Communications and Engagement

YOUR CHALLENGES:
Prospective clients frequently turn to us with fundamental questions about improving their communication approach, boosting engagement, and optimizing conversion rates. Whether your communications lack vitality or you’re seeking expert insights into areas for improvement, our team is here to revitalize your strategy.
OUR APPROACH:
We use a student-centric approach to evaluate how effectively your communications guide students through their unique journey by helping you identify the next best step you want them to take at different stages in the student lifecycle. When it comes to recruitment, we focus on aligning messages with the enrollment process to help propel students through the pipeline while considering creative ways to segment your audience to drive engagement. By working together to diagnose your current position and define your destination, we transform a simple communications audit into a future roadmap for success.
Communications and Engagement
Our work in this area includes:
- Communication Strategy Development
- Communication Flow Planning, Including Audience Segmentation and Timing of Messages
- Communication Audit of Current Content and Campaign Performance
- Incorporating Texting & Other Channels
- Chatbots
Clark University
Kennedy & Company partnered with Clark University to reimplement Slate as a full marketing and admissions tool that meets the needs of both departments. We designed the data architecture and workflows in Slate to support the initial migration of nurturing efforts from HubSpot to Slate, enabling them to subsequently transition inquiry management in-house and away from Inside Track (OPM vendor). Leveraging Slate functionality, we assisted with inquiry outreach and deployed specific calls to action within the inquiry phase to build affinity and increase touch points with new leads while also working to automate their inquiry workflows and communications.

Miami University
Kennedy & Company partnered with Clark University to reimplement Slate as a full marketing and admissions tool that meets the needs of both departments. We designed the data architecture and workflows in Slate to support the initial migration of nurturing efforts from HubSpot to Slate, enabling them to subsequently transition inquiry management in-house and away from Inside Track (OPM vendor). Leveraging Slate functionality, we assisted with inquiry outreach and deployed specific calls to action within the inquiry phase to build affinity and increase touch points with new leads while also working to automate their inquiry workflows and communications.

"We wanted a net price calculator that was easy to use and could be deployed by our one-stop staff to help students understand the financial ramifications of their choices. Kennedy and Company’s tool does just that while also helping us remain compliant with federal aid regulations. Our staff have really enjoyed having this additional tool for their counseling toolbox."
Colleges “definitely will be concerned and do have a right to be, but it’s a great opportunity to review the current contract they’re operating,” Snow said. She suggested potentially negotiating a contract for a shorter time frame, as well as including an exit clause or a set of terms that could end an agreement without breaking the contract. She also believes more universities may want to see an increase in transparency, particular in marketing materials. “When you’re an institution, it’s on your behalf, but you don’t see the day to day of what they’re spending and how they’re spending it,” she said. “You can be in the dark of how you’re being marketed. And in the beginning, it didn’t matter as long as the enrollment came, but now it behooves them.
1st Aid Net Price Calculator is a user-friendly tool that keeps up with the academic offerings and dynamic tuition and fee structure at our university. It provides an estimate and meaningful information to prospective students and families, blending in the financial aid award philosophy. The Kennedy & Company implementation team was easy to work with and they structured a project implementation plan that met our needs. The NPC displays on both the financial aid and admissions web page, and it continues to meet our expectations.
We engaged Kennedy & Company to audit our set of touchpoints with prospective students, analyzing how customer data flows through different systems and detailing interactions at each step. In addition to a detailed analysis of our data ecosystem, the team developed a rigorous implementation plan to help different departments optimize their activities. Kennedy & Company was very thoughtful and comprehensive in their work, so that we gained visibility and are making meaningful progress on multiple interconnected issues.
Kennedy recognized that no one knows us as well as we do. They valued our experience and knowledge, and worked with us as an integrated team. Kennedy’s collaborative approach ensured that the end-product was well-suited to our culture, our values and priorities, and our competitive environment.
“Our collaboration with Kennedy & Company has been nothing short of transformative. Through their expert guidance and strategic implementation of Salesforce Education Cloud, Spartanburg Community College has elevated its marketing, communication, and student engagement efforts to an entirely new level. The result is a sophisticated, data-driven CRM ecosystem that not only enhances operational efficiency but also empowers our teams to support student success in more meaningful and measurable ways. Kennedy & Company has proven to be an invaluable partner in our digital evolution.”
“Kennedy & Company was helpful and responsive from our initial contact with them in creating an appropriate scope of work that fit our needs, all the way through to developing the Slate Reader and Application for our over 140 graduate programs with several hundred users. Even with a decentralized admission model and with so many users involved, we were focused on creating a single solution that would be malleable for all. They helped us create a solution that fit the needs of many and were diligent and tireless in responding to our trouble-shooting questions and quest for continuous improvement. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend them and look forward to continued work on other projects.”
“Kennedy and Company’s expertise in strategic planning has been transformative for the College of Engineering. Their productive conversations brought clarity to our vision and enabled us to identify common themes that will shape the future of the College. With their guidance and ongoing support, we have crafted a clear, actionable 10-year roadmap that perfectly aligns with our goals and with Villanova’s mission, confidently positioning us for continued innovation and growth.”
“I am sincerely grateful for our partnership with Kennedy & Company. Their team has played many instrumental roles helping Palmetto College plan and execute on our growth strategies. Palmetto College is a complex organization that includes four two-year institutions located throughout the state, as well as an online degree completion programs. Kennedy & Company has helped us both transform our enrollment plans and strategies, and also translated them into actionable tasks for our teams within the Salesforce CRM. This effort has improved our adoption of the CRM and enabled our teams to better engage students throughout their time with us.”
“Kennedy and Company quickly established themselves as a critical companion when it comes to both thought partnership and modeling the implications of complex challenges/solutions. With such a broad range of support their team can provide, they have helped Mason tackle some of its most important questions facing the institution as we both develop offerings for new markets and improve student outcomes.”





























