Webinar Rewind: Scaling Beyond {First Name}—How CRM Orchestration Transforms Enrollment Marketing

Higher ed leaders don’t need to be convinced that enrollment is harder than ever. Between shifting demographics, increased skepticism about the value of college, and the lingering impact of the FAFSA “debacle,” institutions are fighting for attention in a noisy, hyper-personalized world.

In the recent webinar, Scaling Beyond {First Name}: Customized Marketing Engagement That Builds Authentic Relationships, Liaison VP of Business Development Todd Abbott, Account Management Director Kristi Kooyman, and AVP of Integrated Marketing Solutions Josh Monica walked through how to meet this moment: by tightly integrating your CRM and enrollment marketing so you can deliver individualized, “they-really-get-me” experiences at scale.

As Abbott noted in his opening remarks, students live in a world where Netflix and Amazon anticipate their preferences, but many colleges are still sending generic, one-size-fits-all campaigns.

Today’s students and families expect:

• Personalization.
• Relevance in real time, not weeks later.
• Consistency across channels (email, text, web, print, ads).
• Proof of value in the face of questions regarding the value of a college education.

Abbot also explained how institutions can use real-time CRM data, cohort-based targeting, and omnichannel orchestration to move from transactional messaging to authentic engagement—without burning out already-stretched teams.

Drawing on her 26 years in higher ed and deep CRM experience, Kooyman contrasted the “old way” of data integrations with what’s now possible.

The old model—shipping lists back and forth between campus and external vendors—creates:

• Delays in launching and adjusting campaigns.
• Data duplication and integrity issues.
• An incomplete picture of how, when, and where students are being contacted

As CRMs have matured, they can now power far more of your marketing directly. Kooyman highlighted four strategic advantages of intergrating marketing into your CRM:

1. Speed
   In an instant-gratification world, waiting days to respond to an inquiry is the enrollment equivalent of mailing DVDs. CRM-based marketing lets you launch and adjust campaigns quickly and stay nimble throughout the cycle.
2. Real-Time Strategy
   Live data means you’re not waiting for end-of-cycle reports. You can see what’s working, what’s not, and pivot midstream as you navigate unpredictable application and yield patterns.
3. ROI and Leadership Visibility
   When campaigns run out of your CRM, you can connect engagement metrics directly to outcomes. That makes it easier to show leadership which efforts drive inquiries, applications, visits, and deposits.
4. A “Wow” Student Journey
   With hyper-individualized communications, students don’t choose you because they know a lot about you—they choose you when they feel, “This place really knows me.” Centralizing data and engagement in the CRM makes that possible.

Monica then dug into the tactical side of using CRM data to build orchestrated, deeply personalized campaigns. He framed CRM data in two big buckets: static/student data and derived/behavioral data.

True orchestration happens when you let both kinds of data drive what happens next. For example, a student who opened but didn’t click a visit invite might get a follow-up text. A parent who clicked a financial aid link could receive a tailored print piece explaining ROI and outcomes. An applicant who attended a virtual event might see retargeting ads reinforcing key value propositions.

Abbot added an important caution: You don’t need to collect every data point up front. Asking 27 questions on your RFI form creates friction. Instead, think in stages:

• Ask what’s relevant right now for the student’s place in the journey.
• Layer in more detail over time as they engage and as trust grows.
• Let behavior—opens, clicks, visits—tell you where to go deeper.

Monica then outlined a simple but powerful planning framework that underpins modern campaigns: Start with clear goals at each funnel stage, define and segment your audiences, and craft segment-specific messaging and value props.

Speakers also emphasized that every channel still matters—but for different reasons. For example, email and SMS enable immediacy and transactional nudges while digital ads and social support awareness, retargeting, and reinforcement. And while portals sites microsites facilitate curated, self-serve exploration, customized print messaging cuts through the clutter of a digital-saturated world and is ideal for reaching parents.

While most campuses understand what great, orchestrated engagement should look like, many lack the time, staff, and expertise necessary to execute consistently at scale. That’s where the right CRM strategy—and, when needed, the right partners—can bridge the gap.

In an era of enrollment headwinds, the institutions that will stand out are those that use their CRM not just as a database, but as the engine of human-centered outreach—making even large, complex universities feel personal, approachable, and deeply student-focused.

To hear the entire conversation, watch Scaling Beyond {First Name}: Customized Marketing Engagement That Builds Authentic Relationships today.