CIVSA Boston

What Makes A Visit An Experience?

CIVSA 2009Jeff Kallay, The Experience Evangelist @targetx.com

Let’s Manage Expectations- Much to cover in short time - I strive to overwhelm- “Big Picture” thinking - it’s about change- Experience Economy 101- Ten Steps that make it a visit experience- Keep it real and render authenticity- Become your campus’ Experience Evangelist and conduct a mini-audit of your visit experience- Compare your lows and highs (worst & best practices)- Educate your campus about the importance of the visit- Questions and Answers

Assignment1. What “grade” (A-F) would you give your tour/visit?

2. Brand AnalogyIf your college or university was a CarRestaurant Retail(any brand)which would it be?

The college visit - does it do any good?

The college visit - does it do any good?

SFO Article: The college visit - does it do any good? Read Jeff's blog post

Campus Tour Pranks

Watch more tour prank videos

Greatest College Prank Ever

Watch more tour prank videos

Welcome to the Experience Economy

Pine & Gilmore

The Experience Economy 101

Agrarian

Industrial

Service / Info

Experiences

Text

Theo

ry of

Econ

omic

Prog

ressio

nTextTextText

Experience marketing is about:

1. Repelling commodization 2. Charging a premium price3. Persuading consumers to pay when they never did before4. Selling “Memories”

Experiences = Memories

Experiences = Memories

Beyond Goods & Services

Remember, “The experience is the marketing.”

Arts & Science Group Student Poll 2004

Arts and Science Group

The experience is higher education marketing

Eduventures 2007 Survey of 7,867 High school junior and seniors.Reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education “Prospective Students Rely on Campus Visits and Web Sites to Learn About Colleges, Report Says”

- 84% use the web most heavily in researching colleges- 71% say the campus visit is the most trusted source of information

10Ten Steps that make the difference between

a tour and an experience

1. Integrate the four E’sHigher Education is the experience economy: 4 E’s

Entertainment Education

Esthetic Escape

Strategic Horizons, LLP

Absorption

Immersion

Active ParticipationPassive Participation

2. Craft a mini campus experience

- Customize the Experience We all want what we want - accommodate the various levels of interest of guests to your campus

- Eliminate negative cues - Accent positive cues- Look for missed cues

Elon University

2. Craft a mini campus experience - Engage ALL the senses“83% of marketing appeals to sight, leaving a paltry 17% to the other senses. Surprisingly, smell is the second most important sense after sight, and not sound. In fact, 75% of all emotional connections are based on smell.”

Adweek review of Brand Sense

Centre College The Ohio State University

2. Craft a mini campus experience

- Mix in the memorabilia - “ticket stub”

California Lutheran University

3. Set the expectation

- Before guests arrive (online, email, & mail) - Explain route (will and won’t be seen)

Map courtesy of Lenoir-Rhyne College and Sketches

4. Spend no money - Engage the “sense of the butt”

Millsaps College Albright College

Hampshire College Saint Joseph’s University

5. Tell stories not statistics - Stories render authenticity

Hendrix College

Albright CollegeLenoir-Rhyne College

6. Reveal your school’s nomenclature

7. Keep it real - do what’s authentic to your campus and experience

Millsaps College California Lutheran University

8. Do you have a signature moment?Albright CollegeCerritos Public Library

Millsaps College

Westmont College

Hampshire College

Ursuline College

9. Mystery shop your tour (and your competitors)

The Ohio State University

10. Top Ten Tidbits for Tour Guides

The Most Important Employee on Your Campus

10. Top Ten Tidbits for Tour Guides1. Interact as if you’re giving your sibling a tour

2. Answer questions honestly and directly, but remind them it’s your perspective

3. Watch your pronouns - “We” is exclusive, “You’ll “is inclusive

4. Tell stories - yours and your friends’

5. When you walk backwards they look at you, not the campus

6. If you feel negatively about any other school - don’t name names

7. “Tour guides” is boring - you’re bright, come up with a memorable name

8. Find connections with your audience and ask open-ended questions

9. Is asking “Do you have any more questions?” the best way to end a tour?

10. Have Fun! Don’t be a TOURBOT!

Conduct a mini-audit of visit experience

1. Register for the tour2. Grab your camera and note pad3. Drive from highway to campus

4. Was there plenty of parking and wayfinding?5. What first impression does your admissions office

or visitor center make?6. What are the restrooms like?

Steps to take

7. Was the tour route and things shown authentic to your actual student experience? Was it real?

9. Was the tour guide personable, engage and told great stories? Did they walk backwards?

10. How did you “feel” when it was done?

Now write it all into a brief report and share.

Steps to take

Look for the lows

Expectations Not Managed- Difficult to find “Visit” information on websites “How many clicks?”- No email, phone, or mail confirmation- Not fully explaining how long to be on campus and what all a visit entails- Just kind of sit and wait in office or visitor’s center

There’s better parking in Hell- No visitor parking- Not enough visitor parking- No wayfinding signage- Country Mile from Admissions

Am I in a Doctor’s office?- Or a funeral parlor?- Dark, depressing Admissions Offices or Visitor’s Centers- Harsh fluorescent lighting- Chairs around the walls or crowded- No music, computers, or refreshments- Nothing you want to read or look at

Am I in a Doctor’s office?

Negative Cues

Stinky Bathrooms

Negative Cues

Negative Cues

Model Rooms That Aren’t

Tours That Are Too Large

Tours That Are Too Large

Tours That Are Too Large

Tours That Are Too Large

Tours That Are Too Large

Tours That Are Too Large

Disengaged Tour Guides

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avYUL1A-WUM

Look for the highs

Expectations Managed- Easy to find “Visit” information on websites “1-2 clicks?”- Email, phone, or mail confirmation- Explaining how long to be on campus and what all a visit entails- Engaging pre-tour experience in office

It’s like parking in Heaven- Easy to find visitor parking- Tons of visitor parking- Wayfinding signage - Close to Admissions

Occidental Occidental

Southern New Hampshire

I’m not at the Doctor’s office!- Authentic look and feel- Bright, comfortable Admissions Offices or Visitor’s Centers- Indirect and pendant lighting- Furniture clustered in groups- Music, computers, refreshments- Stuff you want to read or look at

Not a Doctor’s office!

Albright College

Not a Doctor’s office!

West Virginia University

Not a Doctor’s office!

Troy University

Not a Doctor’s office!

American University

Not a Doctor’s office!Eckerd

Birmingham-Southern College

Not a Doctor’s office!Eckerd

Birmingham-Southern College

Not a Doctor’s office!

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Not a Doctor’s office!

Hobart and William Smith

Northern Kentucky University

Not a Doctor’s office!Hobart and William Smith

Hobart and William Smith

See more at: http://picasaweb.google.com/ExperienceEvangelistCollegeAdmissionAndVisitorCenterImages

Aesthetic/Esthetic

Hobart and William Smith

Transylvania University

Award Winning Bathrooms

Birmingham-Southern College

University of Delaware

Aesthetic/Esthetic

Hobart and William Smith

Assumption College

Stories & Storytelling

Hobart and William Smith Saint Edward’s University

Stories & Storytelling

Hobart and William Smith

Hobart and William Smith Hobart and William Smith

Engaging Tour Guides, Memories and Memorabilia

American University

Albright

Albright College

Engaging Tour Guides, Memories and Memorabilia

Occidental

UArts

Louisville

Engaging Tour Guides, Memories and Memorabilia

Lenoir-Rhyne College Northern Kentucky University

Engaging Tour Guides, Memories and Memorabilia

Centre College

Educate your campus about the importance

of the visit

1. Schedule and execute regular tours with maintenance and housekeeping along your routes

2. Sponsor “Lunch and Learns” about The Experience Economy and

the importance of the visit3. Promote the campus visit each day

Educate your campus

Educate your campus

Baldwin-Wallace Daily Email to all faculty and staff

1. The basics matter 2. Keep it real and authentic

3. stories not stats; people not programs4. Don’t try to be all things to all students

5. Connect with best fit students 6. It takes a campus to stage a visit experience

7. Key words - engaging, memorable, customized, real and authentic

Take-Away

8. Be human, have fun, and have conversations

Take-Away

People won’t remember what you say, but they will always remember what you do

and how you make them feel.

How will you make your guests to campus feel?

Remember:

Read these:

Experience these:

Lincoln

Q & A

1. Go to www.targetx.com, click iThink Blog

Download Presentation:

2. Click “Presentation Slides”

email [email protected] 877.715.7474 x.110blog www.targetx.com/ithink AIM jeffkallaytwitter jeffkallayor just google “Jeff Kallay”

Jeff Kallay, Experience Evangelist, TargetX

What Makes A Visit An Experience?

CIVSA 2009Jeff Kallay, The Experience Evangelist @targetx.com