August 29, 2025

Dr. Kyle Brantley
Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Communications

Generally speaking, comm flows are, well, pretty general. Odds are, you already have a comm flow in place. You’re likely sending standard messaging to all traditional student types, segmented loosely by stage: inquiry, applicant, admit, deposit. That’s great. Keep doing that. It’s the foundation for keeping students informed, engaged, and gently nudged throughout the funnel via automated communication.

But if you really want to level up your comm flow game, it’s time to go deeper with segmentation. Segmentation means sending specialized messaging to distinct groups within your funnel, based on who they are, what they are interested in, and how they’re engaging.

Now, I get it—this can get overwhelming fast. There’s no shortage of ways to slice and dice your funnel. So, where do you begin? What audiences really benefit from that extra level of personalized TLC? And what should you say, exactly?

Let’s walk through six key audiences that you can focus on to elevate your catchall communication strategy from standard to standout.

1. Parents and Guardians

The helicopter parent is back, but this time with a vengeance. Today’s parent has evolved into the velcro parent, sticking closer to the college process than ever. Parents today are deeply involved, often helping guide decision-making for their students. It’s important to include them in your outreach, answering questions, breaking down barriers, and welcoming them into the process. Ignoring them is a missed opportunity.

Parent messaging should address their top priorities:

• Affordability. What’s the cost? What’s the value? How can we pay for this?
• Outcomes. Will my child get good a job? What’s the ROI?
• Safety. How is your campus keeping students safe?
• Deadlines. Parents often act as the accountability partner, so share key information like housing sign-ups, FAFSA reminders, and preview day dates.

💡 Pro Tip: Start collecting parent/guardian info (name, email, phone) on your campus visit form and application. That becomes your initial pool for your parent comm flow.

2. Underclassmen (Sophomores and Juniors)

Underclassmen are often the afterthought in communication strategies. Colleges collect their names at fairs or visits, but the comm flow is almost always senior-focused. Neglecting to nurture these impressionable youngsters is another missed opportunity. The more you reinforce your brand and all of the opportunities that await them on your campus, the more likely they are to keep you on their short list when senior year rolls around.

Your messaging to sophomores and juniors should:

• Introduce your institution lightly. Keep it general and informative, but also fun and breezy. Don’t overwhelm them with the admissions checklist.
• Invite them to campus. They can’t apply, yet, but they can visit. Make it feel like a VIP experience.
• Feature student voices. Stories and quotes help make your messages more relatable.

💡 Pro Tip: Build trust by offering helpful resources and establishing yourself as their guide in the college process. Offer things like a “Top Questions to Ask on a College Visit,” “ACT Prep Tips,” or an “External Scholarship Scavenger Hunt.” Now you’re not just marketing—you’re helping. They’ll remember that.

3. Transfer Students

For many institutions, transfers are an important—and sizable—part of the class. But their journey looks nothing like that of a traditional first-year. Your comm flow should reflect that.

Key topics for transfer comm flows:

• Transferability. Be clear about what courses will transfer and how long it will take to graduate.
• Affordability. Many transfers choose community college to save money. Be transparent about cost, aid, and highlight your affordability.
• Program-specific messaging. Transfers arriving at your institution are often more focused on academics than first-year students out of the gate. Highlight outcomes and program strengths.

💡 Pro Tip: Make sure your messaging acknowledges that they’re transfers. Stock phrases like “Over the next four years…” make it sound like you aren’t paying attention to them. Instead, signal how transfer-friendly your campus is with phrases like, “Over 20% of our incoming class is made up of transfers just like you.”

4. Alumni/Legacy students

Brand awareness doesn’t get any better than with legacy students. Their parents and guardians already know (and hopefully love) your institution. Keep track of legacy students in your CRM and send specialized messaging to express how you want them to continue the family tradition.

Tailor your legacy comm flow to highlight:

• Tradition. Invite students and their families to continue the legacy.
• Visit invitations. Perhaps even from the VP or DOA as a special outreach.
• Legacy scholarships. Promote any special financial perks tied to their connection.
• Swag. A well-timed T-shirt or mascot-themed giveaway can make a legacy student feel valued.

💡 Pro Tip: Some name-buy vendors can help you identify legacy students based on your alumni data. Definitely worth the investment.

5. Academic Programs

I’m not saying you need a comm flow for every single academic program (yet). But start by creating mini-campaigns (3-5 emails) for your top five most in-demand majors.

Your program-based series can include:

• Program highlights. What makes your business, nursing, or biology programs really stand out?
• Faculty intros. A quick welcome from the dean or future professors.
• Career connections. Internship opportunities, placement stats, organizations where grads land, and grad school acceptances.
• And after launching these five programs, add to your portfolio of programs year by year for greater major coverage.

💡 Pro Tip: Don’t forget the undecided students. They often make up a large portion of your inquiries. Reassure them it’s okay to explore, and highlight resources like career counseling, interest inventories, or first-year advising programs. It’ll make them feel more confident about stepping forward, even in uncertainty.

6. Out-of-State Students

OOS students have a different mindset. They’re not just evaluating fit—they’re thinking about distance, homesickness, and cost. Meet them where they are.

Effective OOS messaging includes:

• Acknowledging the leap. Moving away is a big deal. Talk about welcome weeks, student orgs, personal attention from faculty and staff, and how you help students feel right at home.
• Student stories. Share testimonials from other OOS students about making the transition.
• Get geographically granular. Let’s say your institution is in Birmingham, Alabama, and you want to target Tennessee inquiries. Make it digestible and clear by mapping driving distances (visually, if possible) to help them frame the actual car ride to get to your campus. “Memphis to Birmingham? 3 hours and 30 minutes. Nashville to Birmingham? 2 hours and 50 minutes. Knoxville to Birmingham? 4 hours and 10 minutes.”
• Local representation. Include student quotes and stories from the prospect’s home state to create stronger resonance.

💡 Pro Tip: If you don’t charge OOS tuition, say so. Students may falsely assume you cost more just because you’re out-of-state (a misconception is especially true for privates).

Wrapping it Up

See? That wasn’t too overwhelming, was it? This is your starter set of comm flow segmentation—parents, underclassmen, transfers, legacy students, program-based messaging, and out-of-state students. There are still other populations you could zero in on, like athletes, first-generation students, and homeschool students, but we’ll save that for next time. You don’t need to overhaul your whole system overnight. Start small and build over time.

These segmented flows should complement your main funnel communication, not replace it. They’re designed to add depth, relevance, and personalization that increase connection and ultimately drive action.

And if you’re short on time or team bandwidth to pull it off? Communication is our sweet spot at CHE. We specialize in building comm flows that reflect your institutional personality, hone in on your audiences, and guide students from first touch to final decision. Let us know if you’re ready to take your comm flow to next level.