Graduate Marketing Best Practices

Best Practicesin Graduate Enrollment Management

Millennials +the Internet =_________ ???

GI Generation (83-106)Silent Generation (65-82)Baby-Boomers (47-64)Generation X (26-46)

Millennials (4-25)New Silent Generation (0-3)

When Will the Millennials Arrive?

Born in 1982 Next Generation Rising

Graduate

College

High School

Elementary School

Boomer Parents GenX Parents

Millennial TraitsTeam-Oriented, Pragmatic, Conservative

Raised with a Mouse in their HandsSet and Reach High Standards

Closer to their Parents than Previous Generations

The Most Protected Generation.

Traditional 1.0 RecruitingPrint a Catalog and They Will Come.

Open House Events, Educational Supplement Ads,

Outdoor Advertising, Corporate Fairs, etc.

0.0 1.0 1.5 2.0

Recruiting Revolutions

In the Beginning

Admissions as Paper-Processing

Department

Graduate Enrollment Growth

Aggressive Marketing CampaignsViewbooks, Catalogs, Search Pieces

Extensive Counselor Travel

The Internet

College WebsitesOnline Apps

Email CampaignsOnline Chats

Today

Web 2.0

Sharing & ConnectingWeb 2.0 is about making connections & sharing

Thoughts. Pictures. Videos. Places. Products.

When Megan Gill broke up with her boyfriend in November, it wasn’t easy, but she gritted her teeth and did the inevitable: she changed her

relationship status on her Facebook page.

Time Magazine, January 1, 2007

ProsumerProducers & Consumer

Content Creators

Social Advertising

Facebook MySpace Google Yahoo YouTube iTunes Flickr eBay ESPN

FemalesMales

Top 10 Web Sites Ages 17-25Youth Trends and eMarketer.com, October 2006

64%Prefer Website vs. Brochures

E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

63%Prefer Email vs. Direct Mail


Activity Do WantFinancial Aid Estimator 27% 93%Request Campus Visit 18% 80%Completed RSVP Form 20% 77%Emailed Current Student 13% 71%Read Faculty Blog 16% 72%IM with Admissions 13% 68%Read Student Blog 19% 66%Downloaded Podcast 6% 41%Downloaded Video Podcast 6% 38%Online Chat Event 11% 35%

College Website Activity Discrepancies


71%of Prospective Graduate Students use Instant Messaging


TakeawayPreference for Electronic Communication

Want Details on Cost and Financial Aid

Desire to Connect with Students and Faculty

Use “New” Communication Tools (Blog & IM)

Recruiting 2.0You are no longer in control

of the conversation.

who, when, what & how

Stories not Stats.People not Programs.

Tell Better StoriesStories not Stats. People not Programs.

Must be real, unique and recent.

Let “them” tell the story!

Can’t be authentic & have editorial control

64%Believe Advertising is “Dishonest” or “Unrealistic”

Consumers 18-65 years old, Ad Age 2006

True IntegrationIn Print > Online > In Person

It’s About Making Authentic Connections.

Stage Authentic ExperiencesRecreate Campus Visits, Receptions and Events

Make them Memorable. Make them Interesting.

Make them Authentic!!

Set the Expectations. Understand Visitor’s Needs.

Customize the Visit When Possible.

Eliminate Negative Cues - Now!

You must design the customer experience or the customer

will design it for you.

Tom Peters

Today the most important conversation

is not the marketing monologue but

the dialogue between your audience.

You can no longer talk at.

You must talk with.

Transparency

Differentiation

Connections

Stories

Profiles

Rethink the BudgetDistribution Print vs. Web, On-Campus vs. Off

Stop the “have to” Activities

Focus on what WILL work - Not what ALWAYS worked

Doesn’t necessarily mean additional funding

Embrace ParentsCollect their Email Address

Collect their Name too!

Have a parent communication plan

Involve them in on-campus events

Host them in online chats, blogs, etc.

Let go.Remember, you’re not in control.

Remember, they don’t trust marketers.

Remember, they are talking about you anyways.

Remember, they want to figure out the truth.

Remember, their parents are talking about you too.

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Graduate Marketing Best Practices