EF's Virtual Recruitment Guide
We’re here to support you as we strive together to rebuild confidence in travel, answer new questions, share important updates, and inspire students. Consider this Virtual Recruitment Guide a first step in helping to share the magic and importance of future travel.
By recruiting now, you can help students see the world and experience all it has to offer.
Why should I start recruiting again now?
3. Your travelers may have vouchers to redeem. Travelers can enroll with their vouchers to leverage the full value of their investment, and see the world on their next perfect program.
4. You can earn fully-funded spots. With programs filling quickly, we want to be sure you get the spaces to include colleagues or family members as fully-funded co-leaders.
5. It’s a great time to make connections. Students are eager to make new friends and connections—which is easy with our group travel model!
How can I recruit travelers right now?
- Pick a virtual meeting platform your students are familiar with
- Use EF’s easy Invitation and RSVP Platform on your Group Leader website to create invites and track responses for your meeting
- Theme the meeting! Change backgrounds to match the destination, send out a recipe, or ask your Program Consultant about having a Field Director attend
- Send a text or email reminder to attendees before the meeting begins (you can do easy easily from your Group Leader website!)
- Log in early to test sound and screen sharing, and if possible, record your meeting so you can share with those who were unable to attend
- Follow up with everyone who attended and those that couldn’t make it; send a link to the enrollment site through text, email and other channels
- Keep track of everyone in attendance by having individuals write their name and email address in your meeting chat function. Don’t forget to capture these names, or have a co-facilitator on hand to write them down and also address questions that arise mid-meeting so you can stay focused
Want more? Click here for an outline of information you should cover at your session and consider attending a GoAhead Escape with prospective (and current) travelers.
Get started: Log in to our Group Leader website to find resources and templates for email, texting, and recruitment videos.
Email and text are powerful tools to get the word out about your program and ensure that potential and enrolled travelers are kept in the loop regarding any announcements or changes to your program.
Some faculty have recorded short videos of themselves to help promote their programs—we find it's a great way to share your enthusiasm with potential travelers.
On average, it takes three emails for a traveler to enroll or inquire about a program, so do don’t feel discouraged if you don’t hear back right away. Make sure you stay consistent with your communication and reminders and reach out to your Program Consultant if you need more templates than provided above!
EF's Invitation and RSVP platform on your Group Leader website gives you an idea of how many students are planning to attend your meeting and also grants you access to student's phone numbers. EF takes care of some text communication to your potential travelers, but consider using an app like GroupMe—our guide is linked above in your Group Leader website—to get in touch and reinforce the message.
Get started: Log into our Group Leader website for social media caption templates and ask your Program Consultant for program-specific images.
Social media is a great way to reach potential travelers and promote your upcoming program. Before getting online, consider these tips:
- Social Media is a powerful tool, but in order for it to work you need to make sure you’re reaching your desired audience. Don’t have access to students via a social platform? Consider connecting with the Study Abroad office, Student Life, or other central campus organizations on campus to see if you can post to one of their pages!
- If you’re lucky enough to have personal photos from your program's destination, use those! User-generated photos feel more authentic and help students to visualize their experience better. If you don’t have your own photos yet, don't worry—contact your Program Consultant to gain access to our image library.
- Keep your posts short & engaging. Just like long emails and texts, long captions can quickly lose your audience’s attention. Think about the best way to garner interest, and save the details for 1:1 conversations.
- Follow up! Don’t forget to follow up with those who “like” or comment on your post.
Get started: Ask your Program Consultant for your Student Excitement Deck and decide which classes you'd like to talk about your program in.
Not sure hosting a larger meeting is the best way to spread the word? Consider highlighting your program at the beginning (or end) of your virtual lecture or class. Connect with your Program Consultant about a customized Student Excitement Deck featuring photos from your program’s destination.
Want to reach more students? See if you can “stop by" your colleagues' virtual classes and lectures!
