empowering your students to tell your story - nacac 2012

F12: Effective Enrollment Marketing

Empowering Your Students to Tell Your Story

Ashley Hennigan, Rochester Institute of Technology, NYBrian Apfel, Marist College, NY

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What does marketing look like in 2012?

• The market demands access to information

• They dictate when and where it is delivered

It’s on their terms.

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What does marketing look like in 2012?

• With a huge increase in mobile consumption

– 50.4% of Americans own a smart phone – Nielsen, May 2012

– Mobile traffic up 133% in 2011 (110% projected)– Cisco, Feb 2012

It’s digital

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What does marketing look like in 2012?

• Social

• Mobile

• On-demand

Your content should be…

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Social, Mobile, On-demand

• Reach market influencers

• Deliver timely information

• Provide customer service

• Build community

• Foster loyalty

• Encourage advocacy

Why go social?

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Goals before ____ !

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Goals before tools!

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How do you define social media?

• Wikipedia

– Social media includes web-based and mobile based technologies which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities, and individuals.

• Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein

– “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.” Social media is ubiquitously accessible, and enabled by scalable communication techniques.

Two definitions

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Why pick on students?

• Peer reviews

• Word of mouth

• Predictability

• Noel-Levitz: “The Communication Expectations of College-Bound High School Students” 2012

Admissions, in practice, has an emphasis on fit, while the market demands authenticity.

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How do you recruit the best?

These are not volunteers.

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How do you recruit the best?

These are not volunteers.These are rock stars.

Assist us in our efforts to recruit more talented students like yourself.

If selected, you will act as a Marist student body representative. …an opportunity to enhance your networking and communication skills and establish yourself as a leader within the Marist community.

From the Marist invite letter:

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Why pick on students?

• Tour Guides

• Orientation Assistants

• Resident Advisors

• Peer Mentors

• Next up are – Social Media Ambassadors

You already have rock stars.

#admsocial

Program Structures

• Analysis

– How will you calculate ROI?

Ask these questions

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Program Structures

• Size

– Will your be highly selective?

– Or the more, the merrier?

Ask these questions

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Program Structures

• Reporting

– Who will students report to?

– How often will you meet?

Ask these questions

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Program Structures

• Resources

– What platforms will you target?

– What tools are you going to use?

– Will you need funding?

– Will you offer incentives?

Ask these questions

#admsocial

Motivating Your Team

• Embrace brand and mission

• Set goals that influence ROI

• Hold students accountable

Student have an impact on institutional goals.

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Motivating Your Team

• Professional growth

• Community

Impact on student goals

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Motivating Your Team

• Pay

• Competitions

• Event tickets

• Access to information

Incentives

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Student Survey: Why volunteer?

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When to Launch

“If you build it, they will come.”

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Our Examples

Video was the #1 trend in Higher Ed in 2011.

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What’s Next?

• Resources: bit.ly/admsocial

• Share! “Admissions Social” on Facebook

• #admsocial on twitter

• Start small, think BIG

• Plan. Execute. Evaluate.

• Rinse. Repeat.

Get inspired!

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Thank you!

Have questions?@ashleyhenn@brianapfel

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