Figuring out enrollment is easily one of the most important parts of running a business. Without enrollment, after all, your business wouldn’t even exist!
A good system is what allows your organization to grow and thrive, and there’s a lot to keep track of. From working out waitlists, to understanding smart marketing, to keeping communication lines open and consistent, the number of balls you have in the air at any given time can often get pretty overwhelming.
Here are a couple simple enrollment basics you can try to keep yourself ahead of the game. Don’t let yourself get lost in all the possibilities. Just take it slow, think things through, and figure out what works best for you.
Enrollment Basics: Use tech to get organized
When you start dealing with lengthy waitlists and tons of different registrants to keep track of, it’s all too easy to slip up every now and then if you don’t have a good organization system worked out.
To help with this, many business owners find it useful to set up spreadsheets. This will help you realize all you’ve done and all you still have left to do, while also saving you the headache of trying to remember too much or dealing with a ton of physical paperwork.
Many people find specialized course software to be a real help here, too. Automated schedulers, for instance, can make sure you’re talking with everyone you need to, and also not overbooking yourself!
Seeing everything in one place tends to help with stress, as well—a lot of things feel more manageable once you see them written down.
After you’ve come up with a system that works for you, you’ll likely find it’s a lot easier to look at the numbers your organization is pulling in. How many people are calling you? How many are choosing to enroll after they’ve toured? Knowing this information gives you a much clearer idea of where you are and how you can improve.
Put your best face forward
You aren’t the only option out there for applicants to choose from. Why should they choose you and not the one down the street?
People care about what makes you unique. Highlight what sets you apart from all the other options out there, and talk about this everywhere you advertise.
And remember, “marketing” doesn’t have to be as scary as it might sound at first. It can be as simple as setting up a clean webpage or Facebook account.
You don’t have to go overboard with this stuff, but social media can help a lot when it comes to establishing a presence.
Show off testimonials
Coming up with all this marketing content might seem a little daunting at first. It’s important to realize, though, that you don’t actually have to come up with all of it. A lot of the time, your past and current clients will do that for you.
Testimonials are often a great way to assure prospective applicants that your program is the right fit for them. After all, there’s only so much you can say alone.
People want to know what others are saying about you. Don’t shy away from this. Show the world how great you really are!
After all, if this whole enrollment process seems overwhelming to you, that’s nothing compared to what it’s like for applicants looking for the right program.
At the end of the day, your passion and dedication to your work is what will attract them to you.