Student Search
At Fire Engine RED, we’re continuing to get great results for our Student Search clients – no matter their size or budget.
The world’s changed, and so have we. In fact, we’ve been preparing for shifts in demographics and test-taking for the past several years, which has required new strategies and the testing of new list sources.
So whether you want to drive net revenue, increase academic profile, enter new markets, and/or shape your class, we can create a custom approach to help you achieve your goals!
Here are the top four reasons why admissions offices are using us for Student Search.
Complexity
“Search has become too complex for us to manage ourselves.”
Executing successful Student Search has never been more complex. Since 2019, there has been a sea of changes that have impacted the market and required significant time and deep expertise to navigate, including:
That’s where Fire Engine RED comes in. We will:
- Identify and test new name sources to offset the lack of test-taker names.
- Determine which sources will be high-performing for you and then select the right students to help you meet your institutional goals (diversity, gender, programs, financial need, religion).
- Navigate the complexity and opportunities of the merged ACT and NRCCUA datasets in the new Encoura system.
- Find and leverage new name sources to reach low-income students now that they can’t be identified through The College Board.
- Ensure your admissions office is compliant with CCPA and GDPR.
- Find and leverage new name sources to identify religious preference now that The College Board no longer collects that information.
- Prepare for the challenges and ongoing impact of NACAC’s current SPGP.
Strategy
“Our CRM is not getting us the results we need.”
While CRMs can be great at sending out email marketing messages to targeted students, here’s what they’re not great at: Student Search. That’s because email delivery is perhaps the smallest and least significant aspect of what makes a Student Search campaign successful.
To get great results from Student Search, you need:
- A strategy built by a team of experienced data, creative, and enrollment experts.
- New predictive models that confront today’s rapidly changing realities.
- New high-performing list sources to supplement the lack of names from traditional list sources.
- A nuanced understanding of each list source’s complexities and the knowledge of how to optimize every purchase.
- Professionally-designed creative based on proven best practices and ongoing A/B tests.
- A team of quality assurance experts to ensure you don’t make embarrassing mistakes or market to duplicate names.
- Meaningful engagement reports, built by experienced professionals, that provide a deep understanding of student behavior and enable you to take action and make data-driven decisions.
- Impact reports that show how Student Search drove your student profile, including academics, diversity, and geographic expansion.
- ROI reports that evaluate the financial impact of your Student Search investment on net revenue.
- Fire Engine RED provides all of the above, plus much more.
Results
“Our previous campaigns resulted in poor student engagement and low ROI.”
When it comes to student engagement and ROI, our Student Search clients are actually seeing increases in those key metrics across the board. For example, for the Class of Fall 2020, we delivered total student engagement rates between 39.3% and 67.5%.
The same with ROI. Despite the current turmoil, we’re continuing to deliver outstanding results for our Student Search clients. As the table below indicates, for every dollar our clients invested in Search, we delivered a return of 20 to 107 times their investment in net revenue.
| Student Search Investment ROI for Class of Fall 2020 |
|
| Year Searched |
Average ROI in Net Revenue* |
| Senior | 20x |
| Junior | 62x |
| Sophomore | 97x |
| 9th Grade | 107x |
| *Includes discount rate | |
Beyond revenue, we also helped our Student Search clients achieve success with a wide range of goals, from reaching more affluent families, increased diversity, and improved academic profiles.
| Year Searched |
Average Household Incomes |
Average GPA |
Average SAT |
Underrepresented Students |
| Senior | $115,096 | 3.61 | 1210 | 39.8% |
| Junior | $139,140 | 3.74 | 1340 | 33.6% |
| Sophomore | $139,549 | 3.80 | 1390 | 34.6% |
| 9th Grade | $133,652 | 3.88 | 1390 | 29.3% |
The table below shows how our clients’ inquiries compare to the results above.
| Non- Searched |
Average Household Incomes |
Average GPA |
Average SAT |
Underrepresented Students |
| Inquiries | $85,425 | 3.69 | 1213 | 30.1% |
Creative
“Our creative looked like every other school’s.”
When you work with Fire Engine RED, our team of copywriters and designers will produce agency-quality creative for your institution that builds on YOUR unique brand, captures YOUR voice, and gets results.
Why is our creative so effective?
- Our copywriters and designers continually hone their talents and abilities by staying up-to-date with the latest design trends and industry best practices in Student Search.
- Our creative is data-driven and based on ongoing A/B tests.
- Our quality assurance team ensures your creative is consistent with your brand and does not contain any embarrassing mistakes.
- Throughout the course of each campaign, we update the creative based on any new trends we’re seeing.
- Our creative complies with Section 508 Color Contrast Guidelines so it’s accessible to students/parents with varying levels of visual ability.
Check out our Student Search creative gallery that includes samples of our high-impact designs.
Who’d play me in ”Fire Engine RED — The Movie“