In the past, capturing the interest of prospective families with your school’s website was only the first step in a long journey toward enrollment. The even bigger challenge was efficiently collecting and passing this valuable information between databases so your school’s admissions or marketing teams could start a proper outreach strategy.

It was a multiple-step process riddled with chances for leads to go cold, including challenges like:

    •    No Collaboration: School teams have a hard time working together because they don’t share the same data.
    •    Leads Needing to be Manually Passed: Marketing and enrollment management systems are disconnected, meaning old data and repetitive tasks for both offices.
    •    Leads are Lost and “Dropped:” A disjointed experience for prospective families means a lost opportunity with no follow-up from admissions.

Finalsite LeadFlow is a game-changing tool that streamlines the lead intake process and ensures that every family's journey — from initial curiosity to becoming a part of the school community —  is seamless and engaging.

What is Finalsite LeadFlow?

Finalsite LeadFlow is a tool designed to bridge the gap between the school website and the admissions team, effortlessly managing leads from your Finalsite’s content management system and its enrollment management system, Finalsite Enrollment.

For schools using both systems, it captures top-of-the-funnel leads through Forms and sends data to Finalsite Enrollment to feed admissions and enrollment metrics. Then, with the synced data, admins can easily engage prospects using Finalsite Messages and Workflows, powerful email marketing tools featured within the content management system.

Connecting Website Interactions and Admissions

How Does Finalsite LeadFlow Work?

LeadFlow operates seamlessly with Finalsite’s Form module and Finalsite Enrollment. When a prospect fills out a form on your site (say, requesting a viewbook), their information is sent directly to your admissions team through Finalsite's enrollment management system. This integration means your team can react quickly to inquiries, a crucial factor in the Family Journey.

LeadFlow not only captures leads but also helps manage the journey of these prospects. From showing interest to becoming applicants and eventually enrolled students, every stage is tracked and managed effectively. This automated system saves time and ensures no potential student slips through the cracks.

Why Is This Important?

Timely responses are critical. Families expect almost immediate acknowledgment of their interest. The longer they wait, the more their interest may wane. LeadFlow minimizes this gap, keeping prospective families engaged and improving their chances of joining your school community.

Enhancing Your School’s Marketing and Admissions Efforts

With Finalsite LeadFlow, your school can:

1. Easily Lead Capture on Your School’s Website

Setting Up Forms: Schools can create simple, user-friendly forms on their websites using Finalsite Forms. These forms could be for requesting information like viewbooks, signing up for open house events, or expressing interest in admissions.

Customization: Tailor these forms to capture essential information such as parent names, email addresses, student information, and grade levels of interest.

2. Automate Lead Transfer to Admissions

Seamless Integration: Once a prospective family fills out a form on your website, LeadFlow automatically transfers this data to your admissions team. This process happens in real-time, ensuring prompt follow-up.

No Manual Entry Needed: This automation eliminates the need for manual data entry, reducing errors and saving time.

3. Quickly Engage Prospects 

Immediate Acknowledgment: As soon as a form is submitted, an automated response can be sent to the family, acknowledging their interest. This immediate engagement is crucial in maintaining their interest.

Customized Communication: The system allows for personalized follow-up messages based on the information provided by the family.

4. Track and Manage the Journey

From Lead to Enrollment: A Lead Report tracks the journey of each prospect from their initial inquiry through to application and eventual enrollment.

Data-Driven Insights: Schools can use this data to understand where prospects are in the enrollment funnel, enabling targeted communications and interventions.

5. Enhance Marketing and Communication Strategies

Targeted Campaigns: With detailed information about prospects, schools can create more effective marketing and communication campaigns.

Segmented Groups: Schools can use data to refine their marketing strategies, build lists with constituent group status, and use Finalsite Messages and Workflows to nurture families.

6. Streamline Collaboration Between Departments

Unified Data Access: With the CMS and EMS integration, marketing and admissions teams can access the same data, ensuring consistent communication and strategies.

Enhanced Coordination: Real-time data sharing between website interactions and the admissions process helps teams plan and execute joint strategies.

7. Save Time and Improve Efficiency

Less Administrative Burden: By automating the initial stages of the prospect journey, your admissions staff can focus on more personalized, high-impact interactions.

Key Takeaway

Incorporating Finalsite LeadFlow into your school's marketing and admissions strategy can significantly enhance your enrollment process — and better yet, it’s free for schools using both Finalsite Composer and Finalsite Enrollment. Integrate your systems today for a more streamlined, efficient, and responsive way to connect with prospective families, turning interest into engagement and, ultimately, enrollment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.