📈 Why Applications Aren’t Converting — And What to Fix

If student applications aren’t converting, your brand may be the reason. In a sector where too many institutions look and sound the same, standing out is no longer a nice-to-have - it is a conversion strategy.

In this fast-paced 30-minute session, you will discover how to unlock the marketing asset many universities underuse most - their brand. We will reveal findings from one of the largest brand health studies ever conducted in higher education, mapping 75 university brands using our Brand Divergence Index (BDI) to show how different and attractive they appear to prospective students.

The results are striking. Universities score among the lowest of any category we have analysed for Difference and Attraction; two factors that play a critical role in conversion. That means the opportunity is huge for institutions willing to outsmart over outspend. In this session, we will share what the data says, what it means for your university and where your biggest marketing opportunities lie.

You will also get practical takeaways you can use straight away: an exclusive deep dive into your own university’s brand health, a look at our AI recommendation agent that helps marketers self-serve insights and actions across the marketing mix and a case study showing how Birmingham City University is using BDI insight to outperform the competition.

If you want to improve conversion, sharpen your competitive advantage and leave with practical recommendations tailored to your university, this is a session worth being in the room for.