It's Time to Stop Saying Parents Matter and Start Showing It

We say it all the time: “Parents are important in the college search process.” But how often do our actions actually reflect that?

Parents aren’t just along for the ride, they’re driving the car, especially when it comes to affordability, fit and the emotional confidence to commit. And that influence doesn’t stop with a brochure or an open house speech. Parents want—and deserve—meaningful, intentional engagement from the institutions their students are considering.

So, how do you go from lip service to action?

Let’s walk through specific, tangible strategies for making parents feel seen, heard and empowered to help their student say yes.

Bring Parents Into the Conversation, Directly

Here’s a truth higher ed marketers and admissions teams don’t talk about enough: You can send the most strategic, informative, transparent communication to prospective parents—and while parent communication flows should be a critical strategy for engagement (and if it isn't, it should be), sometimes the thing they really need isn’t just an email from you.

Parents are the financial planners, the emotional support systems, and the logistical managers behind every FAFSA submission and college visit. But it’s not just facts and deadlines they crave.

It’s perspective.

Empathy.

Reassurance.

And the most powerful way to offer that? Through another parent’s voice. Someone who has been there, done that.

1. Parent Panels and Events

At admitted student events, separate out a track just for parents. Host panels with current or recent parents who can speak candidly about:

• Navigating the financial aid process

• Academic support for their student

• Campus safety and wellness resources

• What made them ultimately feel confident in your institution

But don’t stop there. Record those conversations and turn them into short videos or snippets for your website. These insights go a long way when a parent is scrolling late at night trying to figure out if your campus feels like home.

2. Parent-to-Parent Letters

During yield, send personalized letters or emails from a current or alumni parent. These can speak directly to what made them trust your institution, what they wish they’d known, what they wish they'd asked or how they supported their student’s decision.

One of our most-read pieces of content one year was a letter from a current parent to admitted families. It wasn’t fancy. It didn’t use marketing jargon. It simply said: “This was our journey. This is what helped. Here’s what I wish I had known.” Better yet? Find the parent of a student who transferred to your campus and blossomed.

3. Testimonials With Real Impact

Alumni parent testimonials can be powerful when they highlight the return on investment: where their student ended up and how their college experience shaped their future. Bonus: These also help with affordability messaging.

4. Parent Phone Outreach

If you have an existing parent council on campus, utilize them for direct outreach—yes, even phone calls. One-on-one conversations from parent to parent can cut through the noise and feel deeply authentic during yield season.

Research supports this kind of connection. EAB reports that parents overwhelmingly seek peer-to-peer validation during the college process. They want to know what worked (and didn’t) for others like them. The more they feel heard and represented, the more trust they place in the institution.

When done well, this isn’t just storytelling. It’s strategy. Parent-to-parent communication bridges the emotional gap that facts alone can’t fill. And it doesn’t require a massive campaign—just a willingness to listen, curate, and amplify voices beyond your team’s.

Invite Questions On Their Terms

Parents appreciate access to information, but even more than that, they value access to people. Having a dedicated text strategy for parents signals that you're available and listening.

Try a dedicated parent text line. Set up a dedicated SMS number just for parents to ask quick questions. Promote it at events and in all parent emails. Make sure it’s staffed during regular hours, with an auto-reply after hours so expectations are clear.

This simple tactic builds trust, reduce confusion and turn parents into confident partners in the enrollment journey.

Provide Tools That Let Parents Take Action

If you’re not offering helpful, parent-specific tools, you're missing a big opportunity to both support and impress them.

Here are some real examples of real tools I've created in communication flows in the past:

• Digital financial aid offer comparison sheets – Help them (and their student) actually understand the difference between aid packages. Recognize how crazy difficult this part of the process is and provide a way to transparently compare apples to apples, even if your school doesn't show up the best in every category.

• Schedule-a-call with a counselor – About one week after the financial aid package is in their hands (or inbox), offer them the opportunity to schedule a time to speak with a counselor about their aid package. If they don't take it, offer it again 30 days later, in the instance they're waiting on other schools. This opens up your counseling team to hear conversations they may be having at home without your knowledge, and allows you to clarify anything that may be misunderstood.

• “Remind your student” button – I once built a simple email that allowed a parent to click a link and send a prewritten reminder message directly to their student’s inbox to finish an application. We let the parent be the reminder, but provided them the tool to do it.

As you can see, these tactics aren't flashy—they’re functional.

And that’s exactly what parents want.

If we’re going to keep saying “parents matter,” then we need to act like it. Engagement isn’t just about adding them to a comm flow, it’s about creating moments where they feel informed, empowered and part of something bigger.

Because when parents feel confident in your institution, students feel confident saying yes.