Even with nifty tools, it’s still hard to communicate about the cost of college

I remember when I had to write my first financial aid brochure as a young marketer at Wilkes University, my first job in higher education. I was working from an existing resource and frustrated by the dull, dry tone of the copy and the challenging steps my readers had to take to qualify for financial aid or scholarships. The looming threats of mysterious “federally regulated text” that had to be considered were also quite stifling. Back then, I had only brochures and postal letters to convince our prospective students and their families that our school was a good value and set them on the right path. Now we have so many more digital resources to convey these themes, but somehow the task at hand is no easier.

Our latest E-expectations trend report focuses on net price calculators, one of those nifty new resources that provides specific examples of what it costs to attend a school and how students’ hard work at studies and standardized tests could be converted into scholarship dollars. The promise of this engaging new tool isn’t being fully realized, however. Links to these tools are often buried on Web sites and rarely, if ever, mentioned in e-mail communications or social media posts. Sometimes the directions are non-existent or very difficult to understand. Worse yet, some of these calculators require a CPA at your side to complete them.

More than two decades after my first financial aid communication attempts, I find myself the parent of a high school senior. I am forced to read the fine print on the Web site and in the e-mail (and yes, still brochures) that my daughter’s chosen school provides. It is tougher than ever. The data from the E-Expectations report suggest that it’s not just me. Only 39 percent of respondents said they had used a net price calculator, and of the ones who didn’t, 66 percent said it was because they couldn’t find them on college Web sites.

With that in mind, here are a few ideas for you to consider as you’re creating or updating your Web site resources, calculator tools, e-mail messages, and financial aid brochures.

1. Avoid the “federal” tone in your text. Keep the language in your financial aid, cost, and scholarship communications simple, direct, and engaging.
2. Organize your content by steps that your readers should take to work through the process.
3. Provide a glossary of terms to give newcomers reference points for the lingo they’ll need to learn to navigate your campus’s processes.
4. Give them alternative options for communication. In our new trend report, we note that most students preferred to have discussions about financial topics in person or via e-mail.
5. Walk through the entire financial aid application and cost evaluation yourself or with a prospective student to see just where you need to put your efforts. Once you have new resources ready to go, test them to be sure that you’ve fully addressed any challenges you have uncovered.
6. Watch your site analytics, e-mail campaign, and calculator metrics to see what users do when they access your calculator tools and online assets.
7. If they make the effort to complete your calculator, work hard to turn that level of interest into direct engagement. Provide an easy opportunity for users to share their name and interest. You can push these folks into your inquiry pool or match them up to existing inquiries or applicants. If they’re already in your database, you know that you have a very interested prospective student. They’re ideal candidates for your next round of telecounseling calls or personal e-mail or text messages.

I invite you to download the E-Expectations net price calculator report and see for yourself the opportunity you may be missing to provide valuable financial aid and cost information to prospective students. My colleagues at Noel-Levitz are also hosting a free Webinar on net price calculators on April 16, Maximizing the Influence of Net Price Calculators on Enrollment. They will discuss strategies for using net price calculators and also our own TrueCost Calculator. I am always happy to discuss ways to better connect with students online, whether it’s about cost, enrollment, residence halls, or just how to find a map of campus. Drop me an e-mail with your questions.

Best wishes to you as you work to improve the quality of your financial-related communications and provide some of the most important information students and their families need during the search process.