Boost University Enrolment by 30% with RevOps-Driven Marketing Success

Universities are finding it increasingly challenging to attract and engage the right students. With an ever-growing list of options, students are more selective, and higher education institutions must stand out through targeted, data-driven marketing. To achieve a substantial boost in enrolment, traditional marketing alone isn’t enough. This is where Revenue Operations (RevOps) comes into play. RevOps align marketing, admissions, and student services, using data and technology to streamline and enhance the entire enrolment funnel, making it easier to reach, engage, and convert prospective students.

Covered in this article

What is RevOps, and Why Is It Vital in Higher Education Marketing?
How RevOps Aligns Teams for Better Enrolment Outcomes
Three Core Strategies to Boost Enrolment by 30% with RevOps
Key Metrics to Track in RevOps for Higher Education Marketing
Conclusion: Transform Your University’s Marketing with RevOps
FAQs

What is RevOps, and Why Is It Vital in Higher Education Marketing?

Revenue Operations, or RevOps, is an end-to-end operational model that unifies teams and technology across marketing, sales, and customer success to create a seamless experience from the initial prospecting stages to enrolment​. By integrating these functions, RevOps eliminates silos, which are common in traditional setups and often lead to fragmented messaging and missed enrolment opportunities. For higher education, RevOps provides a strategic framework that enhances visibility across the entire enrolment journey, enabling marketing and admissions teams to collaborate more effectively and make data-driven decisions that improve lead nurturing and boost enrolment rates.

Institutions that adopt RevOps can achieve higher enrolment numbers, improve campaign return on investment (ROI), and maintain consistent messaging that resonates with prospective students.

How RevOps Aligns Teams for Better Enrolment Outcomes

One of RevOps’ core strengths is its ability to foster cross-functional collaboration. By bringing together marketing, admissions, and student services under a unified strategy, RevOps enables teams to share real-time data and insights, creating a more cohesive enrolment funnel. With shared goals, each team is aligned to work towards attracting and engaging students in a streamlined, efficient way.

Benefits of RevOps Alignment:

• Reduced redundancies: Streamlined processes mean teams are not duplicating efforts or competing for the same resources.
• Accelerated lead response times: With real-time data, admissions teams can respond faster to student inquiries, improving the likelihood of conversion.
  Optimised marketing spend: RevOps ensures that marketing dollars are spent targeting high-intent leads, increasing the chances of engagement and conversion​.

Leveraging Data and Technology for Higher Conversion Rates

Data integration is another powerful component of RevOps. Centralising data within a CRM system allows higher education institutions to build complete profiles of each prospective student, which helps to personalise engagement strategies effectively. RevOps encourages universities to build a technology stack that includes CRM, marketing automation, and analytics tools for seamless data sharing across teams​.

1. Data Centralisation: RevOps requires a unified data system where admissions, marketing, and student services all have access to real-time student information. By sharing insights, these teams can work more cohesively to guide students through the enrolment journey.

2. Technology Stack: A well-designed tech stack, including CRM systems and marketing automation tools, is key to RevOps success. These tools allow teams to track student engagement, segment leads, and make data-driven adjustments to campaigns that increase their relevance and effectiveness.

Here's the funnel visualisation comparing the RevOps approach to a traditional marketing model. It highlights how the RevOps model maintains higher conversion rates at each stage—from awareness through to enrolment—demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing drop-off rates and optimising student acquisition.

Three Core Strategies to Boost Enrolment by 30% with RevOps

1. Targeted Demand Generation and Lead Nurturing

An effective RevOps strategy begins with targeted demand generation. By aligning marketing and admissions efforts, universities can identify and focus on high-intent leads. RevOps enables higher education institutions to develop multi-touchpoint campaigns that guide students from interest to enrolment. For example, personalised email campaigns, webinars, and online open days can be strategically planned to nurture leads at every stage of the funnel, creating an engaging journey tailored to each prospect’s needs.

2. Enhanced Student Engagement through Personalised Communication

In higher education, students want to feel understood and valued. RevOps facilitates this by integrating CRM systems that track each prospective student’s engagement history, enabling universities to deliver personalised content at the right time. By automating repetitive tasks like follow-up emails, admissions teams can focus on meaningful interactions, enhancing engagement and, ultimately, conversion rates.

Examples of personalised engagement:

• Targeted email content that aligns with the student’s interests, such as course offerings and campus events.
• Automated workflows that ensure prompt follow-up after campus visits or online information sessions.
• Personalised reminders for application deadlines and scholarship opportunities.

3. Real-Time Performance Tracking and Optimisation

RevOps empowers higher education institutions to continually optimise their marketing and admissions strategies through real-time tracking of campaign performance. By using CRM and analytics tools, universities can monitor KPIs, such as lead conversion rates and marketing ROI, to understand what is working and what isn’t. This capability enables institutions to pivot quickly and make data-driven adjustments to maximise enrolment outcomes​(

Metrics to monitor in a RevOps framework include:

• Cost per acquisition (CPA): Measures how much it costs to enrol a student, helping to optimise budget allocation.
• Lead-to-enrolment conversion rate: Tracks the percentage of prospective students who move from leads to confirmed enrolments.
• Student lifetime value (SLTV): Projects the long-term financial impact of student enrolment, factoring in potential alumni contributions.

Key Metrics to Track in RevOps for Higher Education Marketing

For universities looking to optimise their marketing and enrolment strategies through RevOps, tracking the right metrics is essential. Here are some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor:

1. Cost per Acquisition (CPA)

• Definition: CPA represents the total cost involved in acquiring each new student, including marketing, admissions, and operational expenses.
• Why It Matters: A lower CPA indicates an efficient marketing strategy that effectively attracts high-quality leads. Tracking CPA helps universities allocate budgets more effectively and identify high-performing channels.

2. Lead-to-Enrolment Conversion Rate

• Definition: This metric measures the percentage of leads that convert to enrolled students.
• Why It Matters: Tracking this rate helps admissions teams understand the efficiency of their lead nurturing efforts and identify where prospective students may be dropping off. Higher conversion rates often correlate with more personalised and timely interactions with leads.

3. Pipeline Velocity

• Definition: Pipeline velocity reflects the speed at which leads progress through each stage of the enrolment funnel.
• Why It Matters: Higher velocity indicates an effective process that moves students through the journey quickly, reducing the risk of losing them to competing institutions. This metric is especially crucial for understanding where delays may be occurring in the funnel.

4. Student Lifetime Value (SLTV)

• Definition: SLTV projects the long-term financial impact of each student, considering potential contributions as alumni.
• Why It Matters: Universities with high SLTV indicate successful strategies in enrolment and retention. Understanding SLTV helps institutions develop stronger, long-term relationships with students and alumni.

5. Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI)

• Definition: ROMI calculates the ROI of marketing campaigns by comparing revenue generated from student enrolments to marketing expenses.
• Why It Matters: Monitoring ROMI allows universities to identify high-yield marketing activities and reallocate funds to the most effective channels.

Cheat Sheet: Key Metrics for RevOps in Higher Education

Conclusion: Transform Your University’s Marketing with RevOps

Adopting a RevOps approach in higher education marketing enables institutions to streamline their operations, enhance engagement, and increase enrolment rates. By uniting marketing, admissions, and student services under a shared, data-driven strategy, RevOps ensures that universities make the most of their marketing efforts, providing a smoother and more engaging journey for prospective students.

Ready to explore the transformative power of RevOps for your institution? Connect with Velocity today to learn how we can help you optimise your enrolment strategy and achieve sustainable growth in student acquisition.

FAQs

1. What is RevOps, and why is it important for universities?

Revenue Operations (RevOps) is an operational model that aligns marketing, admissions, and student services. By unifying these functions and centralising data, universities can improve lead nurturing, reduce costs, and increase enrolment rates through streamlined, data-driven strategies​.

2. How can RevOps increase university enrolment by 30%?

RevOps enhances cross-functional collaboration, enabling marketing and admissions teams to work together with real-time data insights. This alignment supports better lead targeting, faster response times, and optimised marketing spend, all of which contribute to higher enrolment rates​.

3. What technologies are essential for a RevOps framework in higher education?

Key technologies for RevOps include CRM systems, marketing automation tools, and analytics platforms. These technologies facilitate data centralisation and automation, enabling universities to deliver personalised engagement at each enrolment stage​.

4. How does RevOps benefit different university departments?

RevOps breaks down silos, allowing marketing, admissions, and student services to collaborate seamlessly. This results in reduced redundancies, enhanced student engagement, and a cohesive enrolment process that meets each prospective student’s needs​.

5. Is RevOps difficult to implement in a university setting?

While implementing RevOps requires some initial investment in technology and process alignment, its benefits—such as increased enrolment and improved operational efficiency—typically outweigh the costs. Many institutions start by integrating RevOps within marketing and admissions for quicker, more measurable impact​.