b'Reaching the decision makerTargetaudience,engagement,openrates,We needed a concept which would:acquisitionandretention.Weknowaboutengage and motivate the student to be committed and theobjectivesbutachievingthemisfullofeager to come to Brigidinechallenges - especially when the target audience is increasingly influential 12 years olds.communicate a sense of welcome and belonging to our As marketers in the education industry we are experienced incommunity and student bodydeveloping initiatives for reaching prospective parents, but it isreduce anxiety in the studentincreasingly evident that the power base of decision making isbesharedwithothersfriends,otherparents, shifting to the child. They are the influencers.grandparentsviral message.With this in mind, when planning took place to ensure retentionWe would measure our success through attendance on the day, of imminent enrolments for Year 7, the Development team atretention of enrolments, open rates and online engagement. Brigidine College St Ives was clear about who we needed to reach. It was the Year 6 girls themselves before they arrived. But how?The first Brigidine experience for these girls would be WelcomeWe chose to produce a personalised video. Day when they would come to the College and be part of theirThe video was created as a communication tool and effective newcohort,joininginactivitieswithexistingstudents.Formedium to connect with the incoming student and their family. some, there would be anxiety about the event, a sense of loss ofit was delivered to the student via parents allowing for the belonging from their current school and friends and underlyingpotential to be viewed individually, in combination of the parent questions of how they would fit in and be accepted. In someand student, and then to be shared with others. cases, this can lead to pressure to change the decision of whichEach student enrolled to commence in 2019 received their own school to attend.I want to go with my friends. personalised video that began with Hi Sarah (their name), Naturally, like all effective marketers, we started with our goalwere looking forward to seeing you on welcome day!. and objectives.These words were spoken by current Year 7 girls who then Our goal was to prevent attrition from the incoming studentwentontodescribetheexperienceawaitingtheincoming group thus enhancing the Colleges financial stability. student. The video showed the girls the sort of experiences and activities they would be involved in on their Welcome Day providing an orientation for them prior to commencement. Siennas video- here is a sample of the videos sent to incoming students: http://bit.ly/brigidine'