate a positive emotion such as relief, hope, or humor? The same is true for the choice of language. For example, rather than “You have not yet registered,” try “What will you conquer next?” Generating a positive emotional response will increase the likelihood that students will be receptive to your message and take the desired action.
Attend Motimatic's upcoming webinar on December 7, 2021, to learn more about using behavioral science to increase enrollment.