Transcript
NO MONEY? NO PROBLEM
USING WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO ENGAGE STUDENTS AND GROW ENROLLMENT
Matthew Painter
MBA Program Director, Texas State University
TXGAP Conference, UNT-Dallas
July 26, 2013
THE DISCONNECT
“We want you to increase applications
and enrollment!”
“Great. What about our budget?”
“Here, take some more branded pens!”
PRIVATE-SECTOR TAKEAWAYS
• Really good marketing isn’t necessarily
expensive
• People love to talk (and you can leverage
that)
• Word-of-mouth marketing is powerful,
free, and not a random phenomenon
• Social media is a tool, not a universe
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7 THINGS YOU CAN DO IN THE NEXT
30 DAYS TO INCREASE APPLICATIONS,
RETAIN CURRENT STUDENTS AND
LOOK LIKE A ROCK STAR IN THE
PROCESS
1. IDENTIFY YOUR TALKERS
• Alumni
• Current students
• Employees
• Industry leaders
• Advisory board members
• Brand evangelists
• Excited prospective students
2. LISTEN
EVERY GOOD CONVERSATION STARTS WITH GOOD LISTENING
Online• Facebook
• Blogs
• Google Alerts
Live• Alumni events
• Advisory boards
• Community functions
• Industry conferences & publications
3. HAVE A CONVERSATION
"It used to be about who shouted the loudest. The title with the biggest marketing spend tended to get the biggest audience.”
“[But] now it's about conversations between developers and players and, more importantly, between the players themselves.”
Lee Schuneman, Studio Head
Microsoft - Lift London Studios
Remember:
The conversation about your university, college or program is going to take place whether you participate or not.
4. IT’S NOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
it’s SOCIAL media
not social MEDIA
5. FEED YOUR TALKERS
• Relevant, free, portable content makes your talkers look smart. Replace your marketing boilerplate with useful information.
• Swag is good, but don’t just brand- provide conversation starters
• Make your best talkers into VIPs: Loyalty and word-of-mouth will ensue!
• Fantastic customer service is worth talking about
6. NEGATIVE COMMENTS ARE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SHINE
• You will never have 100% positive feedback, so don’t expect it
• Don’t respond like a corporate attorney
• Recognize the mistake
• Offer to fix it
• Thank them for pointing it out
• Remember you aren’t just replying to one person in a public forum: you are replying to everyone that will ever read the interaction
• You don’t need to win
• An over-the-top, amazing response is incredibly valuable
7. BE HUMAN. HAVE FUN. IT SHOCKS PEOPLE.
© Hugh MacLeod
www.gapingvoid.com
1. Identify your talkers
- They are your best marketers.
2. Listen
- Just like at a dinner party, if you aren’t listening
you won’t contribute much to the conversation.
3. Have a conversation
- Don’t yell. Don’t observe. Talk with people.
4. Recognize that technology is a means to an end
- Don’t get distracted or intimidated by the tools.
SUMMARY: THE 7 THINGS YOU CAN START DOING NEXT WEEK
5. Feed your talkers
- Be worth talking about, and make it easy for them
to have the conversation.
6. Negative feedback happens
- Respond. And respond in a way that disarms your
detractor and impresses your fans.
7. Have fun. Be human. Don’t talk like a robot.
- Students and prospective students expect
university-speak. Shock them by being friendly,
helpful and normal.
SUMMARY: THE 7 THINGS YOU CAN START DOING NEXT WEEK
THANK YOU!
Matthew PainterMBA Program DirectorTexas State University512-245-3591mpainter@txstate.edu
Web: McCoyMBA.com
Facebook: facebook.com/McCoyMBA
Twitter: twitter.com/McCoyMBA
Blog: McCoyMBA.wordpress.com
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