Recruitment - Shrinking Resources -

Changing Recruitment Strategies, Increased Efficiency for Greater Enrollment Results

Jeff Kallay, VP Consulting, “Apostle of Authenticity”

NAADA 2010

There is no magic bullet!

6,000 ft.600 ft.

6 ft.

6,000 ft.

The Perfect Storm

High School Graduates.

Questions We’re AskingHow have you prepared for the decline?

Have you prioritized the adult market?

Generational Shift.(students & parents)

GI Generation (’01-’24)Silent Generation (’25-’42)Baby-Boomers (’43-’60)Generation X (’61-’81)Millennials (’82-’00)

Homeland or iGen (2000-current)

Born in 1982

“New Silent Generation”

Boomer Parents GenX Parents

GraduateGraduateGraduateGraduate

CollegeCollegeCollegeCollege

High SchoolHigh SchoolHigh SchoolHigh School

Elementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary School

Questions We’re AskingHave you actively engaged parents?

Have you promoted the ROI?

Are graduate & continuing studies ready?

The Economy.

“Loan crisis goes to college.”CNN Money.com, May 2010

“College loans are the new subprime crisis”New York Times, June 2010

“Credit crisis hits student borrowers.”The Boston Globe, April 2009

46%Colleges with Students Stopping Out

Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, October 2009

22%Enrolling Fewer Returning Students

Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, October 2009

29%Smaller Freshman Classes than Expected

Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, May 2010

Meeting Operating ExpensesThe Common Fund Freezes

Paying Off or Pausing Capital Improvements

Increased Discount Rate

Largest Increase from Employee Benefits

Frozen or Cut Professional Development Expenses

Staff Reduction

Questions We’re AskingWill students go to school closer to home?

Will they “go away” to college?

How will you encourage them to visit?

How is your financial aid strategy adjusting?

Are you prepared to answer cost questions earlier?

How well trained are your recruiters on aid?

Questions We’re AskingAre you in Growth or Retreat Mode?

What is your college/you doing to cut costs?

Will your recruiting staff travel less?

600 ft.

The Shift of Control

The Internet.

Millennials +the Internet =_________ ???

Traditional RecruitingUndergraduate Recruiting in Junior Year

Direct Mail Search Campaigns

Letter Series-Based Communication Plans

Viewbooks, Roadpieces, Department Brochures

Large Open Houses, Info Sessions and Group Tours

High School/Company Visits & College/Graduate Fairs

Where Most Colleges Are Today

Special Thanks to Bob McCullough, Ursinus College

Pew Internet and American Life, 2005

0

25

50

75

100

12-17 18-28 29-40 41-50 51-59 60-69 70+

Send Email Instant Message Research a School Text Message Read Blogs

Generational Online Activity Differences

Email What We Use to Talk to “Old People”

IMSMS

Casual Written Conversations with

Friends

Medium Choices of TeensPew Internet & American Life Project, Teens and Technology, July 2005

ConsumerAttitudes

64%Believe Advertising is “Dishonest” or “Unrealistic”

Consumers 18-65 years old, Ad Age 2009

Marketing Immunity3,000-5,000 Daily Messages

Neurological Blockades

Building Brand RecognitionHasn’t Been Harder

6 ft.

The Recruiting Revolution

The Communication PlanDifferentiation/Disruption

Aversion to Change

The New Communication

Plan.

Undergraduate Trends.

81%Started their College Search Before their Junior Year

Eduventures, 2009

50%PSAT Takers Were in the 10th Grade or Earlier (2% in 8th Grade)

College Board, 2008

19%Started their College Search in Eighth Grade or Earlier!

Eduventures, 2009

>45%First Point of Contact was the Admissions Application

Informal TargetX Survey of Undergraduate Admissions Clients & Noel-Levitz E-Recruiting Practices Report, April 2010

84%Students Spend Researching Colleges Online

Harris Interactive, 2009

84%Use the College’s Website Most Heavily in their Research

Eduventures, 2008

99%Join Facebook Groups Before Arriving on Campus

Amherst College IT Study, 2009

Activity Do WantFinancial Aid Estimator 24% 90%Online Application 22% 86%IM with Counselor 6% 70%Campus Visit Request 25% 84%Tuition Calculator 33% 88%Faculty Profile 26% 69%Student Profile 31% 63%Forwarded Page 34% 63%Online Survey 50% 72%Personalize Site 39% 58%Inquiry Form 72% 73%

Navigating Toward E-Recruitment, Noel-Levitz, Inc.

High School Students: College Website Activity Discrepancies

TakeawayPreference for Electronic Communication

Want Details on Cost and Financial Aid

Desire to Connect with Students and Faculty

Use “New” Communication Tools (Blog & IM)

Recruiting 2.0You are no longer in control of the conversation.

who, when & how

Differentiation& Disruption.

AvailabilityCost

QualityAuthenticity

Quality.No Longer Differentiates

Difficult to Define in Higher Education

Everyone Looks the SameColleges not being true to themselves (inauthentic)

A “me-too” product development philosophy

Leadership not providing clear vision

Stories not Stats.People not Programs.

71%Campus Visit was the Most Trusted Source of Information

Eduventures, 2008

Change Adverse.

Requires a Change in Campus Culture.Starting with the President and Faculty

Retention begins with being authentic in recruiting.

I just wasn't happy with NYU, Spradlin says as she sits in a coffee shop after a morning of classes. Despite the fact that

they don't have a campus, they said “we make up for it; we're still a community; you see students all the time.”

And I really didn't get that.

I'd go out on the weekends, and I'd be with 30-year-old men at the bars that knew college girls were going to be

there and stuff, and it just wasn't very appealing.

Miranda Spradlin, NYU Student

SuggestionsPower yourself with data & research

Talk to students - they’ll tell you

Trust your gut instinct

Calculate the ROI (when possible)

Ignore your competition - be who you are

Students Speak!

“Don’t Flirt With Me”Study done for SACAC 2008 Presentation

Traditional Age College Bound Seniors

“Textbook” Millennials

View complete surveyhttp://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=Ch5WwvVEeaFp6_2b4urrcwWX3lBqPchoZ_2bCOVpZfQXtWU_3d

Password: SACAC

“Most colleges gave too much of a glossy image of themselves. The end result is that they all come to look

inherently the same.”

“When schools over advertise, there must be

something wrong.”

“Be real, honest and straightforward.”

“Bulk and mass-mailing are offensive. Personalize -

it’s about me, not you.”

“You look desperate for a date - chill out!”

“You’re hurting by flirting so much.”

“If I’m not a candidate, leave me alone.”

“Reply to my requests more quickly.”

“Hard to navigate”“Outdated or

unprofessional”“Too busy or confusing”

“Too basic”“Too many links”

Flip the Funnel

“The funnel has outlived its usefulness as a metaphor” (because people learn

from each other now). -Groundswell

“The funnel” assumes that colleges and universities control the information

students use to make decisions

Participate

(It’s the Participation Age)

-Word of Mouth

-Word of Mouse

Participate

(It’s the Participation Age) Listen and Observe

Be Transparent

Give up Some Control

Participate Yourself

Word of Mouth

Text

Art & Science Group

Word of Mouth

Text

“Word of Mouse”

"Right now, your customers are writing about your products on blogs and recutting your

commercials on YouTube.

They're defining you on Wikipedia and ganging up on you in social networking sites like Facebook.

These are all elements of a social phenomenon -- thegroundswell -- that has created a permanent, long-

lasting shift in the way the world works.

Most companies see it as a threat. You can see it as an opportunity."

Quote

Quote

Facebook Will Rule the Web“So, yes, Facebook is slowly devouring the web. And while the social network has plenty of critics and it runs into the occasional privacy concerns, it will dominate. In fact, I see it becoming the No. 1 website in the world in less than three years.What does this mean? Websites will become less important over time. They will be primarily transactional and/or utilitarian. Brands will shift more of their dollars and resources to creating a robust presence where people already are and figure out how to use them to build relationships. Media companies will do the same -- they will be increasingly "headless”.Get ready for a new web. It's big, it's blue, and it's social.”

Read the Ad Age Article

June 7 Bloomberg Businessweek

“In the era of social media, people use technologies to get what they need from each

other, not traditional institutions.”

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies , 2008, Harvard UPCharlene Li & Josh Bernoff

What are you doing to facilitate that process?

“Social media describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share content, opinions, insights, experiences,

perspectives and media themselves.”

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spoiler Alert:Social Media is not about

technology.

It’s about people’s desire to connect with each other.

Final Thoughts.

Today the most important conversation

is not the marketing monologue but

the dialogue between your audience.

Rethink the BudgetDistribution Print vs. Web, On-Campus vs. Off

Stop the “have to” Activities (hint: start with travel)

Avoid the many online marketing fads - calc ROI!

Focus on what WILL work - Not what ALWAYS worked

Doesn’t necessarily mean additional funding

Start EarlierBrand Recognition Begins in Freshman Year

College Search Starts in Sophomore Year

Short List is Made Before Junior Year

Enhance Junior Year Recruiting Activities

Let go.Remember, you’re not in control.

Remember, they don’t trust marketers.

Remember, they are talking about you anyways.

Remember, they want to figure out the truth.

Remember, their parents are talking about you too.

Change Now.Differentiate or Die.

Bury the competition. Stop being nice.Know what you do best. Outsource the rest.

Plan for the worst. Question everything.Take charge. Lead. Do not follow.

All hands on deck.

Change AgentsDon’t lead change because it makes sense.

Lead change because you believe youmust get ahead of an approaching“discontinuity” in order to survive.

Jack and Suzy Welch, BusinessWeek, October 2008

Jeff’s Bookshelf

Want More? Read Our Blogs:

TargetX Blog at www.targetx.com/ithink/

Free on Friday Webcasts

Free On Friday Webcasts Watch Past Webcasts

Download Session PDF#1 Go to www.targetx.com

click iThink Blogclick Slide Presentations

#2 Go to www.slideshare.net/targetx

#3 Look for email with link

Recruitment - Shrinking Resources -

Changing Recruitment Strategies, Increased Efficiency for Greater Enrollment Results

Jeff Kallay, VP Consulting, “Apostle of Authenticity”

NAADA 2010