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It all becomes clear.Developing a personalized communication plan utilizing
Consulting Services
Molly OlsonMadison McKone
University of Minnesota RochesterOffice of Admissions
Molly & Madison
Molly Dislikes Madison Dislikes
Camping Slow computers
Corn Dogs Swedish Fish
Bugs Slow vehicles in the left lane
The song “Sangria” Darius Rucker
Skiing Craft Beer
And our side business – Reloving junk, treasures and vintage items -
facebook.com/occasionalmarket
Molly Loves Madison Loves
Yoga Anything Mexican
Pickles (and pickle juice) Turquoise
Retail Therapy Netflix
Mustard (the color) Hitting all green lights
Stripes Fall Leaves
• The University of Minnesota Rochester? You’re in a shopping mall? Who are you?
• All previous pieces were designed internally or by a small designer locally
• UMR wrote all of the content• Photos were old, dated and overused
History
• Limited focus on Social Media/limited presence in Social Media
• Significant delays in overall campus branding
• Website was ancient• New campus, New
program, New Curriculum. • Budget
History
• Health care focused• Personalized• Unique just like us
What we needed
What we didn’t wantWhen you finally get your email inbox
cleared out and you go back to check 5 minutes later #how #collegemail
• Looked at 3 options (local, Twin Cities and Hobsons)• Needs:
Starting point
• Fit within budget - but willing to spend the money that was needed
• Creativity• FRESH• Writing included• Understood higher education
and our audience• Options- previously we have
always only been given 1 option for everything
Flew to Cincinnati
in February of 2014
Experienced the one-and-only, skyline Chili
• Met with Hobsons creative/writing team• Shared our needs• Hobsons shared their work • We would be their largest client
• 21 piece communication plan
Meeting Hobsons
Stranded in Cincinnati due to a horrible snow storm
in MN
So…why Hobsons?
Skyline Chili, of course!
DUH!
No really- they blew us away. Professional, creative!, excited, passionate, understood
higher-ed, knew the importance of personalized experiences for students and within budget.
• What pieces do we need?• High school visits, mailing/communication flow pieces,
templates, electronic pieces, on campus pieces• Pieces we had never thought of
• 21 pieces!• Brochures• Postcards• Digital Magazine• Displays• Posters• 9 templates• and additional add on projects...
• Discussed Money• Signed the contract!
Getting the ball rolling
• Marking up old, outdated pieces
• Finding examples of new, fresh designs
• Creation of a theme and “feel” that would fit UMR
Diving right in
• Hobsons provided a Concept Board• Concept boards helped us:
• Get the personalized, science-y feel we wanted• Visualize where the campaign was going• Show our department and others on campus what it will
look like• “Win over” the leadership team
• Gave Hobsons our thoughts and favorite aspects of the boards to give them more direction
Concepts
• Process began in late June• Needed 75% of the pieces by the end of September• This meant tight deadlines• Within UMR Admissions it was the Molly (Assistant
Director) and Madison (CRM Coordinator) • Wanted to keep the team small to keep things moving • Swimming in drafts before long!
Timeline
A C
B D
E
F
G
H
• Communication• Weekly Webex Meetings with Laura (Project
Manager), Hannah (Content Writer) and Cindy (Graphic Designer)
• WE LOVED OUR TEAM! (And they loved us!)• Sharing the information internally
How we did it
• Flexibility• 1-5 new drafts to review at a time• Prioritize and get it done• Google Doc of edits• Less edits as time went on
How we did it
• Deadlines• Molly and I reviewed in a few days• All pieces sent to internal marketing• Additional departments (Housing, Student Affairs,
Financial Aid) and our educational collaborator (Mayo Clinic) as needed
• 2-3 rounds of edits (keep under 4)• Multiple projects at once
How we did it
• Highlighted many different aspects of UMR• Digital Magazine• Cohesive• Health Sciences focused• Personalized• Individual student stories• Sparked our creativity
End product
• So many options!! • For our posters we received 5+ options!
End product
UNIQUE!
FRESH!
HEALTH CARE
FOCUSED!
• Top poster designs:• You're Like No Other- We Have That In Common • Get A One-Of-A-Kind Health Sciences Education
• Other top contenders:
Poster Feedback from Students
• Into the Icky Stuff: (The students LOVED this one. They think it might be better if there was a different picture; so it would be less likely to get defamed. They very much like the tagline because it attracts students like them).• Unparalleled Medical Research: (Students voted this as their least favorite. They especially didn't like the word "medical.") (But staff loved this one)
Both the design
and statements/writing
wereBOLD!
we are a very different university
and needed something different
to show us off.
RISK TAKERS -
quotes and stories
PERSONALIZED -
by namePERSONALIZED -
• Health care focused• Personalized• Unique just like us
And we got:
Just what we asked for!
We are #HobsonsHappy!!!
Where are we now
• Images• Eye-grabbing• Fresh• Relevant• Health-science focus• Understood in one glance
• Text• Catchy and strong• Now used as key messages• Easy to understand• Fun!
Where are we now
• Cohesive feel• Everything has a purpose• Students will recognize this campaign
through a variety of mediums
Where are we now
• Direct mail• Beautiful postcards and
brochures• Hand out on campus tours,
visit days, college fairs, school visits, etc.
• Distributed a combination of approx. 100k print pieces
• Microsite• Improved traffic• Over 900 visits from over 700
users• 2:06 average visit duration
(+30.7%)• 4% increase in clicks on BSHS• 44% increase in clicks on
BSHP • 29% increase in clicks on
Request Info• 100% increase in clicks on
Contact Us
Where are we now
• UMR Website• Digital Viewbook• Interactive BSHS
Degree Image• Incorporate text and
images• My UMR Story
extends the “Share Your Story” idea
• Quotes and key messaging
Where are we now
• Templates• Hobsons templates are now used on the majority
of emails sent out using our mass emailing system
• 5 templates: Sophomores/Juniors, Seniors, Admits, Matrics, Transfers
• Other newsletter templates: Parents, Counselors, HS Teachers
• Messaging and content specific to the audience• Sent over 300 different emails to over 700,000
students/parents/counselors using the Hobsons designs
• Simple buttons and CTAs • Click-thru-rate up to 77% for some audiences,
higher open rates
Where are we now
• Social Media• Every print or email piece includes social media
icons• Drive more traffic to our pages• Use Hobsons images and text in posts• Hashtags like #WorthEveryPenny and
#CampusLivingReimagined• Spin-off social campaigns like #iheartUMR #WhyUMR and
#WhyRochester
Where are we now
• Renewed sense of creativity• Longevity• Now create similar in-house pieces
• Table centerpiece• Posters and signs• Holiday cards• Admit and Matric certificates• Admitted student timeline • Many more
• SO MUCH BETTER THAN OUR OLD COLLATERAL MATERIAL
• Fits together, to the point, not over-complicated• We LOVE it. Our students LOVE it.
Where are we now
• Have photos ready prior to beginning the project, make sure they are new, fresh and not overused.
• Landing Pages for better tracking• Social media tracking, SEO, web
tracking• Communication flows
• “Always turn to Hobsons for inspiration”
• Plan ahead in your budget• Have dedicated staff• Open communication throughout
departments
Conclusion/Next Steps/Advice
Questions?
