Congratulations! Your university has launched an online program: a crucial step in advancing your educational mission.

Now what?

Launching your program is just the beginning. To achieve sustained success, you’ll need to enroll students and support them throughout their journey. This requires the efforts of many skilled professionals, ongoing engagement, and the latest data analytics tools.

Based on our 16 years of online program management experience, here’s how you can strengthen your online program after launch.

What to Do After You’ve Launched an Online Program

Once you’ve launched an online degree or certificate program, you’ll want to direct your efforts toward four critical areas:

  1. Building enrollments through targeted marketing
  2. Supporting and guiding prospective students
  3. Using analytics to fine-tune your marketing strategy
  4. Expanding your online program offerings

Let’s explore how each of these areas can help simplify and strengthen enrollment efforts for your online programs.

1.      Use Data-Driven, Targeted Marketing

Effective marketing begins with research. Was your program developed to address a specific need? Was it informed by current or projected workforce demand? If so, you’ll want to identify and engage the students seeking programs that meet those needs, using demographic data to guide your outreach.

Targeted marketing requires strong data analysis to determine the most effective outreach format, channels, timing, and messaging for your campaigns. Consider the following:

  • Outreach format: How do your target students prefer to be contacted?
  • Channels: Which websites and social media platforms do your preferred students use most?
  • Timing: When are your prospective students most likely to see and engage with your campaigns?
  • Messaging: What types of messages resonate most strongly with them?

These insights will inform your marketing mix. Comprehensive digital campaigns allow you to reach your audience quickly and track results closely.

By implementing these strategies, you’ve no doubt got your target students’ attention. But what happens after these initial clicks? How can you guide these prospects toward enrollment?

2.      Support Prospective Students Through the Discovery Process

Prospective students want information and reassurance. Many individuals considering online programs have questions about areas like:

  • Curriculum
  • Deadlines
  • Admission requirements
  • Technology requirements
  • Financial aid
  • Career outcomes

If students reach out with questions via form submission, email, phone, or chat, prompt, personalized communication helps build trust and ensures they feel confident in their decision to enroll.

While AI chatbots can handle initial questions, especially outside business hours, your prospects need and expect:

  • Immediate automated responses acknowledging their inquiries
  • Timely, personalized replies to their questions that tell them who to contact for more information and encourage them to take the next step

That “next step” might be starting their application or setting up an appointment to speak directly with someone who can answer them. These touch points give your institution the opportunity to:

  • Make a positive impression
  • Explain why your program may be the right fit for them
  • Nurture a relationship that can last throughout their program and beyond

Establishing a strong foundation for your relationship with prospective students is essential. This means having highly knowledgeable and personable staff available to help field questions and concerns. Handholding is important in every stage of the student journey, but particularly when they’re getting to know your institution and may still be considering others.

While providing excellent student support is crucial, tracking how these efforts translate into enrollments is equally important for refining your approach.

3.      Analyze Data to Improve Engagement

Marketing is an ongoing project that will continue for the life of your program. Take the guesswork out of evaluating program performance and outreach strategies by using data analytics tools and adjusting your efforts as needed.

Change is a certainty. At some point you’ll need to ask: Is your marketing still hitting the right targets? Have workplace needs changed? Data, especially from predictive analytics tools, can help you manage and stay ahead of changes. Analytics can reveal:

  • Which messages resonate
  • Which platforms drive the most inquiries
  • Where students may disengage

Use these insights to refine your marketing and support efforts, ensuring you remain responsive to student needs.

And a reminder: Don’t overlook alumni of your program as a source of vital data. Solicit feedback through surveys to find out if your program is meeting students’ needs. Are the courses relevant? Are their degrees and related skills benefitting them? What would they change?

4.      Grow Your Online Program Portfolio

Offering one or two online programs is a great way to expand your program’s reach. But as you see your online enrollment numbers climb, you may start to consider offering your full program roster online.

This doesn’t mean bringing all your programs online quickly or at once, however. A phased, strategic approach based on your priorities and resources is often best.

Consider adding new courses or certificates that align with workforce needs and student interests. By remaining agile and data-driven, your institution can continue to grow its online presence and impact.

Putting your programs online gives your students options. Some local students may prefer online programs due to prior commitments. And while some international students can relocate for their education, many can’t. With 100% of your programs online, you expand your reach significantly.

Key Takeaways

After your institution launches an online program:

  • Use targeted marketing to attract viable leads.
  • Nurture a relationship with prospective students that express interest.
  • Monitor your program’s progress using data analytics tools and student surveys.
  • Launch more programs and follow the same steps.

Count on an Experienced, Dedicated Partner

Launching and maintaining an online program requires ongoing attention, collaboration, and a commitment to continuous improvement—and that means significant time, labor, and expertise. When your institution needs to scale effectively while maintaining academic integrity, Apollidon Learning provides the specialized support that allows you to focus on what you do best: education.

As the academic authority, you develop the curriculum, find the educators to teach it, and provide the academic advisors to guide students. Apollidon will help you streamline and improve the entire online program journey, from launch to “Now what?” and beyond.

As your partner, we’ll provide:

  • Data-driven competitive analysis, lead tracking, and marketing
  • An experienced, knowledgeable student success team offering live, personalized human support, allowing your institution to devote its resources to its educational mission
  • Scalable solutions for rolling out your online programs cost-effectively and strategically

Let us show you more of what our team can do for your institution. Request a consultation today.