When the Names Run Out: Finding Students Where They Actually Are

This Fall Season of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is proudly sponsored by NextGrad.

Purchased-name lists are shrinking, but the right students are still out there. Dr. Donald K. Egle, Founder + Managing Director of The Kyer Group, explains how colleges can build stronger enrollment pipelines by identifying the communities where mission-fit students already gather and committing to a meaningful presence there. Drawing on 26 years of higher education leadership, Don shares why marketing, recruiting, and institutional strategy must work together. He also challenges colleges to clarify who they are, understand what their audiences truly value, and build relationships over a multi-year horizon.

___

What We Cover in This Episode

🔘 Why clarity, a compelling case, and conviction shape student decisions

🔘 How admissions teams can build relationships across a multi-year student journey

🔘 Why marketing and recruiting need coordinated strategy and boots on the ground

🔘 How colleges can earn trust within homeschool and other student communities

🔘 Why institutional alignment is essential for sustaining a multi-year enrollment strategy

___

Episode Highlights

04:16 - What families want from colleges: clarity, a compelling case, and conviction

07:03 - How to make a college fair conversation about the student

11:11 - Why traditional enrollment structures struggle to keep pace

18:22 - Finding more of the right people through consistent presence

23:30 - Why LeTourneau invested deeply in homeschool networks

32:22 - Preparing your institution before searching for new watering holes

36:47 - The difference between value and appreciative value

41:35 - Building alignment around a multi-year enrollment strategy

___

NextGrad helps colleges and universities reach students where they already are, inside the high school itself. With a network of over 2,500 schools across North America, NextGrad puts your institution's message in front of future students every single day. Be the school they remember when it's time to decide.

Nextgrad.com, Where students see you first.

___

The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is powered by Caylor Solutions, your go-to partner for higher ed mission-fit marketing strategies, enrollment, AI expertise, and branding needs. 

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orour website, or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is proud to be a part of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast Network.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.