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8/12/2019 Marketing Plan 3-11-10
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McPhersonCollegeMarketingPlan20102014
Overview
Themarketingandcommunicationsdepartmenthasdevelopedthisplantoprovidearoadmapof
McPhersonColleges
current
marketing
strategy.
As
with
any
plan,
this
is
not
astatic
document
but
ratheronethathasbeencreatedtoreflectthecurrentclimateandobjectivesthatguidethe
collegesmarketingefforts.Thisplanisbasedupontheongoingcontributionsandfeedback
providedbyfaculty,staff,andstudents.Itwillbefinetunedandadjustedasnecessarytoensure
thatthemarketingactivitiesarewellcoordinatedandcontinuouslyimprovedtocreatethemost
impactwiththeavailableresources.
ThisplanisbaseduponthesolidfoundationoftheMcPhersonCollegebrandandreflects
qualitativeandquantitativeresearchcoordinatedthroughout2008,2009,and2010.Specific
methodsemployedinthisresearchincludedfocusgroups,surveys,andoneononemeetingswith
facultyand
staff.
Immersion
into
the
culture
of
McPherson
College
has
also
served
as
asolid
basis
forthiswritingofthisplan.
ThemarketingplanthatfollowsaimstostrengthenthereputationofMcPhersonCollegeand
enhanceitsvisibility.Inaddition,itwillencouragealumni,friends,donors,parents,students,
prospectivestudents,faculty,andstafftocherishtheirassociationwithMcPhersonCollege.Itwill
inspirethosewhoarenotdirectlyconnectedwiththeinstitutiontotakenoticeofitsacademic
reputationandcontributionstotheregionandbeyond.
BrandStatement
Thefollowingbrandstatementisthefoundationuponwhichmuchoftheinstitutionalmarketing
planwillbebuilt:
Mission:Todevelopwholepersonsthroughscholarship,participation,andservice. MarketNiche:CareerOrientedLiberalArts
HistoryandBackground
Charteredin1887byleadersoftheChurchoftheBrethren,McPhersonCollegehasalonghistoryof
providingexcellentliberalartsandcareerorientededucationshapedbytheessentialvaluesofits
foundingdenomination.TheChurchoftheBrethrenisaChristiandenominationfoundedin
Germanyin1708.ItacceptstheNewTestamentastheruleoffaithandemphasizestheinherent
valueof
all
persons,
the
communal
discernment
of
truth,
the
necessity
of
putting
faith
into
action,
andthebiblicalcallstosimplicity,nonviolence,nonconformityandtransformation through
education.BrethrenstrivetocontinuetheworkofJesuspeacefullysimplytogether.
McPhersonCollegesprogramsintegratecareerguidanceandpracticalexperiencesintoa
traditionalliberalartscurriculumthatupholdsthehigheststandardsofacademicexcellence.Our
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goalistohelpstudentsdiscernavocationalcallconsistentwiththeirgiftsandinterestsandto
preparethemforalifeofmeaningfulwork.
CommunityiscentraltoMcPhersonCollege.Weaffirmdiversitywithinthecommunity,
emphasizingunityandacceptanceratherthanjudgmentandrejection.Becausewebelievethatthe
pursuitof
truth
is
acollective
endeavor,
and
that
the
point
of
scholarly
learning
is
to
advance
the
commongood,McPhersonCollegeaspirestobeahealthycommunityoflearningwherewhole
personsnurtureandbalancetheirphysical,intellectual,andspiritualcomponents;developandlive
inrespectful,reciprocalrelationshipswithothers;andarecommittedtoresponsibleservicetothe
world.
Toaccomplishourmission,McPhersonembracestheidealsofscholarship,participationand
service.
Scholarship:AllabsoluteTruthisGodsTruthandhumankindmustlabordiligentlyinthepursuitoftruthwecanknow;thus,McPhersonCollegeupholdsthehigheststandardsof
academic
excellence.
Faculty
strives
to
teach
students
to
think
critically
and
independently,
tocommunicateclearlyandeffectively,tointegrateknowledgeacrossthedisciplines,and
toassessthevalueconflictsinissues.Thisisdonewithoutcoercion,lettingtheevidence
leadthesearch,andwithrespectfortheconsciencesandvaluedifferencesofothers.
Participation:Studentsapplyknowledge,practiceskills,anddeepenandbroadentheirunderstandingofthemselvesandothersthroughactiveparticipationindiverselearning
experiences.Asmallercommunityrequiresgreaterparticipationfromitsmembers.For
thesereasons,McPhersonCollegeiscommittedtobeingasmallcollegeandencouraging
studentparticipationinavarietyofactivities.
Service:GodsloveispersonifiedinthelifeofJesuswhocametoservetheworld.Throughworksofpeacemakingandcompassion,humanityrespondstoGodsloveandbecomesan
instrumentofGodsservanthoodintheworld.Therefore,McPhersonCollegeemphasizes
servicetoothers,encouragingallmembersofitscommunitytogiveselflesslyofthemselves
toothers.
(HistoryandBackgroundoriginallyfromtheMcPhersonCollegeStrategicPlan20082011)
TargetMarket
Internalaudiencesinclude: Students Faculty Staff
Externalaudiencesinclude: Highschoolandmiddleschoolstudents Prospectivetransferstudents
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Prospectivenontraditionalstudents Parents Alumni Community Media Donors/potential donors Highschoolteachers,guidancecounselors,andotheradministratorsintheschool
system
MembersoftheMCAlumniBoardandTrusteesProspectiveStudentTargetMarketStatement(admissionsbased):
Ourtargetprospectivestudentissomeonewitha1926ACTscore/3.03.3GPA.Heorshe
desirestobeactiveandinvolvedoncampus,isoutgoing,andhasadiversebackground.Our
targetstudentwantsindividualattentionandwishestobecomeapartofacommunityor
family.
Specifictargetmarketgroupsinclude:
COBandalumnistudents Studentsfrommetropolitanareas Lowerincome,firstgenerationcollege Kansasstudents Internationalstudents Females*
*In1965,20%ofcollegedegreeswereawardedtowomen.In2009,60%ofcollegedegreeswere
awardedtowomen.
Basedondemographicresearch(seeexhibits#15),thetwohighestprojectedincreasesin
racial/ethnicgroupsareHispanic*(89.9%growthby2021)andAsian/PacificIslander(62.7%).We
shouldaggressivelyrecruitbothoftheseethnicgroupsinordertoremainviablein2021.Hiringa
Spanishspeakingadmissionscounselorshouldbeconsidered.
*1/5ofallhighschoolstudentsareLatino.
Inaddition,regionalprojectionsregardinghighschoolgraduationratesshowadeclineora
stalemateonallthreegeographicregions(West,Midwest,andNortheast).Theonlyregionwithan
increaseinhighschoolgraduatesin2021istheSouth.Aggressivesouthernrecruitmentshouldbea
priority.
Thenumberofhighschoolgraduatesandcollegeboundhighschoolgraduatesisalsoonthedecline
oratastalemateensuringtheneedforaggressivemarketingandrecruitingeffortsintheyearsto
come.
TheCompetition
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ForMcPhersonCollegetoremaincompetitive,technologyshouldactasadriverbehinddecisions
maderegardingthefutureofthecollege.
Marketingandcommunicationsshouldremainawareoftheemergingalternativestoatraditional
educationalenvironmentandfindeffectivemethodsofpromotingMcPhersonCollegeinaclimate
thatis
changing
rapidly.
As
expectations
for
accessing
education
change
to
reflect
the
on
demand
24houradayaccessprovidedbyonlineenvironments,marketingcommunicationsshouldconvey
thebenefitsofMcPhersonCollegetoappealtotheseshiftingvaluesandpreferences.
Inaddition,staffandfacultyinvolvedwithrecruitmentshouldbecognizantofandpromotethefact
thatthecostofaMcPhersonCollegeeducationiscomparabletothatofthetwo,largepublic
universitiesinKansas.
OurfocusoncareerorientedliberalartssetsusapartfromotherprivateKansascolleges.In
promotions,wehaveandwillcontinuetofocusonthisaspectinordertoshowourdistinctiveniche
withinthelocalmarket.
AswepromoteMcPhersonCollegesuniquevaluetoprospectivestudents,wemustremain
knowledgeableregardingthestrategiesandbenefitspromotedbythefollowingcompetitors:
1. KansasCommunityColleges(PrattCommunityCollege,HesstonCommunityCollege,HutchinsonCommunityCollege,DodgeCityCommunityCollege,BartonCommunityCollege,
et.al)
2. FourYearPublicInstitutions(KU,KState,WSU,FortHaysState,EmporiaState)3. FourYearPrivateInstitutions(Bethany,KansasWesleyan,Bethel,Friends,Sterling,Tabor,
et.al)
4. Onlinecertificateanddegreeprograms+(UniversityofPhoenix*,DeVryUniversity,CapellaUniversity,
Fort
Hays
State
et.
al)
+By2014,onlineheadcountwillbe20%ofallcollegestudents.
*In2009,UniversityofPhoenixenrollmentwasat423,000.Theyhavefoundaneednot
beingmet.Anyoneonlinecanbeinternational.
(seealsoexhibits1213forafurtherlistofcompetitorsbasedonFAFSAinformation)
ProposedMarketingObjectives
Ourstrategyinthismarketingplanistoemphasizeourdistinctiveprogramsandmembersofour
collegecommunity,whichmakeMcPhersonCollegetheuniqueandspecialinstitutionthatitis.
SeveralofficesanddepartmentsatMcPhersonCollegewillhavekeyrolesinimplementingthisplan
becauseoftheirvisibility,theirinteractionswithkeyaudiences,andtheirrolesatthecollege.These
are:Admissions,MarketingandCommunications,AcademicAffairs,StudentServices,and
Advancement.
Goal#1:
Increaseenrollmentby50studentsfor20102011usingenrollmentnumbersfrom20092010asa
baseline.(Increasefrom550to600)Overthenext4years(20102014),increaseenrollmentto700.
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Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Admissions
Strategiestocommunicatewithprospectivestudents:
WebsiteDevelopmentThe
McPherson
College
website
is
the
first
contact
that
most
prospective
students
will
have
withthecollege.Therefore,thiscommunicationchannelshouldbeutilizedasoneofthe
collegesmainmarketingtools.Thereisqualityevidencetosupportthedirectcorrelation
betweenacollegewebsiteandthelevelofstudentenrollment.*
*TheStamatsannualTeensTALKstudyindicatesthatnearly85%ofstudentsconsideringa
collegevisitedtheinstitutionswebsitebytheirsenioryearofhighschool.
*NoelLevitz2009study,80%ofstudentssaidtheywoulddropaschoolfromtheirsearchor
bedisappointedwithaschoolifthatinstitutionswebsitedidnothavethecontentthe
studentsneeded.70%ofstudentscompletetheirapplicationsonline,16%inperson,1%by
phone,12%
by
mail.
*Also,refertoexhibit#6.80%offemaleand76%ofmalestudentsusewebsitesregularlyto
findproductinformation.
TheMarketingandCommunicationsdepartmentiscurrentlyinstitutingacompletewebsite
redesignwhichwillpresentMcPhersonCollegeinanintegratedandengagingformat.
Incorporationoffaculty/staffblogs*,Facebook*,andTwitterwillbeanimportant
componentofthesite.Thefocusofthesitewillbeonthestudentexperience(i.e.student
life,testimonials,andatmosphere).Thecompletionsdateforthisphaseofthemarketing
planwillbeJuly1,2010.
*Seeexhibit
#6.
58%
of
female
and
44%
of
male
students
use
social
networking
sites
as
sourcesforproductinformation.22%offemaleand19%ofmalestudentsuseblogsas
sourcesforproductinformation.
CollateralMaterialsThefollowingprintedpiecesareimportantcomponentsofourrecruitmentefforts.They
shouldremainapartoftheoverallmarketingplanwhilefundsspentonadditionaltrifolds,
postcards,andpostersshouldbesignificantlyreduced.
(Seeexhibit#6.Nooneindicatedprinteditemsasdesirablesourcesforproductinformation.
Also,infocusgroupsheld/surveysgiven,studentsindicatedtheyoftenfeltoverwhelmedby
mailfrom
other
colleges.
Their
preferred
methods
of
communications
were
emails
and
handwrittenletters.)
SearchPiece(oneperyear)MyMCMagazine(twoperyear)FinancialAidBrochure(updatedperyear)ChristmasCard/BirthdayCard(updatedperyear)
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GuidesforStudents,Parents,andInternationalStudents(updatedasneeded)FourDirectMailers(sentevery3months,updatedperyear)DepartmentBrochures(updatedaschangesaremadetothedepartments,otherwise,
everytwoyears)
Maintainapresenceinstate/localmediaoutletstoattractaqualifiedanddiversestudentpopulation.Focusonbuildingmediarelationshipsandcontacts,notjustsendingtoablind
box.Dontinundatecontactswitheveryrelease.Selectthemostappropriateandmost
importantreleasestosend.HireaDevelopmentCommunicationsCoordinator.
Buildourdatabaseofprospectivestudentemailsthroughofferinggiveawayitemsatcollegefairs.Monitorstudentsastheyarefillingouttheirinquiryformstoensurewegeta
validemailaddress.Call/FB/textstudentsforwhomwedonothaveavalidemailaddress.
Utilizeouremailblastserviceswehaveforcontactregardingpresidentialscholarship
days/bulldogvisitdays.
Haveaneventpermajoreachyeartogetstudentsoncampus.(75%ofstudentswhovisitdeposit).ModeltheseeventsaftertheMathCompetition,BehaviorMania,andtheGraphic
Design/Artworkshops.
Guidancecounselorbustourhaveadmissionscounselorsdriveandmeetwithguidancecounselorsintheareastheyserve.Distributecollateralmaterialsatthistime.Build
relationships.
Itishighlyencouragedthatfacultyandguidancecounselorsreincorporatehandwrittenletters/cardsintotheirrecruitmentpractices.(Itwasnotedinafocusgroupthatnoneofthe
students
received
follow
up
from
their
ambassador/guide
after
their
visit.
In
addition,
anotherstudentnotedahandwrittencardfromSteveGustafsonwasawatershedmoment
whendecidingtocommittoMC.)
Realizingthatonehalfofourstudentsareathletes,collaborationbetweenathleticsandmarketingwillbecriticalforfutureefforts.
Ingoal#2,wewillfocusonincreasingsocialmediausagewhichwillalsosupporttheabovereferencedgoal.
Goal#2:
Increasesocialmediauseamongfacultyandstaffoncampus.(specificallyFacebook,Twitter,and
blogging.)Improvethequalityandfrequencyofourinteractions.*
Responsible:Admissions,MarketingandCommunications,AcademicAffairs,StudentServices,and
Advancement
Amajorcomponentofthewebsiteredesignistheincorporationofblogs,Facebook,andTwitter.Ournewsitewilllinktoeachdepartmentssocialmediaoutlets.Thiswillallow
individualdepartmentstopostauthentic,realtimeinformation,videos,andphotos.
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Nancy/Brianwilltrainstaff/faculty(inmultiplesmallgroupsettings)onhowtosetupandusethevarioussocialmediatoolswithinthenextfivemonths.Wewillsharebestpractices
forupdatingthesepageswithinteractiondrivenposts.
MarketingandCommunicationswillcontinuetomaintaintheMcPhersonCollegeFacebookFanPageandusethispageasamodelforotherFacebookfanpages.
Begintrackinginteractions/fansfortheMcPhersonCollegeFacebookpage.Increasethesenumbersyearlyby5percentfrom20102014.
Continuetoread,attendtraining,andfollowsocialmedianewsandupdatesinordertostayaheadwiththeseconstantlychangingtools.
IncorporatecostperclickadvertisingonFacebookinordertodrivefansandtraffictoourwebsite.
ExploreLinkedIn,Ning,andSkypeasfuturetoolstobeginutilizing.*See
also
Exhibit
10.
The
35
54
year
old
demo
is
growing
fastest
for
Facebook,
with
a276.4%
growthrateinovertheapproximate6monthssincewelastproducedthis
report.(seewww.istrategylabs.com)The55+demoisnotfarbehindwitha194.3%growthrate.The
2534yearpopulationonFacebookisdoublingevery6months.
Goal#3:
Improveouralumnibase,interactions,andrelationshipstoincreasedonorreceiptsby5percent
duringthe20102011schoolterm.Usedatafrom20092010asabaseline.By2014,increasedonor
receiptsby10percent.
Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Advancement
Ingoal#2,wewillfocusonincreasingsocialmediausagewhichwillalsosupporttheabovereferencedgoal.WiththehighestgrowingdemographicinFacebookbeingthe3554year
oldand55+notfarbehind,wecantaffordnottobuildrelationshipswithalumniand
friendsonFacebook.Brian,Nancy,andSallyarecreatinganalumniFacebookfanpageover
thenexttwoweeks.ItwillbeupandrunningbyFebruary5,2010.Withthispage,itwillbe
vitaltohavealumniinteractingandfeelinggoodabouttheirexperienceswithMcPherson
College,andwewillincorporatepostingstrategiesthatwillaccomplishthisgoal.
ContinuetheReviewpublicationtwiceperyear.Incorporatemorefeelgoodstoriesthathighlight
what
current
students
are
doing
so
that
they
will
support
us
financially.
Incorporatemorefeelgoodphotos.Makethisamorewarmpiece.
SendanannualPresidentsreporttoalldonors. AggressivelyinvolvealumniininitiativesliketheStealthletterseriestoencouragegood
feelingstowardsthecollege.
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Bytheendof2010,incorporateaMcPhersonCollegeAlumniandFriendsTwitteraccount.Seeexhibit#11.Makeitembeddable,linkable,clickable,andshareable.
Continuetodevelopanddistributeprintedmaterialstosupportdevelopmentinitiatives.Goal
#4:
Increasetheeffectivenessofourpromotionaleffortsthroughtheincorporationofsuccess
metrics/costbenefitanalysis.
Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Advancement,Admissions
Foreverycontactmade,whetheritisdevelopmentoradmissions,trackthesourceoflead.AskWheredidyouhearaboutus?Whatledyoutocontactus?
Trackthisinformationusingabasicspreadsheetthatlistsallappealsandresponses.(Forexample,whenwesendoutanaskpostcardliketheTobiasbabypostcardfor
development,howmanydonationsarereceivedfromthatpiece?Howmuchdidthepiece
costvs.howmuchwegotinreturnforit?Howmanyinquiriesdowegetoffofthe
admissionssophomorepostcardsentinMarcheachyear?Howmanyinquiriesdoweget
fromtheMyMCmagazineinAugust?Someoneineachdepartmentneedstotrackthisdata
inordertocreateacost/benefitanalysis.Everythingcanandshouldbetrackedto
determinewhatworksandwhatdoesnt.)
Goal#5:
BegintrackingourwebsitetrafficthroughGoogleanalytics.Analyzemetricsandinstituteactions
thatwillimprovesearchengineoptimization.
Responsible:Marketing
and
Communications
Analyzebouncerates,webtraffic,demographics,andotherimportantdata.Comparetopreviousdata.Incorporateimprovementsbasedondataanalysis.
Trainstaff/facultyonsearchengineoptimizedblogging.Explainanddemonstratecrosslinking.
IncorporateaMcPhersonCollegegeneralblogthatincludesallpressreleases.Crosslinkthecontent.
Submitpressreleasestoonlinereleasesitesforsearchengineoptimizationpurposes. IncorporateaMcPhersonCollegeTwitteraccount.Createtweetsthatwillmaximizesearch
engineoptimization.Generatetweetsthatareembeddable,linkable,clickable,and
shareable.
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