Using Data to Drive Enrollment Strategies - A conversation with Kristen Johnson

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Kristen Johnson, Founder of Wise Marketing Strategy, to talk about how colleges and universities can better use data to guide enrollment marketing.

Here are some of the key takeaways for higher ed marketers:

✅ Focus on inquiry conversion Don’t just count inquiries—track how many convert to applicants, accepts, and enrolled students. That’s where you’ll see quality and funnel movement.

✅ Build multi-channel, segmented nurture flows Pair admissions outreach with marketing support across email, text, phone, and retargeting ads. Start small with segmentation (school, program) and build toward deeper personalization.

✅ Know your audience Adult learners care most about affordability and flexibility. Make those front and center in your messaging.

✅ Diagnose weak conversions with data Break down each step of the funnel. See where inquiries are dropping off, then compare strong and weak programs to identify what’s working.

✅ Make CRMs manageable Don’t get lost in the data. Start by asking: What question would help us use budget more efficiently? Then pull only the reports that get you closer to that answer.

✅ Report smarter to leadership Keep reports concise. Highlight a couple of wins, be transparent about challenges, and share the actions being taken. Leadership hates surprises—clarity builds trust.

✅ Advertising isn’t just about clicks Go beyond cost-per-lead. Build your own CRM-based reports to track whether those leads move further down the funnel, and share that insight back with your agency.

✅ Offline data counts too Map student zip codes to billboard locations.

Place ads where your students already live and commute. Kristen also shared how she’s using AI tools like ChatGPT to visualize insights and streamline reporting—proof that even small teams can make their data work harder without big investments.

Higher ed marketing is complex, but Kristen’s advice reminded me that it always comes back to one thing:

using data to connect marketing activity directly to enrollment outcomes.

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