How do you keep email nudges timely?
How we build nudge campaigns to stay timely, regardless of when a prospect engages with us? CC's recruiting/onboarding season is considerably later than 4-yrs and actually really compressed toward semester start. Our students don't commit till the last minute. But we also have those super-organized students who apply a year in advance.
Forget your nudges. Deliver value.
If you completely forgot about your nudge campaign, how would you design a campaign that was actually valuable to your readers?
Send them the content that actually helps them make a decision about their future. As you said, students will move on different timelines. Some will apply tomorrow. Others will take months. Some will commit two weeks or a year before classes start. So, worry less about the timing, and focus more on being useful.
Here are a ton of ideas:
Why [industry] jobs are growing so fast
What employers in [industry] are looking for in 2026
5 things every [profession] learns in their first year
The fastest‑growing jobs in [your region] right now
Jobs that are quietly disappearing in the next decade
The financial math of starting at community college
How community college keeps your options open
What a realistic weekly schedule looks like for working students
Time‑management strategies that actually work for adult learners
A realistic monthly budget for a working student
How people pay for school without taking on huge debt
Free professional events in [your city] this month
Skills that help people advance in [field]
Side projects that help you explore new careers
Why imposter syndrome happens (and how to deal with it)
Skills employers say will matter most in the next decade
Communication skills that make people stand out
Send this content on a regular cadence. If your operations allow it, every other week works well.
The bonus is this content showcases your staff and faculty support and expertise. Win, win!
Put the CTA in the footer.
Yes, really. (Marketing bros everywhere are SCREAMING!)
The body of the email is for them. The footer is for you.
Use the footer for the nudge. Make it the next step someone might need to take.
If you track student data, make the CTA their next step.
If you don’t, make it the next big general milestone. Something like: Open House on ___.
Or, it can be the next big deadline or reminder coming up.
This is what that footer could look like:
With this setup, you don’t have to perfectly match where someone is in their journey. They’ll pay more attention to you because you’re being useful. And then when they’re finally ready, they’ll take the next step.
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