For those of us working with and for colleges and universities , the increasing focus on online education has been an undeniable force in the past year or two. This article, published today in the New York Times, discusses an agreement between San Jose State University and Udacity, which is intended to offer remedial and introductory courses to perhaps hundreds of thousands of students in California, better preparing them for the next steps in their lives.

At Elliance, we’re hearing from communicators every week who are interested in learning how to promote online programs, connect with prospective students, and strengthen the reach and health of their institutions in entirely new ways.

For a firm like Elliance, the issues of communication and recruitment are intriguing. The “if you build it, they will come” philosophy has proven unsuccessful for most. Instead, a proactive initiative that combines new and traditional means of promotion helps hit the mark more closely for our clients. Email and postcard campaigns have always been effective and still have a role to play, but we recommend combining them with digital outreach: remarketing, search engine optimization, email outreach, and more.

A measurable increase in enrollment gives our clients the chance to explore and expand the online learning landscape. This new world is constantly shifting beneath our feet, of course, and our approach to recruitment and enrollment management will continue to change along with it. But it’s a fascinating process and like you, we’re excited to see what comes next.

Learn more about our higher education marketing services.