putting a face to cyber space

Putting a Face to CyberspaceEvolving your recruitment marketing practices

UCPEA Northeast Regional Conference

Ogunquit, ME / 10.28.10

Todd Gibby, CEO, Intelliworks, Inc.

email: todd.gibby@intelliworks.com

twitter: @tgibby

WWW.INTELLIWORKS.COM

Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield SignalAnalyze

Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield SignalAnalyze

Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield SignalAnalyze

Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield SignalAnalyze

Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield SignalAnalyze

Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield SignalAnalyze

Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield SignalAnalyze

EVOLUTION

Economic Trends

Demographic Trends

Consumer Trends

Technology Trends

• 7 percent of babies have an email address

• 92 percent of toddlers have an online presences

Source: AVG Internet Security Study, October 2010

EVOLVING CONSUMERS

“As a consumer's online tenure increases, so does the likelihood that he or she will research and apply online. And as online tenure increases, consumers are more apt to research exclusively online.”

– Forrester Research

EVOLVING COMMUNICATIONS

“If we are driving them there, should we then question where they currently are and how we can push content to them?

It seems that in our strategies, we are building a pull-environment for a push-customer...”

-Mark Hoetning, CIO, Arkansas State University (via EDUCAUSE Listserv)

The Facebook Experience

1. Login

2. Browse the “News Feed”

3. Randomly browse the site

4. Log off

?

University

Presence

The Facebook Experience

1. Login

2. Browse the “News Feed”

3. Randomly browse the site

4. Log off

University

Presence

EVOLUTION OF RECRUITMENT MARKETING

Finding and Getting Found

FacilitatingConversations

Conversation to Conversion:Signal vs. Noise

Evolving Your Practices

Putting a Face to Cyberspace

Evolving to meet student expectations

Clarifying strategic approach

Setting & measuring benchmarks for success

THE DECK ISSTACKED, RIGHT?

FAVORABLE TRENDS

• DEMAND: Less than 16% of those enrolled in higher education are “traditional” age college students (18-22)

• DELIVERY: Availability of online and hybrid programs makes these programs more accessible than ever before

• VALUE: Even in a recession, people are better off with an education than without

• COMPETITION: Increasing cost and scrutiny of for-profit educators have made not-for-profit adult education providers even more appealing

BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN…

UNCERTAIN LANDSCAPE

Americans are growing more educated, but progress appears to be slowing among younger adults.

While the share of U.S. adults holding a four-year college degree rose from 24 percent to 28 percent from 2000 to 2008, a lower share of 25 to 34 year-olds than 35 to 44 year-olds held a four-year college degree in 2008, a reversal from the pattern in 2000. Nearly a quarter of those younger adults have completed some college, but not a degree.

Source: Brookings Institutions, Report on Education Attainment, July 2010

MANAGING INTERACTIONS

I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.

- Wayne Gretzky

• WEB: 92 percent said that they would be disappointed with a school or remove it entirely from their lists if they didn’t find the information they needed on the school’s Web site.

• SOCIAL MEDIA: 76 percent of students supported schools creating their own private social networks for prospective students.

• MOBILE: 23 percent of respondents reported searching college sites from their smart phones.

EXPECTATIONS ARE CHANGING…

Source: Noel-Levitz, “Focusing Your E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of College-Bound Students,” August 2010

NOT JUST THE “KIDS”

Source: Community College Student Engagement Survey, June 2009

• ECONOMY: 46 percent claimed that the current economic crisis had caused them to reconsider the schools they would apply to or attend—an increase from 34 percent just last year.

AND…ALL ARE MUCH MORE DISCERNING

Source: Noel-Levitz, “Focusing Your E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of College-Bound Students,” August 2010

Putting a Face to Cyberspace

Evolving to meet student expectations

Clarifying strategic approach

Setting and measuring benchmarks for success

You will fail without a strategy.

STRATEGY STARTS WITH YOUR CUSTOMER

STRATEGY STARTS WITH YOUR CUSTOMER

• WHAT: What is their program / degree of interest?

• HOW: What is their preferred format of course delivery?

• WHY: What are their motivations?

• HOW WELL: How would they calculate a ROI?

• WHERE: Where do I find them…or let them find me?

DEGREE OF INTEREST

Source: Stamats, AdultS tudents Talk Survey 2010

COURSE FORMAT

Source: Stamats, AdultS tudents Talk Survey 2010

27% 30%

43%

Online On Campus Hybrid

COURSE FORMAT

Source: Intelliworks Poll, October 2010 n=214

COURSE FORMAT BY AGE

Source: Intelliworks Poll, October 2010 n=214

7%16%

30%

60%54% 40%

22%

30%

39% 44% 48%

20%

18-24 25-34 35-54 55+

Online On Campus Hybrid

FIGURE OUT WHAT MOTIVATES THEM…

52%

12%

28%

6%

2%

Career Advancement

Earn More Money

Personal Enrichment

Change Careers

Other

STUDENT MOTIVATIONS: WHAT THEY WANT

Student Motivations

Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, October 2009 (n = 355)

HOW IS YOUR INSTITUTION PROVING ITS WORTH?

Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, October 2009 (n = 100)

15%

20%

33%

6%

18%

Increased Earnings/Salary

Improved Job Placement

Reached Personal Goals

Advanced to Higher Degree

Do Not Track

How Institutions Prove ROI

WHY DO MOTIVATIONS MATTER?

DEVELOPING PERSONAS

Why are they here?2

What keeps them up at night?3

How can you solve their problem?4

What do you want them to do?5

How can you best reach them?6

How might they resist?7

What are they like?1

© duarte.com 2008

THINKING INHUMAN TERMSThe Doubting Thomas

He went straight to work after high schooland now he’s looking to get ahead in his career. He’d like to go back and earn his degree, but just got promoted and doesn’t want to leave his job.

THINKING INHUMAN TERMSMs. “Too Cool for Your School”

She’s weighing her options. You offer everything she’s looking for in an arthistory program, but she’s never heardof your school. And neither have herfriends.

THINKING INHUMAN TERMSMr. “Show Me The Money”

His division II football career may be over, but he never lost his passion for sports.He’s having a hard time breaking into the industry though, and thinks an MBAin Sports Marketing might get him backin action.

WHY?• Understand their decision-making process.

• Understand their communication style.

• Discover pain points/barriers to enrollment.

• Validate or deny your assumptions and avoid stereotypes.

THINKING INHUMAN TERMSThe Idea Man

He’s spent the last 25 years running his own company, and is ready to retire, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to stop. Many assume he’s against online education due to his age, but in fact he’d rather affluent professionals like him may preferto learn at their own pace while enjoying their golden years.

THEN FIGURE OUTWHERE / HOW TO FIND THEM.

PREFERRED COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS

Q: Would you want to receive information about a college or university via __________________?

825 26

4 16

9275 74

96 84

Text Message Email Facebook Telephone Postal Mail

Yes No

Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, January 2010 (n=100)

“If you want to grab someone's attention, you first need to get his or her permission with some kind of bait…Once a customer volunteers his or her time, you're on your way to establishing a long-term relationship and making a sale.”

– Seth Godin, Author, Permission Marketing

Source: XKCD.com

“97% of students begin their search online. “ (Source: Stamats)

0 20 40 60 80 100

Online Application

Campus visit form

Cost calculator

Online course catalog

RSS feeds

Personlization

Virtual Tours

A lot of value

Extreme value

WEBSITE FEATURES THAT MATTER

Source: Noel-Levitz, August 2010

DEFINING YOUR STRATEGY: WHAT REALLY MATTERS

• WHAT: What is their program / degree of interest?

• HOW: What is their preferred format of course delivery?

• WHY: What are their motivations?

• HOW WELL: How would they calculate a ROI?

• WHERE: Where do I find them…or let them find me?

Enrolled Student

Application / Enrollment

Engagement

Education

WHAT YOU SEE HAPPENING

Enrolled Student

Application /

Enrollment

Engagement

Education

Enrolled Student

Application /

Enrollment

Engagement

Education

Enrolled Student

Application /

Enrollment

Engagement

Education

Enrolled Student

Application /

Enrollment

Engagement

Education

Enrolled Student

Application /

Enrollment

Engagement

Education

Enrolled Student

Application /

Enrollment

Engagement

Education

WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING

Putting a Face to Cyberspace

Evolving to meet student expectations

Clarifying strategic approach

Setting and measuring benchmarks for success

MORE

Awareness

Inquiry

Follow Up

Engagement

Qualification

Application

Enrollment

Retention

Admissions

MORE

GOT

S.M.A.T.?

Growth

Quality

Intelligence

Efficiency

DO THESE LOOK FAMILIAR?

• Goals

– Growth: Increase Enrollment

– Efficiency: Improve Staff Productivity

– Quality: Enhance Effectiveness of Student Contact

– Intelligence: Control Data Sharing

SURVEY SAYS!

Source: Intelliworks Email Poll of UCEA/Eduventures Members, April 2010

Growth

Quality

Intelligence

Efficiency

GROWTH• Increase inquiries,

applications, enrollments, etc.

• Raise awareness of your program in the market

• Expand the diversity of your offerings

Growth

Quality

Intelligence

Efficiency

GROWTH• Increase inquiries,

applications, enrollments, etc.

• Raise awareness of your program in the market

• Expand the diversity of your offerings

Growth

Quality

Intelligence

Efficiency

EFFICIENCY• Reduce the number of clicks it

takes to complete an application

• Improve your inquiry response time

• Automate workflow and communications

Growth

Quality

Intelligence

Efficiency

QUALITY• Attract more qualified

students or attract the right students for your program

• Differentiate your program from the competition

• Improve customer experience

Growth

Quality

Intelligence

Efficiency

INTELLIGENCE• Year-over-year comparisons

of your key metrics

• Responses to your marketing messages (opens/click throughs, etc.)

• Engagement of your community

• Goal– Supplement database with quality leads– Purchased Lists: Lower cost, raise results– Calculate and track marketing ROI

• Tactics– Drive search traffic to online inquiry forms– Capture lead source data– Send TARGETED email campaigns to opt-ins

• Results – NO LISTS PURCHASED– Over 30,000 Inquiries in 6 months– Visibility to Recruiter Activities– Marketing Dollar Spend Analysis– Built In Analytics = Real Time Access To Data

HELP THEM FIND YOU

FOLLOW THE THREE C’s

• Coordinated

• Consistent

• Compelling

FIU BUSINESS: UNCOMMON THINKERS

• Applicants up more than 50% over 3 years

• Admits up more than 60% over 3 years

• Enrolled up nearly 75% over 3 years

But, also..

• Info Session Attendance up more than 200% over 3 years

• RSVP / $ and LinkedIn

THE KEYS TO SUCCESS

1. Know your students

2. Hire good communicators

3. Build “hoop-less” admissions / financial aid processes

4. Take a proactive approach to student advising

5. Automate routine communications

6. Hire faculty suited to online teaching

7. Set and maintain high standards for student/faculty communication

8. Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate

9. Check your program’s vital signs regularly

10. Use cross-functional teams to develop enhancements and improvements

Source: American Public University System and Intelliworks

MEASUREMENT, ANALYSIS& IMPROVEMENT

Awareness

Inquiry

Follow Up

Engagement

Qualification

Application

Enrollment

Retention

Admissions

Completion

TREAT DIFFERENT STUDENTS DIFFERENTLY

• Strategic Objectives– Custom design of communications plan;

points of contact based on individual student characteristics and individual program marketing plan.

– Automated yet personalized communications.

BREAK DOWN SILOS

• Consolidate Information– Provide a central location to share and

collaborate on prospect data.

– Share goals and reports across the organization.

– Transfer knowledge from one person to another.

– Eliminate error from manual calculations and various data management issues.

• Establish benchmarks

– Student Inquiries

– Web site Traffic

– Event Attendees

– Applicants

MEASURE THE BASICS

Growth

Quality

Intelligence

Efficiency

Putting a Face to Cyberspace

Evolving to meet student expectations

Clarifying strategic approach

Setting & measuring benchmarks for success

EVOLUTION

Economic Trends

Demographic Trends

Consumer Trends

Technology Trends

RESOURCES

• Higher Education and Social Media

– http://www.intelliworks.com/blog

– http://www.ustream.tv/user/intelliworks/videos

– http://www.slideshare.net/intelliworks

• Creating Marketing Personas

– http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1799477031032190172&hl=en#

– http://technomarketer.typepad.com/technomarketer/2008/04/developing-pers.html

• Marketing Charts

– http://www.marketingcharts.com

• Cartoons

– http://www.tomfishburne.com/

– http://www.xkcd.com

THE END.

Todd Gibby, CEO, Intelliworks, Inc.

email: todd.gibby@intelliworks.com

twitter: @tgibby

WWW.INTELLIWORKS.COM