interactive campus map: an essential recruitment tool

The Interactive Campus MapAn Essential Recruitment Tool

Kyle James@KyleJames

CEO @nuCloudFounder @eduGuru

Virtual Tour

• Creating a virtual experience without

actually being there

• Picture, video, audio

Interactive Map vs Virtual Tour

Interactive Map

• Interacting with a user

• Providing a means to give input and

get results

So an interactive map is

always a virtual tour, but a

virtual tour isn’t always an

interactive map.

5 Reasons an Interactive Map is Essential

1. Vital to Recruitment

• USA Today - instructs prospective students to take virtual tours as the #1 step before actually visiting a college.

• Open up the top of your recruitment funnel with a virtual tour of your campus

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/2008-08-13-control-costs-of-college-visits_N.htm

It’s All About Recruitment!

The Prospective Decision Process

Lots of Choices

How to Narrow the List?

Visit Campuses!

You Can’t Visit Every School

Too Expensive & Too Much Time

Most Important Web Features

Data from Noel-Levitz – www.noellevitz.com

Most Used Social Media Resources

Data from Noel-Levitz – www.noellevitz.com

Credible Sources in Decision Process

Data from Hobsons - www.hobsons.com

2. Vital web feature

• A tour is “singlehandedly the most important element” of a college website. --Ron Reis, Co-founder YOUniversity

• Students will “get frustrated very quickly if they can’t get the 10,000-foot view.”--Chris Carson, President CampusTours

How Important is a Virtual Tour?

*Quote from - http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1122

Suite of Killer Web Apps

Interactive Tours

Course Catalogs

Common App

Net Price Calculator

Event Calendar

Online Videos

Blogs

3. Tangible Return on Investment

Establishing ROI

If we can work backwards from the value of a student we can establish the value

of an Interactive Campus Map.

*All numbers are created as examples

Let’s Do Some Math

• Average Years = 3

• Cost Per Year = $20,000

• Average Yearly Discount = $10,000

• Student Value = 3 * ($20,000 - $10,000)

• So a Student is worth$30,000!

Let’s Do Some Math

• Student Value = $30,000

• Conversion Rate in Applicant = 20%

• App Value = $30,000 * .2

• So an Applicant is worth$6,000!

Value Of Campus Tour

Let’s Do Some Math

• Application Value = $6,000

• Conversion Rate of Visits to Applicant = 20%

• Value of Visit = $6,000 * .2

• So Each Student Visit is Worth $1,200!

Drive More Campus Visitors

Interactive Campus Map

Visit Campus

Application

Let’s Do Some Math

• Visit Value = $1,200

• Conversion of Map to Visit = 5%

• Value of a Map View = $1,200 * .05

• So Each Map View is Worth$60!

Do You Think 1,000 People Would View Your

Map In A Month?

Then Having A Map Is Worth $60,000!

Per Month!

ROI Spreadsheet

http://bit.ly/map-roi

4. Important for all external audiences

Alumni

Current Students

Athletic Fans

Event Speakers

Conferences

Campers

Other Events

Prospective Students

5. Everyone else has one already

Research - See what others are doing

Things Not To Do

• Use Flash – it’s inaccessible and creates a maintenance nightmare

• Only images – Include more content than just a map with some photo galleries. Tours need context.

• Ignore updates – Keep building information and imagery fresh. You virtual tour needs the power to entice real visits.

Things Not To Do With A Map

Where Do I Start?

http://www.uky.edu/CampusGuide/

Too Many Options

http://map.emory.edu/

Slow Load Times

http://www.campustours.com/prodfeatures/suffolk/

Confusing

http://www.virtualtour.potsdam.edu/index.php

Questions?

Kyle James@KyleJames

kyle@nucloud.com