ONLY 3schools make the prospects’ short list

OVER

1,600MBA/Master’s prospects and

alumni surveyed

Today’s prospective students demand personalized content, delivered at the right time and in the channels that are most relevant to them. So, how and when should marketers engage? To answer that, LinkedIn surveyed over 1,600 MBA/Master’s prospects and alumni in the U.S. Here’s what we found.

MAKE THE PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS’ SHORT LIST EARLY IN THE DECISION PROCESS.

72%

develop their short list before reaching out to a school representative

93%

end up enrolling at a school from their short list

AWARENESS > DISCOVERY > SELECTION

to Connecting with Today’s Prospective Students

4 KEYS

MBA/Master’s prospects stated that professional networks are 3x more influential than personal networks when making education decisions.

BUILD YOUR SCHOOL’S PRESENCE ON PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS.

PersonalNetworks

ProfessionalNetworks

8%

25%% of prospects stating that these sources of information are influential

PERSONALIZE YOUR MESSAGES ACCORDING TO THE UNIQUE DRIVERS OF MILLENNIALS AND GEN X.

MILLENNIALS(18-34)

GEN XERS(35-49)

TOP DRIVERS FOR UNDERTAKING HIGHER EDUCATION:

Industry news and career advice are important early in the decision journey. Faculty and alumni profiles are sought later. Course info is key throughout.

DELIVER THE RIGHT CONTENT AT EACH STAGE OF THE DECISION JOURNEY.Top types of information sought by intenders in each stage of the higher education decision-making process:

Institution rankings

Education & industry news

Information on courses & degree programs

Career advice Expert reviews

Staff & lecturer profiles

Alumni profiles

LinkedIn provides a unique opportunity to connect with a premium audience of prospective students in the right mindset for higher education decisions. For more info on this research, visit lnkd.in/studentjourney

Reach a higher-quality prospect on LinkedIn

Source: LinkedIn U.S. survey and internal data, August 2015

For Millennials, salary is the key driver for getting an advanced degree, while Gen Xers are more driven by a passion for learning.

The short list is developed before prospects reach out to you, so influence them early with always-on content marketing.

SEEK A HIGHER SALARY PASSION FOR LEARNING

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