How to turn your campus visit into a memorable experience

Spring is just around the corner and it’s almost time for new prospective students to visit your campus. To our admissions friends, this one is for you. Here are some quick tips on how to turn your campus visit into a memorable experience with a clear message, compelling visuals, and strong storytellers.

If you’re lucky, prospective students will remember one thing from their visit. So what do you want it to be? If you don’t know, engage in a brand refresh that identifies what’s authentic to you, different from your competitors, and compelling to prospective students. It will be the best investment you make.

Next: Bring this core idea to life. Your presentation needs to capture their attention and their hearts. You do this through storytelling. Engage your marcom department or an external partner to pull together the words, images, videos, and graphics to fully tell your story.

Then, turn your attention to your student tour guides. Every prospective student wants to hear from your students. Why? Because they trust them to be real. So don’t make your ambassadors memorize facts and figures. Train them to eloquently tell their unique stories through the lens of your brand.

For instance, if location is important, ask them how they engaged with the places surrounding your campus. If faculty relationships are key, ask them which professors had the greatest impact on them. Teach them to tell their own individual stories during the tour, using specific names, classes, and details to bring it all to life.

There are likely students in your lobby right now who have determined that your school is important enough to visit. So go meet them. You’ve already made the first cut. All you have to do now is embrace this opportunity to make a lasting impression.