Signal vs. Noise: Moving from Conversation to Conversion

STAMATS SIM / SUMMER 2010: DIFFERENT FOR A REASON EXECUTING ON PURPOSEFUL UNIQUENESS

Signal vs. Noise

UCPEA Regional Conference

Moving from Conversation to Conversion

Dan Obregon, Vice President of Marketing, Intelliworks, Inc.email: [email protected]: @dobregonWWW.INTELLIWORKS.COM

Introduce conference theme/meaning

C:\Documents and Settings\user2\Desktop\Datamark Selling Presentation 2007 v29.ppt1

NoiseDiscoverEducateEngageEnrollYieldSignal

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EVOLUTION

Economic TrendsDemographic TrendsConsumer TrendsTechnology Trends

The State of the Internet Video (click on image to launch)

Talk about communications / channel preference studies conducted by IntelliworksHigh complexity / high rate of change11

7 percent of babies have an email address

92 percent of toddlers have an online presences

Source: AVG Internet Security Study, October 2010EVOLVING CONSUMERSAs a consumer's online tenure increases, so does the likelihood that he or she will research and apply online. And as online tenure increases, consumers are more apt to research exclusively online.

Forrester Research

EVOLVING COMMUNICATIONS

Multiple touch pointsPreferences vary based on lifecycleNo one size fits all solutionNext best thing is always around the cornerIf we are driving them there, should we then question where they currently are and how we can push content to them? It seems that in our strategies, we are building a pull-environment for a push-customer...Mark Hoetning, CIO, Arkansas State University (via EDUCAUSE Listserv)

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The Facebook Experience

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University Presence

The Facebook Experience

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University Presence

Putting a Face to Cyberspace

Evolving to meet student expectationsSetting strategic goals and objectivesCreating benchmarks for success

Session Thesis: in order to execute on articulating your purposeful uniqueness to your target audience and achieving your enrollment goals, you need to be focused on all parts of the Recruiting / Admissions / Enrollment Funnel. Failure to properly address any one stage / component will create a bottleneck or failure point which will undermine your effort to meet your institutional targets.


THE DECK ISSTACKED, RIGHT?

DEMAND HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHERLess than 16% of those enrolled in higher education are traditional age college students (18-22)

Over 25 population is the fastest growing segment in higher education

Availability of online and hybrid programs makes these programs more accessible than ever before

Even in a recession, people are better off with an education than without

Increasing cost and scrutiny of for-profit educators have made not-for-profit adult education providers even more appealing

BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN

MORE GOING, BUT PROGRESS IS SLOWINGAmericans are growing more educated, but progress appears to be slowing among younger adults.

While the share of U.S. adults holding a four-year college degree rose from 24 percent to 28 percent from 2000 to 2008, a lower share of 25 to 34 year-olds than 35 to 44 year-olds held a four-year college degree in 2008, a reversal from the pattern in 2000. Nearly a quarter of those younger adults have completed some college, but not a degree.Source: Brookings Institutions, Report on Education Attainment, July 2010

WEB: 92 percent said that they would be disappointed with a school or remove it entirely from their lists if they didnt find the information they needed on the schools Web site.

SOCIAL MEDIA: 76 percent of students supported schools creating their own private social networks for prospective students.

ECONOMY: 46 percent claimed that the current economic crisis had caused them to reconsider the schools they would apply to or attendan increase from 34 percent just last year.

MOBILE: 23 percent of respondents reported searching college sites from their smart phones.EXPECTATIONS ARE CHANGINGSource: Noel-Levitz, Focusing Your E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of College-Bound Students, August 2010

1 in 4 students reported removing a school from their prospective list because of a bad experience on that schools Web site.

94% of prospective college students view college websites at least a few times per month (Noel-levitz)

Email and Paid Search are becoming increasingly popular ways for students to discover schools

76 percent of students said they use Facebook, while 33 percent reported using MySpace.

52 percent of students said they have viewed videos about colleges, while only 10 percent reported watching them on YouTube.

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NARROWING THE GENERATIONAL GAP

Source: Community College Student Engagement Survey, June 2010



You will fail without a strategy.

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STRATEGY STARTS WITH YOUR CUSTOMER

What are they interested in learning?

How do they want to learn?

What are their motivations?

How would they calculate a return on investment?

Where do I find them? Or (more important), where do they find me?

DEGREE OF INTEREST

Source: Stamats, AdultS tudents Talk Survey 2010

COURSE FORMATSource: Intelliworks Poll, October 2010 n=214

COURSE FORMAT BY GENDERSource: Intelliworks Poll, October 2010 n=214

COURSE FORMAT BY AGESource: Intelliworks Poll, October 2010 n=214

FIGURE OUT WHAT MOTIVATES THEM

STUDENT MOTIVATIONS: WHAT THEY WANTStudent MotivationsSource: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, October 2009 (n = 355)

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HOW IS YOUR INSTITUTION PROVING ITS WORTH?

Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, October 2009 (n = 100)How Institutions Prove ROI

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WHY DO MOTIVATIONS MATTER?

DEVELOPING PERSONAS

Why are they here?

2What keeps them up at night?

3How can you solve their problem?

4What do you want them to do?

5How can you best reach them?

6How might they resist?

7What are they like?

1 duarte.com 2008

THINKING INHUMAN TERMSThe Doubting Thomas

He went straight to work after high schooland now hes looking to get ahead in his career. Hed like to go back and earn his degree, but just got promoted and doesnt want to leave his job.

THINKING INHUMAN TERMSMs. Too Cool for Your School

Shes weighing her options. You offer everything shes looking for in an arthistory program, but shes never heardof your school. And neither have herfriends.

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THINKING INHUMAN TERMSMr. Show Me The Money

His division II football career may be over, but he never lost his passion for sports.Hes having a hard time breaking into the industry though, and thinks an MBAin Sports Marketing might get him backin action.

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WHY?

Understand their decision-making process.

Understand their communication style.

Discover pain points/barriers to enrollment.

Validate or deny your assumptions and avoid stereotypes.

THINKING INHUMAN TERMSThe Idea Man

Hes spent the last 25 years running his own company, and is ready to retire, but that doesnt mean hes ready to stop. Many assume hes against online education due to his age, but in fact hed rather affluent professionals like him may preferto learn at their own pace while enjoying their golden years.

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THEN FIGURE OUTHOW TO FIND THEM.

PREFERRED COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELSQ: Would you want to receive information about a college or university via __________________?

Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, January 2010 (n=100)

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If you want to grab someone's attention, you first need to get his or her permission with some kind of baitOnce a customer volunteers his or her time, you're on your way to establishing a long-term relationship and making a sale.

Seth Godin, Author, Permission Marketing

EMAIL PREFERRED FOR ADMISSIONS NOTIFICATIONSQ: Would you want a college or university to contact you via __________________regarding your admissions status?

Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, January 2010 (n=100)

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THE TAKEAWAY?Make it easy for them to find you. DO NOT SPAM!

Once theyve found you, engage them where they want to engage.

Optimize online presence to convert interested prospects.

97% of students begin their search online. (Source: Stamats)

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Source: XKCD.com

WEBSITE FEATURES THAT MATTERSource: Noel-Levitz, August 2010

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WHAT YOU SEE HAPPENING

WHATS ACTUALLY HAPPENING



DO THESE LOOK FAMILIAR?GoalsIncrease EnrollmentImprove Staff EfficiencyControl Data SharingEnhance Effectiveness of Student Contact

SURVEY SAYS!

Source: Intelliworks Email Poll of UCEA/Eduventures Members, April 2010

Talk Track: C:\Documents and Settings\user2\Desktop\Datamark Selling Presentation 2007 v29.ppt61

GROWTHIncrease inquiries, applications, enrollments, etc.

Raise awareness of your program in the market

Expand the diversity of your offerings


EFFICIENCYReduce the number of clicks it takes to complete an application

Improve your inquiry response time

Automate workflow and communications


QUALITYAttract more qualified students or attract the right students for your program

Differentiate your program from the competition

Improve customer experience


INTELLIGENCEYear-over-year comparisons of your key metrics

Responses to your marketing messages (opens/click throughs, etc.)

Engagement of your community


GoalSupplement database with quality leadsPurchased Lists: Lower cost, raise resultsCalculate and track marketing ROI

TacticsDrive search traffic to online inquiry formsCapture lead source dataSend TARGETED email campaigns to opt-ins

Results NO LISTS PURCHASEDOver 30,000 Inquiries in 6 monthsVisibility to Recruiter ActivitiesMarketing Dollar Spend AnalysisBuilt In Analytics = Real Time Access To Data

HELP THEM FIND YOU

FOLLOW THE THREE Cs

Coordinated

Consistent

Compelling

This slide should be used to show more detail / stats / etc. regarding success at middle of funnel. This is where tg will discuss virtues and successes of:

3 cs: coordinated, consistent, compelling marketing success of fiu brief case study

branding as enabled via crm

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FIU BUSINESS: UNCOMMON THINKERS

Info Session Attendance up more than 200% over 3 years

Applicants up more than 50% over 3 years

Admits up more than 60% over 3 years

Enrolled up nearly 75% over 3 years

This slide should be used to show more detail / stats / etc. regarding success at middle of funnel. This is where tg / kari will discuss virtues and successes of:

3 cs: coordinated, consistent, compelling marketing success of fiu brief case study

branding as enabled via crm

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THE KEYS TO SUCCESS

Know your studentsHire good communicatorsBuild hoop-less admissions and financial aid processesTake a proactive approach to student advisingAutomate routine communicationsHire faculty suited to online teachingSet and maintain high standards for student/faculty communicationEvaluate, evaluate, evaluateCheck your programs vital signs regularlyUse cross-functional teams to develop enhancements and improvements

Source: American Public University System and Intelliworks

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MEASUREMENT, ANALYSIS& IMPROVEMENT

AwarenessInquiryFollow UpEngagementQualificationApplicationEnrollmentRetention

AdmissionsCompletion

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TREAT DIFFERENT STUDENTS DIFFERENTLYStrategic ObjectivesCustom design of communications plan; points of contact based on individual student characteristics and individual program marketing plan.

Automated yet personalized communications.

BREAK DOWN SILOSConsolidate InformationProvide a central location to share and collaborate on prospect data.

Share goals and reports across the organization.

Transfer knowledge from one person to another.

Eliminate error from manual calculations and various data management issues.

Establish benchmarksStudent InquiriesWeb site TrafficEvent AttendeesApplicants

MEASURE THE BASICS


EVOLUTION

RESOURCESHigher Education and Social Mediahttp://www.intelliworks.com/blog

http://www.ustream.tv/user/intelliworks/videos

http://www.slideshare.net/intelliworks

Creating Marketing Personashttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1799477031032190172&hl=en#

http://technomarketer.typepad.com/technomarketer/2008/04/developing-pers.html

Marketing Chartshttp://www.marketingcharts.com

Cartoonshttp://www.tomfishburne.com/

http://www.xkcd.com

THE END.Dan Obregon, Vice President of Marketing, Intelliworks, Inc.email: [email protected]: @dobregonWWW.INTELLIWORKS.COM


Chart101021560543435418334197261223106297231334312515

Not ImportantLess ImportantN/AImportantVery Important

Sheet1Not ImportantLess ImportantN/AImportantVery ImportantIncrease Enrollment0102156Improve Yield0543435Cut Costs41833419Expand Outreach726122310Go Social62972313Other34312515To resize chart data range, drag lower right corner of range.