Best Practices For Dynamic User Targeting For Student Enrollment Communications

What is Dynamic User Targeting?

Dynamic User Targeting allows you to stack various targeting criteria (such as enrollment stages, cohorts, and engagement scores) to communicate with specific user segments. 

This can be applied to announcements, SMS campaigns, and user exports, helping your institution tailor your messaging to meet enrollment and engagement goals.

Creating Targeted Announcements

Dynamic targeting within announcements helps institutions send relevant information to specific student and family segments.

Steps to configure a targeted announcement:

1. Navigate to the announcements section in your CampusESP platform.
2. Name your announcement: This name is internal and helps you track specific campaigns (e.g., "Open House Fall 2025").
3. Select your audience: Use criteria such as cohort, funnel stage, or engagement score to define your audience. For example, to target Fall 2025 families who have not completed an application, you can combine funnel stage and cohort. You can use this guide for Dynamic User Targeting
4. Draft your content: Use mail merge features to personalize messages. You can also include a pre-designed template or use AI tools available in the platform to create compelling content.
5. Schedule and review: Ensure you’ve set the correct time for the announcement to go out. Use the preview tool to double-check all details.

Using SMS Campaigns for Outreach

SMS campaigns are highly effective for reaching families with urgent or time-sensitive information, such as application deadlines or campus events.

Steps to configure an SMS campaign:

1. Access the SMS campaign tool: Go to the "SMS Campaigns" tab.
2. Name your campaign: This name is internal and helps you track specific campaigns (e.g., "Open Houses Fall 2025")
3. Set your subscriber list: To ensure the right admins are getting notified when someone texts back, make sure you select the correct subscriber list.  
4. Create your message: Use the AI tool to draft a short, personalized message (e.g., a nudge for application completion).
5. Set targeting criteria: Select your funnel stage (e.g., incomplete applications), cohort (e.g., Fall 2025), and any other relevant criteria such as engagement level.
6. Schedule and track: Decide when the SMS should be sent and monitor the click rates and replies.

See our guide on how to monitor your SMS campaign conversations.

If you don’t have SMS and want to learn more, simply contact your Account Manager or shoot us a line here!

Exporting User Lists with Targeting

You can export specific user lists based on dynamic targeting for internal use or reporting. This is especially useful for personalized outreach by counselors or for tracking engagement.

Steps to export a user list:

1. Navigate to User Exports: In the CampusESP platform, go to Users > User Exports.
2. Define your targeting criteria: For instance, create a list of admitted families who haven’t visited campus.
3. Customize the fields: Choose which data to include, such as engagement stats or cohort information.
4. Automate reports: Set the export to automatically run on a recurring schedule, ensuring up-to-date data is always available.

Creating Dynamic Communities

Dynamic communities are useful for organizing users who meet multiple criteria into one group for targeted posts or content delivery. These communities are recalculated every 24 hours to ensure accuracy.

Steps to create a dynamic community:

1. Go to Communities: Select "Add New Dynamic Community."
2. Define your criteria: Combine different targeting filters (e.g., admitted international students with high engagement scores).
3. Name the community: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Engaged Admitted International Students Fall 2025").
4. Use in posts: Once the community is created, you can target them in specific posts or content.

Check out our user export guide for more in-depth instructions.

Watch a Customer Learning Series video on Dynamic User Targeting. 

Additional Resources

• Guide to Dynamic User Targeting
• Guide to Creating Announcements
• Guide to User Exports

For further assistance, please contact Support or visit our Knowledge Base.