A Business Marketing Strategy Applied to Student Retention: A Higher Education Initiative

Relationship marketing, a concept that focuses on attracting, maintaining, and building business relationships, has enhanced the profitability of businesses. The core of the relationship marketing approach in business is that resources are directed toward strengthening ties to existing customers on the proven premise that maintaining existing customers is less costly than is attracting new ones. Relationship marketing models have been developed in a wide range of settings and evidence exists suggesting that it is a successful approach. This article explores the concept of adapting the business relationship marketing framework to the challenges of college student retention. The student retention and relationships marketing literatures are reviewed and parallels are drawn. The relationship marketing model presents a different way of viewing student retention, provides a different perspective on retention strategies, and provides an economic justification for implementing retention programs. Retaining students in post secondary programs has been a national concern for decades (Braxton, 2000). However, doing so remains a challenge (Habley & McClanahan, 2004; Maldonado, Rhoads, & Buenavista, 2005). Improving student retention is a worthwhile goal for a variety of individual, social, and economic reasons (Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2005; Schuh, 2005; Tinto, 1993). And, while not everyone will be comfortable applying concepts from business to an issue in education, adapting the customer retention model to student retention is appropriate given the emphasis both place on quality of services. We include a formula for determining the economic benefits to the institution of retaining students.

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