1. Recruitment Communication in a World of Electronic Contacts 2008 Robert E. Johnson, Ph.D. ACT State Organization, Ohio 2009 Annual Conference January 27-28, 2009 Columbus, Ohio

2. Recruitment communication funding Doesnt yet reflect communication preferences of potential students 3. Online financial resources are limited

Budget split between print and web:

• 24% on print vs. 11% on Website and other electronic formats

• • • Maguire Associates, 2008 Senior Admissions and Enrollment Officers survey

4. A missing element in the plan:My son was really angry in 2007 South Dakota State University administrator

Most schools dont give real cost information online to students and parents

• Virtual financial aid estimator

• • 15% of publics and 21% of privates

• Tuition calculator

• • 22% of publics and 15% of privates

• • • Noel-Levitz 2008 recruitment practices survey

Price information is of high interest

• 80% would use a financial aid estimator if they could

• 76% would use a tuition cost calculator if they could

• • • Noel-Levitz 2007 student expectations survey

5. Todays communication environment More students prefer online communication Print consumes far more resources than online More students stay in stealth mode longer 6. Can an online communication plan reduce stealth applicants? Create benefits for those who hide If you identify yourself, we will do something special for you 7. Meeting 2 challenges from the start How to communicate online during a recruitment cycle as long as 3 yearsHow to convert people from stealth mode to known inquiries 8. At the first and early visits.

3 important goals:

Create initial engagement in 3 to10 seconds

Return for another visit

Leave stealth mode as soon as possible

9. Make a strong brand impact, immediately http://www.uconn.edu/

Most front pages make no immediate statement about a particular school

If a brand statement is used at all, it is usually small and difficult to see among the other content

Students dont look for a brand statement

If you have a point of pride, act like it

10. Blog content right from the start http://www.mitadmissions.org/

MIT admissions page

• Blog series is featured content

• Students and admissions staff

• Includes a blog by the financial aid director

MIT introduces people first

11. Easy access to academic programs http://www.dickinson.edu/academics/programs.html

The stronger the student, the more they will want to find the academic programs offered

At this point, give them titles rather than text about the titles

This Dickinson version lets visitors get information about several programs at the same time

12. Carewords that engage visitors http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/emba/index.cfm

Carewords to motivate visitors in 2 to 5 seconds

• Advance Your Career

• Home Work School Balance

Ask your future students what words and phrases are important to them

Use the words on your website

Build content behind the words

13. FAQs that live and breath in video http://admissions.richmond.edu/faq/ 14. Campus tours to introduce your students http://www.realviewtv.com/online/agnesscott/index.html http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/tour/ 15. Offer a benefit for an online inquiry Give a reason to reveal identity Make it easy to become an online inquiry to get the benefit 16. Short inquiry forms encourage action http://www.blueoxmailbox.com/Display/40/126/100/RequestMoreInfo.html

Direct marketers know that the longer the form, the fewer people will complete it

Resist the impulse to conduct a demographic survey

Ask only what is needed to send requested information

• No ACT or SAT

• No GPA

• No high school code

17. Real talk about financial aid and cost http://www.muhlenberg.edu/admissions/aid.html

The cost of college is important to most families

Colleges do a poor job of explaining how financial aid works

Muhlenberg College tells the real story of how aid is awarded

But they dont offer an opportunity for individual information

18. Followed by an individual estimate http://www.financialaid.utoledo.edu/estimator/ 19. Other cost-related examples 20. 8 tips for an admissions essay http://www.colby.edu/news_events/feeds/feed-item.cfm?feedname=Behind%20the%20Decision&postid=1347073 21. Add a quarterly online magazine http://magazine.uchicago.edu/

Start sending whenever an inquiry is made, continue until declined

Track interest in stories included in the magazine as ongoing research to future content

Include links to main website

Add a blog for readers

22. After an online inquiry Regular contact is critical At least once a month 23. ViewbookOnline, interactive, video http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/viewbook/index1.html

Sound and video

Not just a message from the dean

Students tell stories about their experience

Faculty are highlighted

Alumni are included

Visible link to application

24. Integrating website and social networks

Boundaries between official websites and the social network world are eroding

Plan a pro-active approach to this change and develop two-way passages between each world for contacts useful throughout the recruitment cycle

25. Engaging on Facebook & MySpace http://www.facebook.com/osu 26. A note on email impact today

Email remains highly popular if the content in the email is of interest to the person receiving it.

• Send email after a person makes an inquiry

• • Tell them you are going to do it and how often you will do it

• Always include links in email to online content

• • Your own website

• • Social networking sites with content about you

• Set analytics software to measure popularity of topics you include in your email

• Adjust email content based in part on analytics measurement results

27. Consistent, frequent email contact May 2006January 2008 28. Focus the email to work for you

Email does more than send facts to inquiry pool

Every Colgate email links to student blogs

Every email links to other website locations

• December included videos of recent campus events

Email includes Send to a friend link and opportunity to subscribe

29. Final conversion steps Personal IM & text contacts Telephone contact Special website features 30. IM, text messaging, telephone http://www.mckendree.edu/prospective/admissions/IM_the_admission_staff.aspx

Ask permission

Always a good idea to offer options

• Phone

• IM

Communicate as needed by admitted students

Reserve for admitted students if capacity requires that

31. Online enrollment deposit http://www.admissions.umich.edu/admitted/edr/ 32. Orientation info for students & parents 33. Selecting a roommate online http://tulane.roommateclick.com/index.asp 34. The summary 35. Repeating 7 key elements

More people prefer online communications

Technology is changing and requires new resources to adapt communication plans

Special customer-centric features increase initial engagement

Create benefits for stealth explorers to register

Plan frequent online follow-up

Video plays a more important role

Use analytics to measure success and make changes to what isnt working

36. Useful sources of information 37. 3 industry specific research reports

Interactive Marketing Channels to Watch in 2008

• http://www.enrollmentmarketing.org/highereducation/2008/02/interactive-mar.html

• Reviews enrollment management attitudes and concerns about adopting new technologies and outlines steps to a new strategy.

2008 E-Recruiting Practices report

• https://www.noellevitz.com

• Reports survey responses on recruitment practices and budgets.

• Also read the related 2007 report on what students prefer online.

Senior Admissions and Enrollment Officers: Experiences and Attitudes

• http:// www.maguireassoc.com/resource/archives_papers.html

• Survey reporting major pressures faced by enrollment leaders, including resources for new technologies

38. For general background http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/247/report_display.asp

Writing, Technology and Teens

Teens and Social Media

39. Thank You! Bob Johnson, Ph.D. President and Senior Consultant Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 226 Chauncey Court Marshall, MI 49068248.766.6425[email_address] Customer Carewords Research for Online Marketing Success:http://www.bobjohnsonconsulting.com/customercarewords.html