7summits re-thinking college admissions by embracing social business - eduweb 2013

7Summits: Re-‐Thinking College Admissions by Embracing Social Business 7.30.13

Get Social! Hashtag: #eduwebconf13 – MenJon @7summitsagency @eduwebconf

IntroducJons

President and Co-‐Founder – 7Summits

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: linkd.in/15dPN5k

Web: 7summitsagency.com

Vice President Digital Strategy

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: linkd.in/18xJrz2

Web: 7summitsagency.com

2009

60+

FOUNDED

TEAM

MISSION

CreaJng online communiJes that transform business and enhance people’s lives

Strategy

Experience

Technology

+

+

+

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

Social Business Agency

Who is 7Summits?

agenda

• Before Bridge (Context) • The Media Shic • Building Bridge • Business Value Delivered • What’s Next • Gegng Started

•  Social Business and Higher EducaJon – Trends and PerspecJves

•  Case Study – Building A “Bridge”

•  What’s Next •  Gegng Started

Social Business and Higher EducaJon


Social Technologies the biggest from to shi- in a genera0on

From InformaJon Hoarding

Web Sites/Portal Management

Email CRM

Baby Boomers UI

Noise

To InformaJon Sharing Integrated Social Sites Engagement CollaboraJon Community Millennial’s UX Insights


Key Trends and Concepts

•  Social media is the default state and media for Millennials1

•  They rely on user generated content for major life and financial decisions1

•  Millennials share good and bad informaJon freely (living life out loud) 1

•  They place a high value on reputaJon derived from social media 1

•  Millennial's absorb and manage informaJon differently than other generaJons1

•  UniversiJes that create their own open communiJes have a much greater degree of credibility with Millennials 2

•  Social business enablement in higher educaJon demonstrates an immediate, measurable impact on engagement and reputaJon 2

Sources: 1Bazaarvoice. 2 Onlinecolleges.net


•  ConnecAons: Driven by Interests •  Content: Managed/Engineered UX: Blogs, arJcles, industry updates, infographics etc.

•  Profiles: CombinaJon of sourced and user disclosed informaJon

•  Data: Ability to own/analyze member acJvity

•  ConnecAons: Driven by RelaJonships •  Content: All User generated

•  Profiles: all user disclosed informaJon

•  Data: Limited/no access to member data

Social Networks vs. Online Community

Social Network Online Community

The primary purpose of Social Networks and Online CommuniJes is different

Business Outcomes

P Primary Purpose RelaAonships


People Behave Socially

Online Academic Community

Facebook LinkedIn

Personally Social

Professionally Social

Academically Social

Student lifecycle conJnuum

Prospective Student Qualified Prospect Accepted Student Enrolled Student Graduate Alumni


Consider School

Research School OpJons

Inquiry

ApplicaJon

Acceptance

1st deposit

2nd Deposit

Enrolled/ Matriculated

AcJve Student

Seek & Find Employment

Graduate / Begin Career

Alumni

Awareness / ReputaJon

(“unidenJfied prospects”)

Relevancy (“named prospects”)

Engage / Retain

Thinking about being a student

Which school should I go to?

I should consider this school?

Where do I stand? Is it right for me?

I can go – but is it my best opJon?

I’m considering

I’m intending to go

I’m there

I’m staying

I’m Preparing for my Career

I’m StarJng my Career

I’m Sharing My Success Story

Stud

ent Life

cycle

Focus Areas: Drive Impact Across Student Life Cycle

Ongoing RelaJonship


Driving Value throughout Student Lifecycle Student lifecycle continuum


Business Value: Admissions

•  Increase qualified students and conversions rates

•  Reduce tradiJonal media spend: enhance referrals / word of mouth markeJng

•  Streamlined enrollment / admission processes

•  Enhanced reputaJon / percepJon

Business Value: AcAve Students and Faculty •  Streamline student onboarding

experience •  Reduce service costs (student

self-‐serve) •  Facilitate student / faculty

collaboraJon •  Improve student retenJon and

saJsfacJon •  Enable virtual study groups /

peer support •  Crowdsource research and

innovaJon

Business Value: Alumni •  Increase Alumni

engagement -‐ donaJons and parJcipaJon

•  Increase referrals •  Facilitate student

mentoring •  Capture success stories –

markeJng for prospecJve students

•  Support professional networking

Case Study – Building a Bridge Milwaukee School of Engineering

Getting Started

Assess the current environment

Identifying Gaps and Priorities

Defining Objectives


ProliferaJon of Digital DesJnaJons

MSOE.edu

Visit MSOE

Admissions

Blogs

Micro Sites

Facebook

Twitter

Student Portals

Virtual Tour

Research LinkedIn

Athletics

Groups


Number and Complexity of Systems

High School Students

•  I'm Confused! •  What do you expect me to do? •  Stop calling me!!! •  When do I need to pay? •  Can I talk to someone like me? •  What's life like in Milwaukee?

•  What project work can I do?

Admission Counselors

•  I thought you liked our college.

•  You need to fill out your applicaJon. •  You are never around when I call. •  Didn't you read my leter? •  You should visit campus. •  The city is great! You should visit

campus. •  Tons. Come and visit campus!!!!

Student Needs Misunderstood

?


Parents Needs Misunderstood

Parents

•  Will my child fit in? •  How much does this cost? •  Is Milwaukee safe? •  My bird is leaving the nest... •  What is the placement rate and

starJng salary of an MSOE grad?

Admission Counselors

•  Best way to find out is to visit. •  Here is the weblink. •  Yes, why don't you visit? •  May I speak with him/her? •  We have great starJng salary and

placement rate data for our grads.

?


CommunicaJons Misaligned

High School Students

E-‐mail Print Phone Social Media Mobile

CommunicaAon Channels

MSOE Admissions


3rd Level

2nd Level

1st Level

MSOE.edu Home

4th Admissions

Admissions was too many levels removed


Admissions Opportunity

Admissions Website

Admissions Community

EvoluJon RevoluJon

Admissions Website

OR Social Media

+

Building MSOE’s Bridge

• Design the Overall Solution

• Address High Impact Areas - Admissions Web Presence - Forums - Application Forms - Profile and Progress - Mobile


Strategy -‐ “What’s Most Important”


1. Dedicated Admission Website

•  Young, fresh feel

•  Ability to find what you are looking for quickly

•  Ability to appear more social from the first impression


2. Open Forums and Discussions

•  QuesJons can be asked any Jme

•  Answers can be provided by anyone

•  Find out what others are interested in

•  Confirm deeper fit through real insights


3. Integrated ApplicaJon Form

•  Register, sign in and apply with Facebook

•  LinkedIn style completeness gauge drove more applicaJon form submits

•  ApplicaJon integrated with back office ERP improved analyJcs (Jenzabar)

•  Allowed admissions counselors to see who started the applicaJon but did not submit

•  Streamlined internal processes


4. Profile and Progress Tracker

•  Students and parents can see what the next steps are in the admission process

•  Private area to communicate with admission counselor

•  To Do list available and updated due to data integraJon

•  Badges earned as they move through the process

•  Streamlined NoJfcaJons


5. Mobile Accessibly

•  Able to interact with community on the go

•  Find things quick and easily

•  Show off to your friends and family

•  Share your acceptance to MSOE with your social networks = Word of Mouth MarkeJng!


What’s Changed?

•  Website promoJon

•  Event promoJon

•  MarkeJng integraJon

•  Email and social media announcements

Bridge provides MSOE with an integrated channel to interact with prospects, students and faculty with each other

Social Media

Face to Face Phone Web Bridge

Community

CommunicaAon Channels

Conversa0ons & Informa0on

Results to Date

• Business Benefits

•  “The Softer Side”

• Awards and Recognition


Business Value & Results

SOURCE: Jive customer survey, (November 2012)

30% Admissions team producAvity

Admission counselors spent less Ame chasing the student and more Ame interacAng with them increasing producAvity 30%.

Deposit Melt Overall accepted student summer melt decreased by 5% over the last three years.

5%

Electrical engineering saw almost double enrollment 2X Enrollment Numbers

Outbound Call volume

Admission counselors reduced volume by 66% freeing up Ame to interact with prospecAve students in community.

66%

Reached ‘13 applicaAon goal nine months early and acceptance goal five months early. 7000+ registered members and growing!

ApplicaAon and acceptance goal

ApplicaAon turnaround Ame

Admission counselors spent less Ame chasing documents down. We went from months to weeks!

Our retenAon rate from accepted to deposit jumped from 30% to 38% in one year for our Fall 2012 (In a down economy!)

Accepted to Deposit

8%


And there’s more…

ü Deeper insight into MSOE fit per student, did affect stronger matriculaJon rate

ü Made admissions more accessible and convenient by reducing communicaJon and operaJonal fricJon in the process

ü Provided an experience people liked spending Jme with by gegng to know what maters to them and serving those needs

ü Built MSOE brand preference by fostering relaJonships with prospecJve and enrolled students, faculty and alumni

ü Kept MSOE top of mind and relevant with more brand involvement and touch points

ü MulAple Aers of increasing involvement, gamificaAon and "sAckiness" creates smaller commitments that made larger commitment easier


Industry RecogniJon

W3 Best in Show, Silver General Website Categories – School/University Sites

MSOE Ranked #5 out of 10 Most InnovaJve Colleges in the Country

University Standard of Excellence Award

For the first the ever Bridge was cited as non academic differenAator for MSOE

What’s Next


Engaging Students across the ConJnuum

“Owned” Online Community Opportunity?

Facebook LinkedIn

Personally Social

Professionally Social

Academically Social

Student lifecycle continuum



Social Business Conceptual Model Student Lifecycle Process / Context

Awareness / Inquiry ProspecJve Student Student Graduate Alumni

System of Use

Community Website

Systems of Record

High School Teachers, etc Business Partners Faculty and Staff SupporJng

Stakeholders

ERP CRM Desktop and Network Drives Blackboard CMS

+


Result: Connected University

•  Enhanced educaJon delivery via social technologies: campus and online classes •  Desktop, Tablet and Smartphone accessibility •  Integrated with learning management and backoffice •  Facilitated study groups and course collaboraJon •  Live chat, video and unified communicaJons •  InteracJve course materials, events and groups •  Connect students with faculty and their peers

Gegng Started


A few realiJes…

•  Not everyone will parJcipate on the same level.

•  You will need to let go of some of the control.

•  A community is alive. You cannot set up and ignore.

•  It will impact more than your web interface.


Gegng Started

ü  Finalize goals and objecJves

ü  Develop a comprehensive strategy for social media

ü  Establish cross-‐funcJonal steering group to establish execuJve ownership, coordinate acJviJes and manage resources

ü  Pinpoint some quick win opportuniJes in context of overall vision

ü  IdenJfy and track key success measures

Thank you

7summits re-thinking college admissions by embracing social business - eduweb 2013

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