Open days are your educational institution’s chance to shine. It's where prospective students get a feel for your campus, programmes, and unique vibe. But let's face it, traditional open-day promotion methods like flyers and emails are about as exciting and effective as a pop quiz on a Friday afternoon.

That’s where WhatsApp comes in; the app that's practically glued to your student's hands. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to use WhatsApp to create buzz, drive attendance, and ultimately, get more students to enrol.

Why WhatsApp for education

WhatsApp is the digital playground for billions of people of all ages. For education institutions, that means a direct line to your students, a chance to build genuine connections, and a powerful tool to drive enrolment.

• 24/7 automation: WhatsApp allows you to automate responses to common questions, send personalised messages at scale, and give time back to your service team.

• Instant connection: Forget waiting for email replies or hoping someone picks up the phone. WhatsApp lets you connect instantly, answer questions, address concerns, and build relationships in real-time.

• Two-way street: WhatsApp isn't a one-way megaphone; it's a dialogue. Students can easily ask questions, reply to messages, share feedback, and get personalised responses.

• Multimedia: Ditch boring text-only messages. WhatsApp lets you send engaging photos and videos of campus life, PDF brochures with programme details, and student testimonials. It's like giving students a virtual tour right on their phones.

• Lead generation: WhatsApp allows you to capture valuable student data and track interactions to nurture leads and boost enrolment.

How to promote open days with WhatsApp

Successful open days don't just happen; they need a proper marketing strategy in place. Here's how to use WhatsApp to get prospects to show up:

Click-to-WhatsApp ads

Educational institutions can leverage the power of social media with click-to-WhatsApp ads. These ads appear on Facebook and Instagram, allowing prospective students to start a WhatsApp conversation with your institution directly from the ad.

Benefits of using Click-to-WhatsApp ads:

• Smooth transition from ad to conversation

• Increased engagement rates compared to traditional ads

• Ability to target specific demographics interested in higher education

Web widgets: 24/7 campus tour guide

Web widgets show up on every page of your website, offering an easy and convenient way for customers to get answers and assistance. Easily embed a WhatsApp chat widget on your website or landing pages and let prospective and existing students start a chat with you.

Benefits of using web widgets:

• Captures leads directly from your website

• Provide instant answers to FAQs with chatbots

• Offer a convenient way for students to express interest in your open day.

Chatbots: Automated open-day ambassadors

Cue allows you to create a no-code chatbot to answer common questions about your open day, provide campus information, and even offer virtual tours. Prospects can message you anytime via WhatsApp and chatbots will respond accordingly.

Benefits of using chatbots:

• Handles inquiries 24/7

• Frees up your staff to focus on personalised interactions

• Ensures consistent messaging.

Live chat: Real-time connection

Educational institutions can have admissions staff or student ambassadors available for live chat during specific hours. Real-time conversations with a human agent can increase conversions by up to 7%.

Benefits of live chat: 

• Build rapport with prospective students

• Answer complex questions

• Provides a human touch to the open-day experience.

Broadcasts: Open-day megaphone

With WhatsApp broadcasts, you can send targeted messages to segmented lists of prospective students, inviting them to your open day and highlighting key attractions.

Broadcast benefits: 

• Reach a large audience quickly

• Create a sense of urgency

• Drive registrations

During and after the open day: How to get students to enrol

The first step is getting prospects to the open day. The next step is getting them to enrol. Here's how to use WhatsApp to nurture leads and turn attendees into enrolled students:

Capture details with QR codes

Collect student details during campus open days with WhatsApp QR codes. Place QR codes that link directly to your WhatsApp chatbot or live chat around campus.

Follow-up broadcasts

After the open day, universities and colleges can send personalised messages to attendees, thanking them for coming and offering additional information or resources. You can send reminders about application deadlines and requirements and even exclusive offers to open-day attendees.

Post-sales student support

Once students have officially enrolled, keep the conversation going with chatbots and live chat that answer follow-up questions and provide guidance throughout the duration of the course.

How education providers are winning with Cue and WhatsApp

How Richfield increased response rates by 7x

Richfield, a leading provider of IT and business training, faced a frustrating challenge: low response rates from potential students contacted via traditional channels. By partnering with Cue and implementing a WhatsApp solution, Richfield saw a 7x increase in response rates, a 65% boost in call-to-action conversions, and exceeded their sales targets by over 100%. Read the full Richfield case study to learn more.

How MANCOSA over-indexed sales conversion rates by 160%

MANCOSA recognised the power of WhatsApp to connect with their tech-savvy student base.  They partnered with Cue to implement a WhatsApp chatbot and live chat solution, that can easily integrate with their existing CRM. MANCOSA achieved a 156% overperformance in WhatsApp conversion rates and a 163% boost in web chat conversions. Learn more about MANCOSA and their results.

The WhatsApp enrollment journey: A practical example

Let's walk through a typical student experience with WhatsApp:

1. Website visit: A prospective student visits your website and clicks on the WhatsApp widget to ask about your programmes. They get redirected to the WhatsApp mobile app and start a conversation with you.

2. Chatbot interaction: The prospective student is met by a chatbot who answers their questions and invites them to register for the open day.

3. Open-day registration: The student receives an external URL to register for the open day.

4. Open day attendance: The student attends the open day and engages with faculty and current students, submitting their details via QR codes.

5. Post-open day follow-up: The student receives a personalised WhatsApp message thanking them for attending and offering a link to either a virtual tour or an application page.

6. Application guidance: If the student has questions when applying, they can use the chatbot or live chat to ask questions about the application process and receive helpful resources.

7. Enrollment: Once accepted into their programme, the student receives a congratulatory message via WhatsApp with instructions on what to do next.

Get started with WhatsApp for education

When you use WhatsApp for your open day, you're not just promoting an event; you're creating an engaging, personalised experience that resonates with prospective students. From generating leads to nurturing them through the enrollment process, WhatsApp is the ultimate tool for building relationships and driving results. Ready to get started with WhatsApp for education? Contact Cue for a demo.