Reaching and enrolling adult learners can be a game-changer for educational institutions, but it requires a unique approach. Understanding the specific needs and challenges of adult learners is key to connecting with them in meaningful ways. In this article, we'll dive into a list of top strategies your institution can use to attract adult learners and how using the right tools and solutions can help boost your enrollment marketing results in 2025.
1. Meet Prospects Where They Are
Understanding the adult learner audience is crucial for educational institutions looking to attract and retain this demographic. Adult learners are often in various career stages, looking to advance in their current fields or seeking complete career changes. Despite their strong desire to continue learning, adult learners face several barriers, including time constraints due to work and family commitments, financial concerns and the fear of returning to a new academic environment.
Additionally, a lack of awareness about the flexible, affordable educational opportunities available can prevent them from taking the next step. Understanding these motivations allows institutions to tailor their marketing lead generation tactics to better meet the needs of adult learners, ultimately driving engagement and enrollment.
2. Show Prospects How You Can Help
Educational institutions must leverage digital platforms and social media channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to reach prospective students interested in specific study programs. These platforms allow for highly targeted advertising based on demographics, interests and behaviors, ensuring your message reaches the right audience. Program messaging should focus on these key features that resonate most with adult learners:
- Affordability
- Program flexibility
- Career advancement opportunities
- Ability to balance education with personal and professional responsibilities
“To convert highly qualified leads into enrolled students, institutions must first understand what drives high-intent prospects and match them with programs that meet their needs. Effective engagement begins with targeted social media messaging that aligns with prospective adult learners' goals and priorities, paired with tools that enable a direct connection between students and the right institution,” explained Carrie Burton, SVP, Education at DMS. Higher education marketers can make these valuable connections by utilizing unbranded, compliant social media campaigns driven by DMS Education to match their schools with high intent prospects directly.
By focusing on the unique needs of adult learners and utilizing the right digital tools, institutions can create a more personalized approach to attracting prospective students. Highlighting success stories and testimonials from other adult learners can also be impactful, as they foster trust in your institution's programs and motivate others to take the leap into furthering their education.
3. Be First In Their Inbox With Email Enrollment Marketing Techniques
Building a targeted email list of prospective adult learners and creating segmented campaigns to reach them effectively is also important for driving conversions. Personalized email sequences that address specific needs such as flexible programs for prospects with children, or financial aid for lower income prospects, can help institutions position themselves as the right option for potential students. By also sending consistent, relevant updates about new program offerings, deadlines or success stories, institutions can keep prospective students informed and reinforce their interest.
Advanced lead generation strategies are essential for accurately targeting specific segments of prospective adult learners. Companies like Digital Media Solutions specialize in leveraging data-driven marketing techniques to optimize outreach and increase higher education enrollment outcomes. By utilizing these strategies, institutions can ensure they’re reaching the right audience with tailored messaging, maximizing the potential for successful student enrollment.
4. Target Prospects At The Right Time With Higher Education Marketing Messaging
Push notifications are a powerful tool for keeping prospective adult learners engaged and guiding them through the enrollment process. Retargeting ads using push messaging can reconnect with individuals who visited the institution's website but didn’t complete the enrollment process. These messages can remind prospects about application deadlines, financial aid opportunities or upcoming events, encouraging them to take the next steps. Push notification tools like Aimtell help streamline this process for colleges and universities by allowing institutions to send personalized, timely messages directly to users’ devices, ensuring they remain engaged with your institution and motivated to follow through on their educational goals.
Ready To See Enrollment Results?
Discover how Digital Media Solutions offers high-quality, tailored strategies that can elevate your enrollment outcomes. Contact DMS today to learn more about our cost-effective, compliance-focused approach to helping institutions like yours thrive in a competitive market. DMS is fully committed to ensuring the success of our clients while prioritizing compliance and consumer privacy. Contact us today to work with a reliable partner you can trust!