Attracting the Mobile Generation

It’s a battle every school faces – getting their students off their phones and into the classroom. Many tech-savvy schools are taking advantage of this addiction and even implementing programs that utilize the smartphone. Either way, your prospective students are certainly on their phones as the general trend towards a mobile economy continues.

Mobile phones have become an essential component of the average citizen survival kit. Quickly becoming the preferred device to browse the internet as well as read email, stalk their ex-boyfriend on social media and even shop online, just about every industry is scrambling to get on top of the mobile generation.

Nuts & Bolts noticed this trend early, and listening to its group of progressive schools, launched it’s app targeting the mobile addicted student population. After all the lengthy research and considerations in appealing to mobile users, we thought we’d share some of what we learned to help you attract the mobile generation.

Design for the Mobile

Mobile browsing has recently become the bulk of internet browsing – trumping the desktop and laptop computers. This skews even more in the younger generation. Make sure your website and all communication with prospective students is just as beautiful on a mobile phone. If they can’t easily get information on your school on a mobile phone, they’ll quickly move onto one of your competitors.

Make it Quick

Even though more people are browsing on their mobile phones, the length of time they will spend reading on a particular website is less than on a traditional desktop. Shorten your subject lines, your website titles and stick to the essential words in any given paragraph. Less is more on the mobile phone.

Obvious Call to Action

Including a quick call to action within your mobile strategy will increase your lead conversions and get them into your admissions pipeline faster. When it comes to mobile phones, you’ll want this call to action to be short and easy to complete. Online forms shouldn’t be an application for a mortgage, it’s just the basics so you can get in touch. Setup contact forms and on-site tours so they are easy to complete on a mobile phone and create big buttons that make it easy to ‘Call Now!’

Don’t Forget Post-Admissions

Remember that once you get the prospect to inquire, you want to continue the conversation in their preferred format to get the most out of the relationship. Throughout the admissions process and well into your program and post-graduation it’s been proven to improve communication if you can have the conversation on their level. Give them programs in a format they can access anytime, anywhere and on their own time and you’ll be yet another step ahead of the competition.