Increase in Year-Over-Year Demand for Higher Education in Q2

August 16, 2018 Jeff Meola

Click here for our latest quarterly report, the Q3 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review published by Digital Media Solutions (DMS).

The major higher education lead generation story for Q2 2018 is the continuing and accelerating growth in online inquiry volume. Read on to see recent highlights surrounding higher education inquiry generation for last quarter. Click here to download the DMS Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review.

Increased Year-Over-Year Inquiry Volume Trends

The second quarter saw an increase in year-over-year demand for higher education, which was driven by the growth in online program inquiries.

From Q1 2018 to Q2 2018, overall inquiry volume dropped 3%. This drop was noted as a seasonal slip, due to the mid-year decline in campus-based demand that was almost identical to the year prior.

Click here to download the DMS Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review.

Third-Party Channels Made Up Half of Inquiry Volume

Third-party inquiries accounted for more than half of all inquiry volume in Q2 2018, the highest share within the reporting timeframe.

Increase in Year-Over-Year Demand for Higher Education in Q2 Share of Inquiry Volume First Party vs. Third Party Inquiries by Quarter 2016 Q2 2018 Chart Digital Media Solutions

The share of volume (SOV) for affiliate data leads has climbed for the past three quarters and reached almost 50% of all lead volume in Q2 2018.

Click here to download the DMS Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review.

Third-Party Media Costs Rose

The average price of third-party leads was $46.79 in Q2 2018, up from $44.10 in Q1 2018.

The average prices for both affiliate hot transfers and affiliate pay-per-click (PPC) leads fluctuated throughout the past 10 quarters, but both were down year-over-year (YOY).

Click here to download the DMS Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review.

Degree-Level Distribution Favored Diploma and Associate

Despite generating a significant SOV, the Q2 2018 SOV for bachelor’s programs was the lowest SOV for this degree level during the reported time period.

Even with a 5.8% YOY drop for the bachelor’s program SOV, actual inquiry volume for the bachelor’s degree level grew 6.7% YOY.

SOV by Degree Level Campus-Based Programs Q2 2018 SOV by Degree Level Online Programs Q2 2018 Chart Digital Media Solutions DMS

The most popular campus-based degree level was diploma, whereas the most popular online degree level was associate.

Click here to download the DMS Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review.

Health-Related Programs Received the Most Demand

More than half of all campus-based inquiries were for health programs, which was the top program category across campus-based and online formats with 42.0% SOV.

Coming in in second place for both online and campus-based program formats was the business category.

Increase in Year-Over-Year Demand for Higher Education in Q2 Top 5 Program Categories SOV Q2 2018

Click here to download the DMS Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review.

Download the Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review Overview

The following topics are featured in the Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review:

Q2 2018 inquiry volume trends
Q2 2018 media channel share of volume (SOV)
Q2 2018 third-party media costs
Q2 2018 degree-level distribution trends
Q2 2018 program distribution trends
Appendix: Q1 2018 conversion rate (CVR) trends

The Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review, published by Digital Media Solutions (DMS), covers trends in the inquiry generation and student acquisition activities of higher education institutions for the period of January 2016-June 2018, with an emphasis on April-June 2018. Data was pulled on July 1, 2018.

Want more data on higher education inquiry generation trends? Click here to download your free copy of the DMS Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review.

About the Author

Jeff Meola is the Consumer Insights & Marketing Analytics Director at Digital Media Solutions (DMS), the fastest-growing independent digital performance marketing company. DMS helps its clients accelerate growth by deploying diversified and data-driven customer acquisition solutions that deliver scalable, sustainable and measurable marketing results. DMS performance marketing solutions connect the right consumers with the right offers at the right time to achieve the marketing objectives of our clients. DMS is continually innovating to provide new and emerging media and technology solutions that minimize waste and maximize results across the most competitive industries. Since its inception, DMS has demonstrated incredible year-over-year growth which has earned recognition on the Inc. 5000 list in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Follow on Linkedin Visit Website More Content by Jeff Meola

Return to Home

It’s your journey. Visualize your victory.

Increase in Year-Over-Year Demand for Higher Education in Q2

Click here for our latest quarterly report, the Q3 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review published by Digital Media Solutions (DMS).

Increased Year-Over-Year Inquiry Volume Trends

Third-Party Channels Made Up Half of Inquiry Volume

Third-Party Media Costs Rose

Degree-Level Distribution Favored Diploma and Associate

Health-Related Programs Received the Most Demand

Download the Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review Overview

About the Author

Previous Article

Next Article

Increase in Year-Over-Year Demand for Higher Education in Q2

Click here for our latest quarterly report, the Q3 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review published by Digital Media Solutions (DMS).

Increased Year-Over-Year Inquiry Volume Trends

Third-Party Channels Made Up Half of Inquiry Volume

Third-Party Media Costs Rose

Degree-Level Distribution Favored Diploma and Associate

Health-Related Programs Received the Most Demand

Download the Q2 2018 Higher Education Inquiry Generation Review Overview

About the Author

Previous Article

Next Article

Most Recent Articles

Luxury cars are big sellers during the holiday season, but as brands embrace digital technology, holiday car sales could reach more buyers.

Pepsi enters the lifestyle market with the launch of House of PepsiCo, an ecommerce site selling apparel and accessories.

Consumers are more willing to give over their data if the data collection is transparent and the result is personalized content from trusted brands.

Privacy concerns and anti-trust claims are regularly in the news, bringing increased discussion of Google alternatives. For consumers, the option to search anonymously has obvious appeal.

The Subscription Economy Index report from Zuora shows subscription business up overall with interesting developments across sectors.

Many car brands have created holiday campaigns to captivate their audiences in new and exciting ways. Here are five creative and compelling marketing campaigns that have wowed consumers.

Starbucks leverages their popularity with mobile users by opening a “pickup store” in New York City, that offers consumers a quick, frictionless buying option for their morning joe.

On November 4, Alaska Airlines launched its innovative “Swell Deals” promotion, providing discounts on flights to Hawaii from the U.S. and Canada.

AR is changing the ways consumers experience fashion. Luxury fashion brands Dior and Gucci have incorporated augmented reality (AR) into their marketing strategies via new app “try-on.”

Sport England initiative “This Girl Can” partners with Disney to inspire girls and promote health and wellness.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been battling it out for years to see who would come out on top in the soda industry.

With a shorter holiday season this year, marketers are relying on meaningful partnerships and increased digital ad spend to successfully promote their Thanksgiving campaigns.

Listicles aren’t just for content about cats, but can be a useful tool for digital marketers to drive lead generation and mid-funnel engagement.

The 90s are back, and it’s not just to make Gen X’ers and Millennials feel nostalgic — younger generations are the target market.

BIMI authentication for email marketing could help build trust with customers targeted in high-volume marketing campaigns.

HBO launches AR activation to promote “Watchmen” in latest digital out-of-home campaign.

Nike has confirmed the acquisition of TraceMe, a startup company originally founded by Russell Wilson, and its fan engagement platform, Tally.

Big box stores, independent retailers and direct-to-consumer brands offer parents an array of options when shopping for toys.

In its first native content sharing integration, Reddit hopes to increase brand awareness and broaden its audience reach through a partnership with Snapchat.

After close to a year of testing ads in Marketplace and News Feed search results, on October 17, Facebook announced it is rolling out search ad placements to all Facebook advertisers.