Marketing

Marketing is the key to keep existing students and gaining new ones

Screenshot: Message template ish onCourse has been written from a marketing perspective right from the start. When students enrol, the system automatically sends them enrolment information and a tax invoice by email. This is a simple starting point for encouraging students to continue to interact with the college through your web site and by email, and to continue to expect useful information from you by email.

onCourse is focussed on selling courses. This is different to many university or school enrolment systems with an emphasis on the administrative enrolment process. For example, you don’t need to start an enrolment by finding a student or adding their details to the system. You can start by easily answering questions about courses, places available and timetables; once your prospective student is comfortable with your offerings you can quickly find them in your existing database or add them. Data is validated at all times, meaning that it is that much more difficult to mistype that crucial email address.

Absolutely effortless integration

By integrating onCourse directly into your web site, it is absolutely trivial to add a new course or modify existing course information, even in the middle of term. By tightly linking your web site to your enrolment system, your web site is always up to date.

The power of a website means you have unlimited capacity for how much information you can provide to students to assist them in selecting the class that is best for them. You can attach images, pdfs or other files to course or class descriptions, such as ’what to bring’ lists or sample software files that accompany course textbooks. When you set up your courses and classes, you can choose when go live and advertise them on the web, class by class. Once you have given advertising approval, the rest happens with out you having to worry about it. Change course description, times or locations, your website changes automatically (in 15 minutes or less).

Class summary on onCourse website

Places left in classes update continuously. As classes approach their maximum enrolment numbers, your site reflects this by changing from displaying ‘places available’ to show how many places are left, creating a sense of urgency for potential enrolments. Once classes are full, students have the option to add themselves to a waiting list to take up any cancelled places or for the next class on offer.

With built in email, SMS and postal communication tools contacting your students is simple and efficient.

With XML exporting of courses and classes your onCourse database can be quickly turned into a hard copy brochure.

Mailing list subscription

From your onCourse website, or over the phone, students can subscribe to mailing lists for areas of your business that interest them. For example, you may create a ‘What’s new?’ mailing list that sends a newsletter to subscribers each term promoting new courses you have added. With built in HTML newsletter creation, building and sending marketing material is a snap.

Students can self-subscribe or unsubscribe to the mailing lists from their student portal and you can create restricted ‘Tutor only’ mailing lists also. More about using this feature here

Waiting lists

If a course is full, or isn’t available at a time that suits the student, they can be added to a waiting list. This allows you to easily track how many students have expressed interest in a course and quickly contact them as places or classes become available. Students can also manage their waiting lists through their web portal and you can add and remove students directly in onCourse.

If you wish to set up a course as expression of interest only, your online advertising and wait list options will help you determine community demand prior to scheduling a class date. More about using this feature here