If universities want to survive into the century while maintaining relevancy to the business world and the global market, they must utilize innovative methods that engage students from the time of admission through graduation. Successful engagement equates to economic growth and positive branding. Students who are 'invested' and feel that the university is committed to their success work harder and develop kinship with their university. Strategic enrollment management (SEM) creates a highly interactive team that utilizes established principles of planning, implementation, evaluation and revision to ensure the institution's constant success in fulfilling its educational commitments to its students. This article begins by discussing the importance of data as well as the robustness of an institution's enrollment data-collection process. It also demonstrates how predictive analytics can be used as a means of deriving better decisions and actionable insights based on data. The article then shares the story of how the financial aid office at Winston-Salem State University successfully utilized social media and data to improve the student experience by minimizing lines.