Why a bespoke applicant community delivers greater ROI

For your 2023 applicants joining your online community will be one of the first meaningful interactions with your university - It is an extension of your university brand and as such it should feel like a unique home for your new students.

Hosting your applicants on a free social network or an 'off the shelf' community tool has advantages in costs and accessibility. However, they provide very limited control over the community experience from branding, alignment, unique user experience, specific community data, and long term cross team value generation.

What we mean by a ‘bespoke’ community for your University

A bespoke community provides significant market competitive advantage and financial opportunities for universities looking to leverage their global peer networks to achieve greater reach and recruitment goals. When we talk about having your own branded and exclusive University community we mean:

Your own fully branded and tailored university wide community service with mobile apps available in the both IoS and Google Play stores.
Promotional and marketing campaigns amplifying the value and uniqueness of your University community experience
A ‘bespoke build’ and configuration that is carefully mapped to your unique and specific context - programmes, clubs and societies, recruitment cycles/processes, communications plan etc.
A boutique and individual experience for your incoming cohorts that ensures an outstanding student experience.
Ongoing liaison and support to ensure the community reflects both the needs of your incoming students, and the priorities of your team and institutional goals.

Gemma Smith testimonial — Gemma Smith (Staffordshire University) Testimonial

How does a bespoke applicant community deliver value?

Universities who develop bespoke applicant community programmes leverage greater value from their P2P strategy (ROI) through improved applicant conversion, higher progression through to end of first semster, and a growing community of global brand advocates (ambassadors and alumni).

Control your unique community experience for applicants

In a competitive landscape your community should reflect the unique experience your university offers. You don’t want to send your applicants to a disassociated third party brand, but invite them to a community that is made of your members and mapped to the specific needs and requirements of your students.

The goal in your community design is to maximise the opportunities for applicant to applicant connectivity and community building. In your bespoke community environment design applicants are more able to find others they share closer commonality with, as the groups, themes, and events directly relate to your university and its unique members and processes.

Gather intelligence and community data to guide strategy

The intelligence gathered for you through the community groups and patterns of peer engagement can inform your future marketing campaigns, or guide what student wellbeing or support services may be required at a particular time. We recognise that right now securing accommodation and finding employment are critical to the recruitment and retention of your domestic/international students. So your communities are cultivated to support these elements of the student journey, ensuring that when students convert their offer to study with you, these needs have been supported by the community

Look beyond transactional cycles by building for future value

Today’s prospective students are your future peer ambassadors, advocates, promoters, industry and research partners, alumni and donors. These students are engaged in a lifelong journey alongside your institution, and by entrusting their student journey through your community, we cultivate and deliver this current and future value for you.

At the University of Limerick each cycle we cultivate 20 - 30% of their best performing new entrants, transitioning them into ambassador, advocate and other promoter roles to support subsequent recruitment cycles. In the same manner the best performing ambassadors, advocates and promoters are retained into alumni and form key strategic industry partners and recruitment representatives in key international markets. These are your graduates with a higher level of community engagement and a vested interest in the future success of the University of Galway as the institution that awarded them their degree.

Along with your applicants, current students and academic staff, alumni constitute a key network within your university community. Alumni are already ambassadors for the transformational impact of their educational experience. Formalising this relationship between your alumni, prospective/current students and the university generates significant institutional value. Your growing community of alumni are an existing and low-cost resource to support your recruitment targets.