Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Building Prospective Student Relationships on the Web

It used to be enough to be in the right place at the right time. Students would request information, apply and enroll...and life was good. But then, along came the World Wide Web and the definition of the "right place", as well as the "right time", evolved. Your web site became the dominant "right place" for sharing information and engaging students. As competition for students continues to increase, you need to consider how to get and maintain student (and parent) interest throughout the entire enrollment process.

Charles Kreitzber recently shared in Website Magazine, "You want to not only attract visitors to your website but encourage them to return over and over again, to develop a relationship with your site." He cites his method, E3T as a way to deliver a positive online experience.

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Engage: The rules of engagement are simple: go for maximum face time with your visitor, keep the user on the site and encourage them to explore. It is this type of site/user "relationship" which has fueled the incredible success of Facebook and MySpace.

Empower: Prospective students and parents (as well as others) come to your site for a reason - to get information, to perform a task or be entertained. They want tools and content that informs them on issues of academics, financial aid and campus atmosphere. (See our E-Expectations research for more information). Your web site succeeds when you empower them and give them what it is they are seeking.

Ease: When your site isn't easy to use the end result is user fatigue and site abandonment. Enhance usability by speaking with students in their language, with terms they know. Clearly identify primary actions and navigation links and don't take the user to a new page unless they can easily find their way back.

Trust: As in a 'real' relationship, it's important to build trust in your on-line relationship. A trusting relationship can be described as one that offers competence, predictability, benevolence and honesty. These characteristics can be a guide to making your web site trustworthy. (Click here to read the entire Website Magazine article.)

Think of E3T as an extension of the personalized attention and focus of your campus. You work hard to engage students, maintain their attention and get them to visit. If your web site creates a superior E3T experience, you are building essential opportunities for student involvement and enrollment.

Here's to another great Monday!