Success Kit Part 2: Getting internal buy-in

Getting the word out on campusIn this section

•Explaining Merit: a short slide deck you can use•Answering internal questions:

‣ What is Merit?‣ Why do we need Merit?‣ How do I know Merit works?‣ and more...

•Three FAQs

Explaining Merit: A short slide deck you can use

Answering internal questions like...

Merit is software that we use to recognize and publicize the accomplishments and activities of our students. Using Merit gets positive attention for our university by showcasing the outcomes that make us unique.

Merit is extremely effective at getting our message into social and local media, and giving students a high quality presence online.

We can use Merit to promote big, university-wide accomplishments like the Dean’s List, or program- and event-specific achievements.

What is Merit?

Why do we need Merit?

Audience

The job of marketing, communications and PR is getting attentionso that prospective students, parents, alumni and employers care about our outcomes.

Message

Trust

Cost

Proof

Audiences are not where we used to find them. Print media readership is down 30%. All media has fragmented into smaller, more specialized audiences. Think of cable TV.

It’s not as easy to get the message we want through the media. Everyone wants to hear what’s relevant and specific to themselves. We need more direct communication with key audiences.

Audiences are much less trusting of advertising and the media in general. Personalized recommendations and word-of-mouth marketing is twice as trustworthy, and we need a way to make that a real part of our tactics.

The issues above mean that traditional advertising gives us less bang for the buck. We need to incorporate tools that address those gaps more effectively.

We need to prove that our investments are generating attention.

Why does Merit work?

Merit addresses the 5 challenges faced by all traditional marketing & PR practices

Only Merit consistently and reliably reaches and engages our audience

Audience

Message

Trust

Cost

Proof

Public relations

Advertising

Direct mail

Automatic mass targeting

Personalized &relationship-driven

No one readsnewspapers1

Fragmented audiences2

Media nevernever attribute3

Earned media notoriously hard to audit7

Word-of-mouth is highest trust

Advertising across all media is 50% less trustworthy than word of mouth4

Flat-rate for unlimited use

Reports, social media clipping & peer benchmarks

Need to repeat message raises costs5

Highest CPM marketing activity6

“50% of my advertising is wasted”8

Auditing through funnel also costly9

How does Merit work?

Students make the Dean’s List, study abroad, join a service project: accomplishments that tell our university’s story.

Whether it’s one student or 1,000, within as little as 5 minutes a PR or comms staffer creates and promotes personalized stories for each person with Merit.

1 2 3

Merit kicks off social media sharing that generates real word-of-mouth marketing about our programs.

Students, parents, former teachers and other fans and followers get emails linking them to the students’ university-branded Merit pages.

Merit even sends customized press releases to hometown newspapers to generate awareness in local press.

Merit tracks, measures and reports on the attention each achievement generates.

4Students receive an email notification with a link to meritpages.com, where they can view their achievement and easily share the good news with family and friends. Merit also creates and distributes a version of the achievement to each students’ hometown newspaper.

What is a Merit page?

Each achievement contains options for students to share the goods news with family and friends via email or social media channels.

When you grant an achievement, 1) a personalized Merit page is created for each student on meritpages.com, 2) a copy of the achievement is sent to each students’ hometown newspaper, and 3) students receive an email notification with a link to their Merit page.When a student claims their Merit page, they have the option to enhance their profile by adding a photo, additional academic activities, and work experience. Creating a positive online identity will benefit the student as they move forward in their academic career and later on when they seek employment.

Achievements granted by the institution

Academic activities and accomplishments added by the student.

Work experience added by the student.

How do I know Merit works?

Each report can be emailed to relevant internal stakeholders

Reports include:*Customized date range for ultimate understanding of engagement*Number of achievements granted*Percentage of active and passive engagers, as well as opt-out rate*Online page views generated from Merit*Number of media outlets reached*Number of Government Representatives reached*Number of High Schools reached through use of *CEEB Codes*Social Media Reach*Emails sent*A numeric breakdown for each achievement granted

FAQ 1: What other neat things does Merit do?

Calculates geographic reachWe can see the hometowns of students who receive achievements on a heat map. This allows us to support admissions, development and other departments with information about local students.

Strengthens parent relationsParents can opt to receive updates when their child’s achievement is recognized. This keeps them “in the loop” with good news and promotes affiliation with our university.

Engages international students

Merit reaches international students and their social networks as easily as it does domestic ones,

allowing us to build brand awareness in hard-to-reach places.

FAQ 2: Are there privacy concerns with Merit?

No.

Merit is designed to use only “directory information” as defined by FERPA, which is explicitly public. Directory information includes, by statute and interpretation, at minimum:

• Student name• Address, telephone listing and email address• Date and place of birth• Honors and awards• Participation in officially recognized sports and activities

Directory information can be more expansive; university policy dictates the specifics. For example, Harvard’s “Common Set” of directory information is extensive:

http://security.harvard.edu/enterprise-security-policy/3-student-info/policies-3_2

Opt-out.

Merit includes opt-out provisions that give students extensive control over this information. Merit will even prevent us from publicizing a student’s achievements accidentally if he or she has already opted out through the software.

FAQ 3: Who can I contact if I have questions?

Tell internal stakeholders they can contact you.

You can say, “We’re available to use Merit to promote accomplishments and activities taking place in your program. To use Merit most effectively, please let us know the names and email addresses of the students you’re promoting, and a short description of their achievement.”

Merit manager: responsible for the decision to purchase, implement, and oversee Merit’s use and value.

Merit champion: the appointed primary user is responsible for collecting student data, identifying, writing, and sending achievements.

Merit brand liaison: a representative from your graphics department who will assist with the creation of your landing page and or your custom badge set.

Primary points of contact can include

FAQ 3: Who can I contact if I have questions?

They can find answers in the Merit Knowledge Basehttp://readmedia.desk.com is a great resource for nitty-gritty questions about how Merit works.

Contact our Merit account team anytime!Merit’s account team is extremely helpful. You can reach these contacts at 518.429.2800 or [email protected].

Danielle ValentiHead of Customer [email protected]

Jackie VetranoCustomer Success [email protected]

Erin MarkCustomer Success [email protected]

I need help. Stat! (print me out and hang me up)

Merit Knowledge Base: http://readmedia.desk.com

Merit team! Contact us anytime: 1.800.522.2194 or [email protected]

How do I use Merit? Register for a one of our free weekly trainings: http://bit.ly/MeritTraining