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Enrollment and retention marketing for higher education and K-12

Reach more students, in more places.

Motimatic helps colleges, universities, and K-12 schools turn more interest into enrollment and keep students engaged along the way. We bring behavioral science, coordinated marketing across five channels, and clear measurement together in one platform.

TWTamryn W.Enrolled Tamryn stalled on cost. GuidePost matched the message to why, then sent it everywhere she is.
300+ institutions in ten years
Pima Community College780stop-outs registeredIndiana University OnlineNorthern Illinois University+229%transfer applications vs. holdoutCCACTexas A&M University–San Antonio501stop-outs re-enrolledPenn FosterChamberlain University+124%stop-out registrations vs. holdoutHartnell College4,901registrationsTexas A&M University SystemAtlanta Metropolitan State College+202%transcript submissions vs. holdoutUW–Whitewater308at-risk students registered
Solutions

From first interest to graduation.

We help schools reach students at each stage of the journey, whether they’re exploring options, preparing to enroll, continuing their education, or ready to return.

Results

See what your marketing actually changed.

Clicks and impressions tell you who saw a campaign. We also want to know whether it helped students take action. Randomized holdout testing lets us compare outcomes for students reached by Motimatic with a group that wasn’t.

Transfer applications
+229% Northern Illinois University
Motimatic 4.02%
Holdout 1.22%
Deposit rate
+210% Top-100 Northeast university
Motimatic 11.21%
Holdout 3.61%
Stop-out registrations
+124% Chamberlain University
Motimatic 3.93%
Holdout 1.75%
How we measure Reached by Motimatic Holdout group: hears nothing from us

Results reflect individual randomized-holdout campaigns; outcomes vary and are not guarantees.

Read higher ed marketing case studies
See the lift at your school.

We measure your pilot against a randomized holdout, the same way as the results above.

Start a pilot
The platform

More places to see it. More reasons to act.

Students and families aren’t all in the same place, and one message is easy to miss. Every student can be reached across five channels, timed to the step they’re on.

Motimatic in 30 secondsHow schools use the platform
14.5impressions per student, per monthAverage, Motimatic campaigns, Jan–Sep 2026
Why it mattersMore places, more action

Why we show up in more places.

Students aren’t all in one place.

Each channel reaches people the others miss.

One message is easy to miss.

The more places students see their next step, the more likely they are to take it.

Timing decides.

Each message is timed to the step students are on, ahead of the deadline that matters.

In practiceOne GuidePost, five channels

The same next step, in five formats.

Here’s one GuidePost, Got The Rhythm, asking students to register for next term. Each channel carries it in its own format.

Social mediaIn the feed

Every stage, and our highest-frequency channel.

Streaming TVOn the big screen

Reaches parents, families and adult learners at home.

Direct mailIn the mailbox

Reaches students who’ve gone quiet online.

EmailIn the inbox

Points students who’ve asked for information to their next step.

SMSOn their phone

Lands ahead of the deadline that matters, for students who’ve opted in.

GuidePosts™

Students stall for a reason. A GuidePost answers it.

We mapped why students stall at every stage. For each reason, we build a GuidePost with behavioral and motivational science and test it against a randomized holdout.

01The whyThe student experience

Every stage has a moment where students stall.

Cost. An unfinished application. A hard first semester. The reason changes by stage, and every stat below is sourced.

Two students looking over a tablet together
AdmittedFollowed below
“Unsure about cost” 21%Are “incredibly confident” they understand their aid offer. Ellucian national student survey, 2024
A student on her living room floor with a laptop and papers
Started an application
“Started, but never hit submit” 24%Never submit an application they started. Annenberg Institute at Brown University, 2018–19 cycle, via Higher Ed Dive
First year
“Struggling, but not using campus support” 77%Plan to persist when they know 5+ support services, vs. 64%. Tyton Partners, Listening to Learners, 2024
Students walking together through a campus hallway
Second year
“Worried about paying for next term” 59%Have considered leaving over financial stress. Ellucian national student survey, 2024
An adult learner smiling in a college classroom
Stopped out
“Didn’t know where to get help” 44%Of stop-outs knew advising was available. Tyton Partners, Listening to Learners, 2024
02The howThe behavioral science

Three components. One message students act on.

Every GuidePost is built from the same three parts: the action we want, the reason a student would take it, and the way the message asks. Pick a stage to see them.

02The howThree components
Target actionApplication
Submit the application

What students do: the one step we ask applicants who haven’t submitted to take.

Motivational principleCore Motivation
Self-efficacy

Why they act: belief that effort will succeed: “I can actually finish this.”

Behavioral strategyMomentum & Ease
Tiny habits

How we ask: one small, easy step right now.

03The whatWhat students see
9:41
How it moves students
  1. 1
    Where they areStarted an application: started, but never hit submit
  2. 2
    What they seeOne message, on every channel they use
    SocialTVMailEmailSMS
  3. 3
    What they doSubmit the application
See enrollment yield marketing
02The howThree components
Target actionCost & aid
Contact financial aid

What students do: the one step we ask admitted students to take.

Motivational principleCore Motivation
Expectancy-value

Why they act: the payoff feels worth the cost of the next step.

Behavioral strategyMomentum & Ease
Urgency

How we ask: time pressure on a specific deadline.

03The whatWhat students see
9:41
How it moves students
  1. 1
    Where they areAdmitted: unsure about cost
  2. 2
    What they seeOne message, on every channel they use
    SocialTVMailEmailSMS
  3. 3
    What they doContact financial aid
See enrollment yield marketing
02The howThree components
Target actionCampus support
Use counseling services

What students do: the one step we ask first-year students to take.

Motivational principleIdentity & Reinforcement
Concrete expressions of care

Why they act: specific, human signals that someone is paying attention.

Behavioral strategyFraming & Aspiration
Reframing

How we ask: a missed term becomes a fresh start.

03The whatWhat students see
9:41
How it moves students
  1. 1
    Where they areFirst year: struggling, but not using campus support
  2. 2
    What they seeOne message, on every channel they use
    SocialTVMailEmailSMS
  3. 3
    What they doUse counseling services
See student retention solutions
02The howThree components
Target actionGetting started
Register for classes

What students do: the one step we ask continuing students to take.

Motivational principleIdentity & Reinforcement
Identity-based motivation

Why they act: the action fits the person they’re becoming.

Behavioral strategyMomentum & Ease
Reminders & tips

How we ask: timely nudges that remove friction.

03The whatWhat students see
9:41
How it moves students
  1. 1
    Where they areSecond year: next term isn’t on the calendar yet
  2. 2
    What they seeOne message, on every channel they use
    SocialTVMailEmailSMS
  3. 3
    What they doRegister for classes
See student retention solutions
02The howThree components
Target actionGetting started
Register for classes

What students do: the one step we ask students who stopped out to take.

Motivational principleCore Motivation
Agency & autonomy

Why they act: the choice is theirs to make, not something imposed.

Behavioral strategyMomentum & Ease
Scarcity

How we ask: availability feels limited.

03The whatWhat students see
9:41
How it moves students
  1. 1
    Where they areStopped out: unsure coming back can fit their life
  2. 2
    What they seeOne message, on every channel they use
    SocialTVMailEmailSMS
  3. 3
    What they doRegister for classes
See stop-out recovery
The research base
d = 0.49Average effect of motivation interventions in education, across 74 studies.
Without With motivation interventions +0.49 SD

Lazowski & Hulleman, “Motivation Interventions in Education: A Meta-Analytic Review,” Review of Educational Research, 2016. Our own results are measured separately, against your holdout.

How we prove it Every GuidePost is measured against a randomized holdout.

A 5% holdout hears nothing from us. The gap between the two groups is the lift.

See partner results
Who we serve

Built for education.

Enrollment looks different at a community college, a four-year university, an online program, or a K-12 school. We build campaigns around the goals and students each institution serves.

The pilot

Start with the enrollment goal that matters most.

Tell us who you’re trying to reach and what you want to improve. We’ll build the campaign, manage the outreach, and help you understand the results.

Start a pilot
1
Tell us your goalRaise awareness, increase RFIs, improve yield and retention, or recover stop-outs
2
We build and run itGuidePosts on five channels, run by our team
3
See what changedMeasured against a holdout group