How can you Increase your Admissions with Storytelling?

Let me answer this for you. We never forget things that are narrated to us because storytelling is an art. Powerful communication makes things easy to understand and recall. The story of the Thirsty Crow is one of those stories that left an impactful impression on our minds. 

Alright, now one more question over to you, can you ever forget the plot behind the mystery of why Katappa killed Baahubali? Were you not impatient to know the other part of the story? 

Do you ever wonder what made Baahubali Part 2 the biggest opener of the year? 

Let’s sum up the above questions into a one-word answer, i.e., curiosity. When your readers or listeners are curious about your story, they will stick around to read or listen to it till the very end. It will not only engage your target audience but also enhance your brand image. 

Do you know the moral of the story of the thirsty crow? Do you remember the ending of Baahubali Part 2? Every story has an end note or a moral which decides its overall performance. Your admission story too should have an ending that provides value to the target audience. 

Now you must be thinking about how storytelling will help you enhance your admission targets. So let us now focus on the how.

Getting Admissions is an Art, and you are the Artist!

Yes! You read it right. Getting admission comes with a challenging factor, i.e., persuasion. You have to persuade your target audience to take admission to your institution. It can be achieved by telling the success story of your institute. This story needs to be told exactly like the story of the Thirsty Crow: easy to understand and recall. 

For instance, you can tell the success stories of your alumni students. How could your institute’s academic structure and knowledgeable faculty help them ace their career goals?

You can also recall some of the historic moments on your campus to engage with the target audience. One more thing that can help in engaging is asking your target audience about their expectations and letting them know to what extent you can fulfil those expectations. 

But what is the easiest way to have this conversation? 

Skipping the walk-in part, there are multiple mediums of communication you can use to connect with your target audience. These are Emails, SMS, Whatsapp, Calls, Video calls, Chatbot, and regular follow-ups. And the best part is that all of these communication channels have been integrated into our Education CRM. So you need not go for multiple third-party vendors; just one good CRM can sort it all out for you. 

Curiosity and Enquiry go hand in hand

You should always have Part 2 of your story. To engage your target audience, you need to create a sense of curiosity and urgency among them to know more about you. And this can be achieved when you sow a seed of curiosity in their heads by keeping the conversation impactful. 

For example, start with the details of the course your student is interested in, then cover the fee structure and campus life, and talk about the scholarship program if there is any. Tell about the placement criteria, the hiring companies, the average package, and everything your target audience could be interested in. Do tell everything about your institute but not like an essay instead try to unfold each aspect steadily with a flow. 

An important point to remember is that you should always know the point of interest of your target before playing the curiosity game. It will help in engaging with the audience in a better way. 

Allow the Target Audience to Participate

Imagine you are listening to a story and suddenly the storyteller asks you for your opinion. You will certainly feel important and involved in the story. This is what you need to carry out with your target audience. Make them believe that their opinions matter to you and that their involvement is your priority. 

To get your audience involved, you can ask questions to them. If they have something to say about your institute/university, try to provide a positive response while discussing the whole topic. Remember, a healthy discussion always leads to better decisions. 

Be Authentic and Approachable   

You always watch a movie or read a book that looks authentic to you, right? You always approach people who seem authentic to you. We all do so because authenticity always makes room for approachability. If we feel the other person is genuinely interested in our queries or is concerned about our problems, then we immediately feel a connection. You need this ‘connection’ with your target audience. 

You have to tell everything and anything to your target audience with an empathetic outlook. Try to connect with them by providing a solution to their problem. You may not have an exact solution to their problems, but there is always scope for conversation and networking. Always remember that your network is your net worth. 

Tell your story but never forget to Listen

Imagine your friend narrating to you a whole incident of his accomplishments for 1 hour and the next moment you found yourself half awake and fully disinterested! This happens when someone just makes you hear them without listening. You have to strictly avoid being like such a friend and be open to a two-way conversation. 

For instance, you are showcasing your university/institute’s infrastructure and explaining everything regarding each department. Here, you can strike up a two-way conversation by asking the student about which part of the institute or university they like the most, or which department they find most interesting. Are they more interested in the infrastructure of the library or the types of cuisine available in the cafeteria? You can have an interesting conversation and engage better with your target audience. 

Conclusion 

The essence of all the information provided above is to use storytelling as a medium to communicate with your target audience. It doesn’t matter which means of communication you are using, whether it be written or verbal, storytelling will be your saviour. This method can be applied everywhere – for admissions too! 

You have to go and pitch your course/college/university/institution/coaching to your target audience anyway, so why not convince them enough to enrol themselves? Your target audience is very clear to you, and so is your competition. You just need to focus on your persuasion game. Storytelling will help you with this. Cut the net of long information decks and hours-long sessions, instead try something that your audience connects with and make your pitch impactful. 

We have covered every major aspect of how storytelling can be helpful in admissions. Now, it’s you who can execute it well and derive exceptional results.