From Keywords to Conversations
Month: July 2026
by Danielle Saad, Senior Digital Marketing Strategist
The landscape of higher education marketing is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by shifts in how prospective students and their families seek and process information. Traditional digital channels like search engines, social media, and display advertising have long been foundational, but the rise of AI-powered conversational platforms is redefining the path to enrollment. Tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are quickly becoming essential guides for students, parents, and adult learners navigating complex decisions around college and graduate school.
The Rise of AI-Powered Conversational Platforms Is Redefining the Path to Enrollment
Keeping up with today’s fast-changing digital world means meeting students where they are, and right now, that’s on AI platforms.
Why ChatGPT Ads?
As AI continues to expand, we’re seeing a drastic increase in the number of individuals turning to large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT for interactive, conversational answers (“tell me about Spark University”) instead of traditional keyword searches (“Spark University, about, admissions”). In fact, ChatGPT recently surpassed 1 billion active monthly users, underscoring a shift that offers higher education institutions a unique chance to connect with prospects during meaningful, real-time exchanges.
Real Results for Higher Education
Our recent College Bound Survey shows that 56% of graduate students used ChatGPT to research graduate schools — a clear sign that this channel reaches key prospects.
To put this into perspective, one of our graduate school partners saw an impressive 40% admit-to-deposit ratio from prospects who found them through ChatGPT searches, meaning nearly half of admitted students who used ChatGPT to learn about the institution, enrolled — a massively valuable audience.
56%
Graduate Students Who Used ChatGPT to Research Schools
40%
Admit-to-Deposit Rate from ChatGPT
How ChatGPT Ads Work
Advertising with ChatGPT uses smart targeting based on:
- Contextual prompts and what users ask
- Signals from your landing pages
- Location targeting
The ads themselves appear directly below ChatGPT answers, with a short headline, description, and image. It’s the perfect way to catch attention with a relevant ad without disrupting the conversational flow.
As for reporting, we will be able to see the number of impressions and clicks, plus a breakdown of engagement by device. As ChatGPT ads start evolving, we’re hopeful that even more in-depth reporting may become available.
Why Now Is the Time to Engage
Being an early adopter of ChatGPT ads means your institution can stay ahead of the curve and position itself as a leader in this emerging space.
Acting now allows you to establish a strong presence before the market becomes saturated and competition intensifies, helping you capture high-intent prospects during critical research moments.
Institutions that integrate ChatGPT ads early are not only gaining valuable insights but also building relevance throughout the entire decision-making journey. This strategic advantage complements your existing campaigns, ensuring your brand is present and influential in new ways where people are actively searching.
Engage Prospects Across All Digital Touchpoints
Launching ChatGPT ads is just the beginning. To maximize your reach and impact, it’s essential to view this new ad format as a supplement to your broader digital marketing strategy — not a replacement. Traditional digital media channels like search, social media, display, audio, and CTV advertising remain vital tools for building your classes and achieving your enrollment goals.
That said, ChatGPT ads offer a unique way to engage prospects during active research moments, and we can help you extend those connections through cross-channel retargeting. By retargeting users who interacted with your ChatGPT ads, your institution can stay top of mind across platforms like display, audio, and social networks, nurturing prospects as they continue down the enrollment funnel.
Integrating ChatGPT ads alongside your established digital channels allows you to create a cohesive, multichannel marketing plan that drives consistent engagement, amplifies messaging, and ultimately supports sustained enrollment growth.
Interested in tapping into this new channel?
Reach out to our team to learn how we can help support your enrollment goals in this evolving digital landscape.
How to Optimize Your Senior Search
Month: July 2026
by Meaghan Conly, Lead Copywriter
A recent TikTok trend went something like this:
“In your 20s you’ll be asked to do X. It’s very important that you say yes.”
For enrollment marketers, we’d put it a little differently:
“In the next year, you’ll be asked if you optimized your senior search campaign or just changed the dates and hit send. It’s very important that you say optimized.”
We know — that’s easier said than done. For many enrollment and marketing teams, summer doesn’t bring a slowdown so much as a different flavor of chaos. Between vacation schedules, orientation events, budget conversations, travel planning, and the countless other priorities competing for your attention, a rinse-and-repeat approach to senior search can feel incredibly tempting.
But before you put your campaign on autopilot, it’s worth asking whether the strategy that’s gotten you this far is still the strategy that will get you where you want to go next.
To help, we’ve put together three ways to make sure your next senior search campaign is set up for success.
1. Don’t Forget Your Primary Markets
While it may be tempting to cast a wide net, don’t do so at the expense of your backyard. We recommend leaning into primary markets and letting data guide your list purchases (especially when you’re looking to expand). Use modeling to help build a list focused on the students you know will not only apply, but also show up next August.
✅ Prioritize the students most likely to engage
✅ Avoid wasting resources on low-interest prospects
✅ Set your team up for better conversion rates later in the funnel
Case Study
A small Catholic college in the Northeast* has seen a 27.5% increase in applications, 15.5% more deposits, and purchased nearly 30% fewer names after partnering with Spark451 to reassert itself in the local market through branding, lead, and application generation campaigns.
2. Up Your Communications Game
Today’s students are much more reticent about sharing personal information, so when they do, they expect more than a generic “Hi, {{Preferred}}!” outreach. They’re looking for content that reflects their interests, matches their stage in the journey, and helps them see whether your school is a good fit. In short, they want to know you’ve been paying attention.
✅ Segment your messages by academics, geography, or student interests
✅ Plan out multiple touchpoints across print, email, and digital
✅ Build in moments that create connection through personalization
Pro Tip: Take full advantage of any special features your CRM offers — from AI agents to interactive checklists, they all help build students’ affinity for your school!
Case Study
A rural campus in a large public university system* saw a 26% increase in applications in year one, and a 38% increase in deposits in year two, after partnering with Spark451 to flip the script with its communications, embracing and promoting its unique vibe and small size as assets, not hindrances.
3. Think Multichannel From the Start
It’s no secret that students consume information across a range of platforms (often simultaneously), so to stay top of mind, your campaign needs to meet them where they are and offer a consistent, compelling experience across channels.
We’ve found that a combination of print, email, and digital works best, promoting stronger engagement and better outcomes. The key? Consistency! Your creative, messaging, and calls to action should all feel cohesive no matter where students encounter them.
✅ Ensure creative and messaging are aligned across the board
✅ Use digital ads and social media to reinforce emails and direct mail
✅ Keep track of all cross-channel performance
Case Study
A private liberal arts college in the South* has seen a 97% increase in admits and a 96% increase in net deposits since partnering with Spark451 to conduct a comprehensive multichannel senior search campaign.
Final Thoughts: Reflect and Plan
We understand that one of the biggest challenges you may face is simply finding the time to do this work. When schedules are packed and priorities seem to constantly shift, it’s tempting to rush the process or simply reuse old strategies without much, if any, reflection. But taking time now to review what worked last cycle (and what didn’t!) can save you time and effort down the road.
Before you get started, ask yourself:
- Which lists yielded the strongest engagement?
- Which messaging resonated best?
- Where might we want to try something new?
- Who is going to tackle this work?
Do we have the resources we need or do we need support from a professional partner?
Even if your team is small or its bandwidth stretched thin, taking small steps now can make a big difference moving forward.
Need a hand? At Spark451, we work with colleges and universities across the country to design, build, and execute student search campaigns that get results. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by what’s on your plate, give us a shout. We’re happy to help however we can!
*Partner names withheld for confidentiality purposes.
