We are thrilled to be supporting this conference for our sixth year. Please join us for our presentation, ‘Listening to what matters most – a new way of thinking’. There is a staggering amount of information available to us all, yet the only thing we are told about social media and the web is that we should be out there pushing our message, getting our voices heard. In reality, listening intelligently can help to make sense of all the chatter. Richard Taylor from the University of Leicester, UK, will also be part of our discussion and presentation on Social Media Intelligence and Management Dashboards. It is a chance to exchange thoughts on how to make sense of all of the information that is before us.
Richard Taylor is the Director of Marketing & Communications at Leicester and a member of the University’s senior management team. He leads an integrated team covering press and PR, student recruitment, widening participation, admissions, international operations, market research, development and alumni relations, and corporate communications. Leading the discussion is Shawn Carver, Director of Innovation. Shawn’s 13 years’ experience in computer-based training, telecom, wireless mobility and CRM, and expert research skills, ensure Azorus is at the forefront of the technological changes in the market and their impact on higher education. Shawn was instrumental in bringing Social Media Intelligence to Azorus’ higher education clients and he will share this innovative “listening” capability in the session.
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August 30, 2010 – 11:07 am
I recently had lunch with a Recruitment Officer currently working at my alma mater. Obviously, recruitment in higher ed was a hot topic of conversation, as we both are involved with this, although in a different capacity.
It was a very enlightening – and long – lunch (as you can tell by the length of this blog!) as we discussed recruitment in depth. I discovered that even though each Recruitment/Admissions office has its unique methods, they do share the same basic fundamentals. And these fundamentals result in some commonalities when discussing the cause of ‘headaches’ for Recruitment Officers…Let me be the Aspirin to your headache as we take a look at specific pains and provide the Azorus antidote.
Pain #1: Data entry after college fairs/high school visits is too cumbersome and time consuming.
Aspirin: Azorus Digital Recruit prompts prospects to enter their information in a Netbook instead of on an information card. From there, the data is uploaded to the prospective student database and an initial, personalized communication is triggered and sent. This leaves recruiters more time to do what they do best: talk and connect with prospective students in person.
Pain #2: Trying to reach a massive amount of students while being personable.
Aspirin: Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to filter your student database so you can have multiple communications tracks – as detailed or basic as you require – for different groups of students. The communications are tailored to meet the specific and relevant needs of each audience or group. Read More »
August 26, 2010 – 1:38 pm
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for Higher Education. Yes, Mr./Mrs. Higher Ed professional – I know you just got the chills. We are well aware that CRM, in general, may not be the most appealing acronym due to its reputation in the corporate world. So let’s clear up some of those misconceptions as they relate to CRM for Higher Education…
5 Misconceptions of CRM for Higher Education
1. CRM is only an elaborate email manager: Yes, CRM has the ability to produce targeted, automated communication tracks via email. However, that is only one fraction of its capabilities. CRM is a well-oiled machine consisting of targeted, multi-channel communication strategies, automated database management, sophisticated reporting and contact management. The bottom line is, with a solution like this your admin staff can operate at a highly efficient pace while working towards meeting important recruitment goals.
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August 23, 2010 – 12:07 pm
So, everyone is telling you to implement social media for student recruitment! Now you are thinking “Yes, I get the point Facebook, Twitter…. but now what?’ Getting a fan page and twitter account is the first step; however, it is important to know your target market and have a strategy or you will go nowhere. From what I have noticed, there are different social media channels you can use to attract different markets.
To cut through all the social media clutter; here is a rundown of the three most popular/successful sights used by Higher Ed institutions today.
Facebook Higher Ed Fan Page
- Generally attracts prospective students
- Venue for you to tell history, story of the school
- Great place for prospective students to connect with each other
- ‘Call to action’ area ability to promote your blog and PR, post videos , promote Higher Ed Facebook Applications
Tip: there are multiple settings for a Fan page; you can moderate who can ‘Like’ the page, moderate what is being displayed on the fan page wall (ability to delete fan’s posts) - it’s important to monitor the chatter closely, you never know what fans are going to talk about. Read More »
August 18, 2010 – 10:54 am
One of the key marketing indicators for any corporation, small or big, higher education to retail, is consumer perception. How much do you know about your current and prospective students (your target market) and the thoughts they share with each other?
It was once said to me by a higher ed professional, “the opinion of our peers is much more powerful than that of an outside party”. I would propose that the thoughts, conversations and opinions of their customers (their students) might be considered equally as powerful.
Let me ask you this: how are you currently gathering this valuable market research? You may say you do this through student surveys, yes? These provide great information. However, through my experience, this focus gives only the opinions of current students, and their student experience likes and dislikes. How valuable would it be to receive the opinion of a prospective student who is or was considering your institution to start their educational path? Read More »
August 16, 2010 – 1:29 pm
Fact: In 2 years open rates have declined 2.8% and are still trending down.
As a university recruiter your first thought is most likely:
“Why are email stats in general steadily trending down?”
- Prospective students are receiving a large number of emails each day. Everything from online shopping spam to emails from your Higher Ed competitors
- More and more prospective student are using their smart phone to read email…when your emails are not mobile friendly, they do not click on links or often ignore them.
- Prospects are receiving their desired /relevant information from other online mediums such as various social networks (forums, blogs, Facebook, etc.).
However let’s not get discouraged here. When it comes specifically to Higher Ed institutions and the recruitment process, a Teen Talk Survey developed by STAMATS this year states that 40% of prospective students prefer to receive communications via email. Read More »
August 10, 2010 – 9:42 am
Social Media Guru, here – a few weeks ago I preached to you about how Higher Ed should start getting their feet wet in the Social Media sphere, more specifically, Facebook, Twitter and Blogging. Now the goal of Social Media and student recruitment is to establish a meaningful relationship with your prospective students who, as a result, will eventually apply to your institution. Here is an important fact, the bridge from you social media channels to the application process is your WEBSITE.
So is your website up to snuff? If not… all your social media efforts are fruitless…
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Improving administrative processes and enrollment strategies are very important… but sometime we need to take a step back and remind ourselves why we are in the Higher Ed space…the students of course. The best way to improve the student experience is hearing from the students themselves. This series will be featuring un-biased and real student experiences like; admissions process, they’re financial struggle; juggling they’re school life along with work, ect and just about anything the student’s want us to know about. If you have any specific question for students feel free to let us know and we will pass them along.
Like thousands of typical Canadian twentysomethings, I recently applied to several schools’ MBA programs in hopes of eventually increasing my marketability. Unlike with my undergrad degree, I decided to avoid the inevitable “safety schools” and only applied to three schools that I really wanted to attend. The admissions processes for each school went something like this:
| School A |
School B |
School C |
| Applied online |
Applied online |
Applied online |
| Three weeks later I received an answer via snail mail |
One week later I received an email indicating that I would have an interview |
Six weeks later I received an email stating that I would have an interview the next day |
|
Two weeks I had the interview |
At the interview I was told I would receive an answer within three weeks |
|
Two more weeks later I received an answer via snail mail |
I received an answer in just over two months via snail mail |
| Time Elapsed: 3 weeks |
Time Elapsed: 4 weeks |
Time Elapsed: 16 weeks |
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It is obvious that higher Ed institutions all across the US, and North America for that matter, have experienced excellent enrollments this year. Now, this was mostly due to the terribly difficult financial times that we are now working our way out of. While this is good news, it is unfortunately on the heels of yet another challenge. It is said that the number of high school graduates will have hit its peak this year; meaning we are on the cusp of a demographic shift and an increasingly competitive marketplace.
How do you stay out in front?
Through my experience, the number one challenge faced by higher education recruitment and admissions departments is their internal processes and the amount of work it takes to consistently communicate with and keep track of their prospective student audience. It is absolutely imperative that these offices are able to “do more with less”, with decreasing budgets and a more competitive marketplace, it truly is the only way.
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