How to Convert Leads from Study Fairs: Nurturing Relationships and Maximising ROI
Study fairs, like our on Postgrad LIVE events, are one of the most effective ways to connect with prospective postgraduate students, providing a unique opportunity to engage directly with your target audience. But the success doesn’t end when the fair does - effective lead nurturing is key to turning those quality conversations into enrolled students.
At FindAUniversity, we’ve hosted many successful study fairs, both physical and virtual, helping universities across the world generate qualified student leads. In this blog, we’ll share actionable tips on how to follow up and nurture these leads so your efforts don’t go to waste.
The importance of timely follow-up
Timing is crucial when following up with leads from a study fair. Here are some key tips:
Reach out quickly: Contacting student leads within 24-48 hours could significantly improve conversion rates. A friendly, personalised email thanking them for their time and providing relevant resources is a great starting point.
Tailor your message: Use the insights you gathered during the fair. Whether it’s their interest in a specific course or their desire to study abroad, personalise your communication to demonstrate that you listened and can meet their needs.
Provide value: Follow-up communication shouldn’t just be a sales pitch. Offer resources, guides, or subject webinars that could genuinely help them in their decision-making process.
Organise your CRM system
One of the biggest challenges for university marketing teams is managing and prioritising student leads effectively. This is where your CRM system becomes invaluable (if you are lucky enough to have one!):
Segment leads: Not all leads are equal. Your CRM should allow you to categorise leads based on their engagement at the study fair (e.g. hot leads who showed keen interest and cold leads who only briefly interacted). This will help you prioritise your follow-ups.
Automate nurturing: Use your CRM to set up automated workflows. For example, you could set up a sequence of emails that send out additional information or reminders to students who haven’t yet responded, keeping your institution top-of-mind.
Track engagement: Your CRM can also help track which leads are opening emails, clicking on links, or downloading resources, giving you deeper insights into their level of interest and allowing for more targeted follow-ups.
Nuturing leads with UniQuest
Lead nurturing can be resource intensive, especially for busy university marketing teams. This is where our sister company, UniQuest, could support you. UniQuest specialises in managing and nurturing leads, ensuring prospective students are guided through the entire journey from enquiry to enrolment.
UniQuest’s team of experts can take over the nurturing process, providing personalised, timely communications designed to build relationships with your prospective students. They use sophisticated data tracking to ensure no lead slips through the cracks, making sure your efforts in generating leads at study fairs are maximised.
In fact, UniQuest’s insights from the recently published 2024 Enquiry Experience Tracker, developed in partnership with Edified, highlight how personalised, timely responses can significantly impact student engagement. With findings from over 900 mystery shopping enquiries, the research reveals that effective follow-up and communication are key to boosting conversion rates.
Study fairs are a stepping stone for long-term success
Study fairs provide a fantastic opportunity to generate interest in your postgraduate programmes, but the key to success lies in what happens next. By promptly following up, organising leads in your CRM, and nurturing them with the help of a partner like UniQuest, you can significantly boost your conversion rates.
Speak to us about how our events and expertise can help you achieve your recruitment goals.
If you have any questions about our upcoming fairs drop us an email at [email protected]. And if you haven’t yet, book your stand today to secure your place. With limited spaces left and bookings closing one week before each event, don’t miss out!
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