Mercersburg Finds More Students with Student Prospect Lists!
Effectively Finding the Match
Mercersburg Academy has been subscribing to the Student Prospect List service for three years, and we are only growing more confident in its effectiveness. For many years, we subscribed to various demographic listings, purchasing prospective family contacts. While we attempted to narrow the wide range of age groups, income levels, and geographic areas to lists of sure-to-be-interested prospects, our subscriptions and subsequent mailings did result in phone calls, but they were mostly from uninterested recipients… families requesting to unsubscribe.
When we researched the Student Prospect List, we realized this was a far more compelling tool to reach our primary market, since this demographic list began where our previous searches ended. These are families who, first and foremost, are interested in independent schools— SSAT test takers!
When we first received the SPL list, we found hundreds of names, and after we received our list the next month and those that followed, we had thousands of names! A closer look revealed families we had currently in our database, assuring us that we were honing in on a more accurate and interested group. We quickly saw positive results and knew we were on to something.
Monthly lists meant we would be reaching families at various points in the admission cycle. With plenty of relevant, sortable fields, it was simple to cull the lists and customize mailings. For example, messaging can change for fall, winter, and spring test takers, and event invitations can be more targeted. We considered numerous possibilities, while weighing the costs of printing, postage, and the human resources element. After considering these variables, we settled on a plan that matched our goals. Ultimately, our goal is to make the necessary number of touches to convert independent school interest into inquiries to Mercersburg Academy.
At Mercersburg, our admission focus is always about “best fit.” This philosophy applies to our process in so many ways and the Student Prospect List is yet another valuable tool. For now, we definitely consider it to be the “best fit” for our school in the search for mail list services.
— Lena Eckstine, Assistant Director of Admission and Financial Aid, Mercersburg Academy (PA)If you would like more information about the SPL and its costs, please email us at members@enrollment.org.
