The Application with Allison Turcio

Welcome to the first installment of The Melt Season Playbook — a 3-part, quick-hit series designed for enrollment marketers navigating the tricky post-deposit stretch. Each episode is under 10 minutes and packed with actionable insights you can try today. In this kickoff episode, Allison breaks down how to use AI to find the students most at risk of melting—and how to spot the signals hiding in pl...

Traditional lead generation in higher education isn't working. Universities pour time and money into RFI (Request for Information) forms, yet most enrolled students never even fill one out. So why are we still treating prospective students like sales leads instead of informed decision-makers? In this episode, Allison is joined by Robert Kadar , a higher ed marketing expert with over 15 years of ex...

It’s no secret that parents play a significant role in which schools prospective students end up choosing — but just how much of a factor are they really?. Our guest, Dave Becker , CEO and co-founder of CampusESP , breaks down how parent engagement directly influences application rates and yield. We’ll also explore eye-opening research on this connection, plus how AI and other tech tools are trans...

Silos between enrollment, admissions, and marketing often prevent innovative strategies from taking shape. How can higher ed keep up with change when their institutional structures are so fragmented?  In this episode, Allison speaks with Katy Campbell , Chief Client Officer, and Sarah Mullins , Marketing Strategist, at VisionPoint Marketing about the biggest roadblocks facing enrollment marketers...

How can higher education enrollment marketers collect student data in a way that builds trust and drives engagement? Progressive profiling — the practice of gathering information over time rather than all at once — might be the answer. In this episode, James Cox , Salesforce Administrator, and Kelsey Smith , Marketing Cloud Administrator, at Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels School of Business , s...

In this episode, Allison sits down with Dr. Joe Sallustio, Vice President of Industry Engagement at Ellucian, host of The EdUp Experience Podcast , and co-author of Commencement: The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education . Joe shares his insights from interviewing hundreds of higher ed leaders and discusses how enrollment marketers can drive institutional success by embracing differentiation,...

In this episode, Allison dives into the launch of Purdue Brand Studio, a bold and innovative initiative at Purdue University that’s redefining higher education marketing. Guests Bailey Leffler, Director of Brand, and Katie Ellis, Senior Director of Marketing Strategy, share the strategies, successes, and lessons learned behind their groundbreaking campaigns and their approach to storytelling that...

Welcome to AI for Yield Season , a special mini-series of The Application ! Each episode is short (less than 10 minutes!) and packed with actionable insights to help enrollment professionals use AI effectively during one of the busiest times of the year. This episode dives into the key metrics to track in yield marketing, how AI can help analyze success, set up A/B and multivariate tests, and, mos...

In this episode, Allison sits down with Melody Ferguson, Dean of Admission at Pacific Lutheran University, who brings a dual perspective to the table: as an experienced enrollment leader and as a mom navigating the college search process with a high school senior and a sophomore. Melody shares eye-opening insights from her unique vantage point, revealing how being both a professional and a parent...

Welcome to AI for Yield Season , a special mini-series of The Application ! Each episode is short (less than 10 minutes!) and packed with actionable insights to help enrollment professionals use AI effectively during one of the busiest times of the year. In part three of the AI for Yield Season mini-series, Allison Turcio dives into a challenge every enrollment marketer faces—creating high-quality...

Allison and Carrie Chambers, a data-driven marketing strategist with over 15 years of experience in higher education, explore how to use historical data and strategic foresight to define actionable and achievable goals for enrollment marketing. Carrie shares practical examples, explains the dangers of relying too heavily on averages and percentages, and provides actionable tips for fostering colla...

Welcome to AI for Yield Season , a special mini-series of The Application ! Each episode is short (less than 10 minutes!) and packed with actionable insights to help enrollment professionals use AI effectively during one of the busiest times of the year. In this episode of AI for Yield Season , Allison explores how AI can help higher ed marketers personalize student outreach—at scale. Yield season...

Allison is joined by Suzan Brinker, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Viv Higher Education and author of Pass Fail: The Urgent Need for Strategic Leadership in Higher Education. Suzan shares practical strategies and frameworks to help higher ed institutions create authentic differentiation in an increasingly competitive enrollment landscape. This conversation tackles why differentiation is no longer opti...

Welcome to AI for Yield Season , a special mini-series of The Application ! Each episode is short (less than 10 minutes!) and packed with actionable insights to help enrollment professionals use AI effectively during one of the busiest times of the year. In this first episode, Allison breaks down what AI can and can’t do for you. She shares real-world scenarios where AI can help speed up your outr...

In this episode, host Allison Turcio dives into the importance of collaboration in enrollment marketing with guest Greg Summers, a former provost turned higher ed strategist at BVK. Greg shares insights from his decades of experience on how enrollment marketers can engage faculty, staff, and leadership to ensure student recruitment efforts are cohesive, effective, and reflective of the institution...

In this episode of The Application , host Allison Turcio sits down with W. Kent Barnds, a veteran enrollment leader with over 30 years of experience, to tackle one of the hottest topics in enrollment marketing today: the shifting dynamics of campus visits. With students increasingly waiting to visit until after they’ve applied, how should colleges rethink their visit strategies? Kent unpacks the t...

In this episode, Allison sits down with Jason Keath, co-founder of SocialFresh and a strategist at Convince and Convert, to unpack how prospective students are researching colleges in 2024-2025. Drawing from recent research involving over 1,400 Gen Z students, Jason reveals what’s driving college decisions, where students are finding trusted information, and how enrollment marketers can adapt thei...

In this episode, Allison talks with Lauren Brooks, a higher ed marketing strategist known for her innovative approaches to CRM implementation, digital campaigns, and team alignment. With over a decade of experience in helping institutions achieve enrollment goals, Lauren brings insights into balancing immediate enrollment targets with long-term strategic goals without compromising mental health. T...

In this forward-thinking episode, Allison speaks with Tom Mikowski, VP of Business Development and Higher Education Partnerships at Allied Pixel. Tom shares insights from his 30-year career in enrollment and discusses how data-driven personalized video can dramatically elevate student engagement and drive conversions. He emphasizes the role of personalization in capturing the attention of today’s...

In this episode, Allison speaks with Dr. Raquel Bermejo about the often-overlooked emotional challenges students face during the college search and application process. Raquel shares insights into how financial anxiety, fear of choosing the wrong college, and the weight of being a first-generation student can impact students’ ability to apply and enroll. Together, they discuss actionable strategie...

In this episode, Allison talks to Brianna Blackburn, Assistant Director of Social Media Strategy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), about how social media can be a powerful driver of enrollment. Brianna shares her strategies for turning TikTok trends and Instagram posts into measurable enrollment outcomes and how her team has built a thriving online community of over 350,000 followers acros...

Allison chats with Grant De Roo, founder and principal of ADV Market Research and Consulting. Grant shares his wealth of experience in conducting market research for colleges and universities, offering insights into how storytelling can become a potent tool for enrollment marketers. Together, they explore the critical role of brand clarity, the impact of storytelling on university messaging, and w...

Julie Johnson Novara, a seasoned copywriter, shares her insights on how to craft compelling copy that resonates with different audiences, especially in the higher education sector. The conversation dives into the nuances of effective copywriting, common pitfalls, and practical strategies that enrollment marketers can use to improve their messaging and connect better with prospective students. Key...

In this episode, Allison sits down with Kristin Nichols, a seasoned higher ed marketing professional, to discuss the importance of aligning enrollment marketing with institutional strategy and brand messaging. The conversation touches on various aspects of strategic alignment, from web content audits to the importance of personalization and AI in marketing. Kristin shares her experiences and strat...

In this special crossover episode, Allison Turcio, host of the Application with Allison Turcio, and Shane Baglini, host of Breaking Silos, are taking a deep dive into their popular session from Element451’s 2024 Engage Summer titled “There’s a GPT for That.” Shane and Allison take turns as interviewer and interviewee, and talk about the many ways marketers can us AI to expand capacity, increase ef...