Higher education likes to think of itself in cycles. Semesters mirror the seasons, graduates depart in waves, schedules feature collective breaks at predictable times. Even on the student recruitment side, there are seasons for everything: Conference season, Fair season, Campus visit season, Melt season. 

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And for higher education marketers there’s Lead Generation season: that (perceived) time of year when your web traffic from prospective students is highest and motivated to convert. At Halda, we collect year-round data on lead generation across 150+ higher ed partners (1 million+ leads). The trends we’ve identified challenge some established paradigms when it comes to lead capture.

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Here’s what we’ve learned…

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There is no “Off-Season” for Lead Generation

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There are lulls, dips, and peaks when it comes to capturing your prospective student web traffic, but there’s certainly no time off. Even in June and July when those Fall class conversions are declining, the traffic for the Spring semester is climbing toward its apex. 

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Essentially, there’s always significant traffic to convert, and if you aren’t consistently engaging your visitors with strategic conversion experiences, then you’re sacrificing meaningful leads at every spot in the calendar.

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Leads are coming in later than ever

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There’s a curious trend developing in higher education enrollment: That many of your most high-value leads are declaring their interest closer and closer to their anticipated start date. The reality is that more students than ever are researching options–and keeping their options open–until the final bell.

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Notice the high proportion of spring start prospects inbounding in January, and the summer start prospects peaking in March and April (see chart below). Even the May peak in lead generation for the Fall class is well past traditional established timelines for filling an Autumn cohort.

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This is frustrating for enrollment teams who would rather not sit on pins and needles wondering if their classes will fill. But as vexing as it is, it also provides an opportunity to take advantage of a powerful, class-filling force: Enrollment Momentum

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Enrollment momentum is that ineffable drive toward the enrollment finish line that gets prospects into a class and keeps them there. More and more of our partners report that harnessing enrollment momentum for late-arriving prospects is the most effective way to fill and keep a class together. Those early-in-the-cycle prospects–historically the predictable bedrock of a class–are eroding away during their extended lag time.

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Make up for that melt by establishing a seamless transition from lead to app to enrollment. Then mobilize that progression for the key run-up to each semester start.

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Optimize content for windows of interest

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Before each semester start, there’s about a 5-month period where lead generation for that start date is at its peak. Prep content that speaks to this particular segment of students to deploy at the beginning of these predictable periods of heightened interest. If, for instance, your summer start has a student-friendly scheduling wrinkle, or there’s an ideal time to begin a particular program, create website materials that clearly communicate these features.

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Anticipating students’ mindsets allows you to catch their attention when you can create the most enrollment momentum. So don’t forget to be ready for that 5-month window of elevated interest, and speak to those students as directly as possible.

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Start the year off sprinting 

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Prospective students take the holidays to think about their futures. November/December is a time of research and consideration that turns into massive inbound lead generation come January-May. 

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For enrollment teams looking to take advantage of this curiosity, however, the holidays are hardly restful. Make sure your content is up-to-date and strategically positioned for that end-of-year research window. By January, have an attractive conversion experience in place or you’re going to miss out on the lion’s share of organic prospects who are already researching your school. These organically interested prospects are the most likely to become earnest enrollees. Missing them at this stage could mean missing your numbers.

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Don’t waste your summer

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There’s a lot to preoccupy admissions and EM teams during summer full of orientations, budget-planning, conferences, retreats, campus visits, transfer campaigns, etc…. But you can’t let that distract you from climbing the mountain to come.

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Lead generation wanes in June and July, but by August it’s back in full swing for multiple start dates. Is your website ready? Use the summer to prepare that personalized, transparent website experience that students (from undergrad to graduate) crave. Then, come peak lead generation season, there won’t be any cracks for your prospects to slip through.

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And if you want to maximize your lead generation year-round, talk to Halda. We've built best-in-class website lead capture tools that convert your web traffic at a 3x-5x rate.