Ella Higher Education Edition - Playbooks

Standard Playbooks

1

Build My Institution Profile

Ella crawls your website to learn your mission, programs, campus culture, differentiators, and competitive positioning. She builds a comprehensive profile that drives everything else.

2

Define My Enrollment Brand Voice

Craft the authentic voice that speaks to prospective students and parents. Ella analyzes your existing communications and helps you define a voice that's distinctly yours — not generic higher ed speak.

3

Map My Program Portfolio

Catalog your academic programs with enrollment capacity, growth targets, competitive advantages, and ideal student profiles. Ella uses this to tailor messaging for every program.

4

Set My Enrollment Goals

Define enrollment targets by program, student type (first-year, transfer, adult, graduate), and demographics. Ella aligns all marketing activities to these goals and tracks progress.

5

Define My Student Personas

Build detailed profiles of your ideal students: the high school senior, the working adult, the transfer student, the graduate prospect. What drives them, what scares them, what makes them choose.

Search & Digital Presence

Be found when students are researching

1

Dominate Program-Specific Search

Build SEO-optimized program pages and content clusters that rank for "nursing program Montana," "business degree near me," and the exact searches your prospects make.

2

Build My Digital Ad Campaigns

Create targeted ad copy, audience segments, and landing pages for Google, Meta, and TikTok campaigns. Ella builds campaigns by program, student type, and geographic market.

3

Launch a Virtual Campus Experience

Create compelling virtual tour content, video scripts, and interactive digital experiences that give remote prospects the feel of campus life without visiting.


Social & Content

Build authentic connections with Gen Z and their parents

4

Build a Student Storytelling Engine

Create interview frameworks, story templates, and content workflows that turn current student experiences into compelling prospect-facing content across social, web, and email.

5

Plan My Social Media Calendar

Generate a full-cycle social content calendar aligned to the enrollment calendar: application deadlines, campus events, decision days, orientation, and move-in. Platform-specific for Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

6

Create Parent-Facing Content

Parents are the hidden decision-makers. Build content that addresses their concerns: ROI, safety, career outcomes, financial aid clarity, and "why this school" for the people writing the checks.


Relationships & Events

Build the human pipeline

7

Build High School Counselor Outreach

Create relationship-building campaigns for high school counselors in your key feeder markets. Personalized outreach, event invitations, and program updates that make counselors want to recommend you.

8

Plan an Enrollment Event Campaign

Build the complete marketing campaign for open houses, admitted student days, scholarship weekends, or preview events. Pre-event promotion, registration nurture, day-of materials, and post-event follow-up.

Inquiry to Application

Nurture prospects through the decision process

1

Build My Inquiry Nurture Sequence

Create a personalized email + text drip campaign that guides inquiries toward application. Program-specific content, student stories, campus highlights, and deadline reminders — all in your voice.

2

Personalize by Program Interest

Generate program-specific communications that speak to what each prospect actually cares about. Nursing gets outcomes data. Business gets career placement. Arts gets portfolio showcases. One size fits none.

3

Prep for a Recruitment Visit

Before a campus visit or virtual meeting, Ella generates a prospect briefing: their interests, communication history, program fit, financial aid scenario, and talking points for the admissions counselor.


Application to Enrollment

Close the deal — admitted students to deposited students

4

Build My Accepted Student Campaign

The moment of acceptance is your highest-leverage touchpoint. Create the celebration communication, next-steps guide, financial aid follow-up, and countdown-to-deposit sequence that converts admits to enrolled.

5

Counter the Competition

When admitted students are choosing between you and a competitor, Ella generates personalized comparison content highlighting your unique advantages for that specific student's interests and goals.

6

Financial Aid Communication Suite

Financial aid is the #1 reason students don't enroll. Build clear, jargon-free communications that explain packages, deadlines, scholarship opportunities, and next steps. Separate tracks for students and parents.

7

Prevent Summer Melt

Deposited students ghost between May and August. Build the summer engagement campaign: roommate connections, orientation prep, social media groups, "what to bring" content, and regular touchpoints that keep them committed.

First-Year Experience

The first 6 weeks determine everything

1

Build My New Student Onboarding Campaign

The transition from prospect to student is jarring. Create a communication sequence from deposit through first day of class: orientation prep, campus resources, connection opportunities, and "you belong here" messaging.

2

First-Six-Weeks Check-In System

Most students who leave decide in the first 6 weeks. Build an early warning communication system: wellness check-ins, resource reminders, involvement nudges, and "how's it going" touchpoints that catch disengagement early.


Ongoing Engagement

Keep students connected and progressing

3

Build Registration Nudge Campaigns

Every registration period is a retention event. Create reminder sequences, advisor meeting prompts, course recommendation content, and deadline communications that keep students on track to graduate.

4

Career Outcomes Content Engine

Students and parents need to see the ROI continuously. Build content showcasing alumni career success, internship placements, salary data, and "where are they now" stories that reinforce the value of staying enrolled.

5

Transfer Student Integration

Transfer students have the highest attrition risk. Build specialized welcome content, credit evaluation communications, community connection opportunities, and peer mentor matching that makes transfers feel at home fast.

6

Re-Engage Stopped-Out Students

Students who left haven't necessarily decided to never return. Build outreach campaigns for stopped-out students: "we want you back" messaging, returning student resources, and simplified re-enrollment pathways.

Institutional Brand

Elevate your reputation and visibility

1

Build My Institutional Content Pillars

Define the 4-6 themes that represent your institution at its best: academic excellence, community impact, innovation, student experience. Every piece of content should trace back to a pillar.

2

Faculty Thought Leadership Campaign

Your faculty are your secret weapon. Build content that showcases their research, expertise, and real-world impact. Op-eds, social posts, media pitches, and speaking opportunity profiles that elevate your academic brand.

3

Crisis Communication Playbook

When things go wrong, you need messaging ready. Build template responses, stakeholder communication trees, social media protocols, and FAQ frameworks for common crisis scenarios before you need them.


Alumni & Advancement

Turn graduates into ambassadors and donors

4

Build My Alumni Engagement Engine

Alumni are your most underused asset. Create segmented communication campaigns: young alumni, mid-career, established professionals. Reunion content, mentorship opportunities, giving campaigns, and career network activation.

5

Annual Fund Campaign Builder

Build the full giving campaign: donor segmentation, personalized appeals, impact stories, matching gift promotions, and stewardship thank-you sequences. From first-time $25 gifts to major donor cultivation.

6

Alumni-as-Recruiters Program

Activate alumni as enrollment ambassadors. Build referral programs, social sharing campaigns, "why I chose" content kits, and local alumni chapter event toolkits that turn graduates into your best recruiters.


Community & Partnerships

Extend your reach beyond campus

7

Build Community Partnership Content

Showcase your institution's role in the local economy and community. Employer partnerships, community service, economic impact stories, and local media relationships that position your school as essential to the region.

8

Athletic Program Marketing

Athletics is often the front door to your institution. Build game day social content, student-athlete profiles, recruiting support materials, and fan engagement campaigns that convert sports interest into enrollment interest.