Transcript Online applications - Amazon Web Services

World University Rankings Seminar, University of Edinburgh - 10th March 2008
Engaging “Generation Y”
through Online Marketing
Ian Lynes
Online Business Manager, QS
Online marketing
• Promote
– Reach global market
– Use institutional and other ‘voices’
• Optimize
– Reduce administration
– Utilise staff expertise effectively
• Engage
– Tune messages by segment
– Be responsive to applicants
• Measure
– Track marketing campaigns
– React to market changes
Agenda
• Engaging “Generation Y”
– Who are they?
– International differences
– Lifecycle marketing
– A balanced approach
• Online marketing mix
– Web sites
– Search engines
– Banners
– Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers
– Videos and podcasts
– Virtual worlds, avatars and bots
– E-mail
• Online applications
10th March 2008
Who are “Generation Y”?
• Impatient
• Team players
• Hungry for feedback
• Don’t hold back
• Fearless of technology
• Seek stimulation
• Believe in themselves
• Sceptical
• Street smart
Who are “Generation Y”?
• 97% own a computer
• 94% own a cell phone
• 76% use Instant Messaging.
• 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day
• 34% use websites as primary source of news
• 28% own a blog and 44% read blogs
• 49% download music using file sharing
• 75% of US students have a Facebook account
• 60% own portable music or video device e.g. iPod
Source:
Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education
Professionals Need to Know About Today's College
Students, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa (2007)
International differences
• Culture & etiquette
– Greetings
– Humour
– Punctuality
– Planning
– Competitiveness
– Organisation
– Leadership
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Local references
Currency
Language
Different online media
– e.g. search engines
China: Baidu 62%
Russia: Yandex 62%
Charles was sure Chuck had said he
should wear pants and suspenders
Source:
“The Best of British” by Mike & Sarah Etherington, 1999
International English?
“International”
meaning
Possible confusion
Example
delay
period of lateness
F: period of time
a three week delay
eventually
after a time
F / D: perhaps
she will arrive eventually
interesting
holding the attention
F: profitable
an interesting idea
qualified
partial, conditional
F: total
a qualified success
quite
very
UK: not very
he’s quite reliable
table
put on the agenda
US: take off agenda
table a proposal
luck out
have good luck
SA: have bad luck
we lucked out
look at
read
UK: revise, rewrite
take a look at the report
hear
hear
UK: disagree
I hear what you say
Source:
Mind Your Manners by John Mole, 1998
“Invaluable political and psychological profiles of
each nationality” - Business Week
Defining the message
• Proposition(s)
REPUTATION
CAREER PLACEMENT
PROGRAMMES
SPECIALIZATION
RoI
RANKINGS
COST
FINANCIAL AID
LOCATION
CAMPUS
DIVERSITY
VALUES
INNOVATION
STYLE
FACULTY
ALUMNI
• Differentiators and USPs
• Value and evidence
• Messages to attract.. support.. convert
Life-cycle marketing
INTERESTED
CANDIDATE
ENQUIRER
APPLICATION
STARTED
APPLICATION
SUBMITTED
PLACE
OFFERED
OFFER
ACCEPTED
Segmentation
• Select and prioritise the messages to fit market segment(s)
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Nationalities
Age groups
Education
Qualifications
Employment
Family
Finances
Interests
Expectations
Aspirations
Don’t forget their parents
• “Helicopter parents" are increasingly key influencers
• Millennials have a near-zero generation gap
• Parent-child co-purchase decisions are common
• Consider creating a parallel process to market to parents
Image source:
Nordette Adams, blogher.org
Balanced approach
Institutional voice
Online ads
(search advertising,
banners, guides…)
Print media
(Brochures, flyers,
posters…)
Press ads
Traditional
tools
Campus
information
sessions
Fairs
Corporate blogs,
chats, forums, podcasts…
School site
Innovative
tools
Websites
PR
(mags, newspapers…)
Other
sites
e-PR
(online press)
Testimonies
Rankings, guides,
(FT, QS, BW…)
Different voices
Blogs, Chats,
Forums, Wikis,
Podcasts…
Agenda
• Engaging “Generation Y”
– Who are they?
– International differences
– Lifecycle marketing
– A balanced approach
• Online marketing mix
– Web sites
– Search engines
– Banners
– Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers
– Videos and podcasts
– Virtual worlds, avatars and bots
– E-mail
• Online applications
10th March 2008
Web site
• Design & navigation should reflect objectives and brand
• Landing page(s) should match visitor source & status
• Get visitors to return
• Get visitors to tell their friends
QS Scorecard
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Personalized ranking system, schools weighted on candidate criteria
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Unique value to prospective students
QS Scorecard
•
Traffic from QS media partner web sites worldwide
•
Captures candidate contact details AND interests
– Monthly newsletter sent by QS
– Data on matching candidates sent to sponsoring schools
Search engines
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
•
Search engines all work differently and change frequently
– 2 main factors: Web site itself and incoming links
•
Ensure site is search engine friendly – but avoid using tricks
– Titles, headlines, content, meta tags
– Site maps used extensively by search engines
– Page titles should also attract human users: clear & provocative
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Research keywords and phrases used by your prospects
– 2 to 4 words usually less competitive
– Include synonyms, plurals and misspellings
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Keyword tools
– Wordtracker, Yahoo! Suggestion Tool, Google Tool
– Look at search words contained in your traffic logs
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Links
– Number, reputation and popularity
– Industry hubs and directories
– Press releases and free articles or feeds
– Blogs, Forums and Social Networking
Paid Advertising
• Three common pricing structures
– CPM: Cost per thousand impressions
– PPC: Cost per click
– CPA: Cost per action (e.g. affiliate partners)
• Keyword bidding
– Typically 20 to 30 phrases or 300 to 400 “tail terms”
– Use variety of word sequences and action words
– Long terms (e.g. 4 words) offer better conversion rates
– Use of others’ trademarks and names currently accepted
• Congruency of landing pages
Paid Advertising
• Numbers are important
Paid Advertising
• Relevant numbers are more important
– TopUniversities.com: 1.2 million visits, 5.5 million impressions in 2007
Banner advertising tips
• Identify and measure objectives
– Branding
– Traffic
– Conversion
• Media plan
– Target market
– Related sites
– Sites with similar demographics
• Design
– Clear message – 7 words or less
– Eye catching but not obtrusive
– Don’t overdo animation
• Test
Earning trust
User generated content
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Social networking
– Facebook, MySpace, Bebo
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Professional profiles
– LinkedIn, Ecademy, Naymz
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Bookmarking & voting
– Digg, Stumbleupon, Del.icio.us
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Information, reviews & questions
– Wkipedia, Yahoo! answers
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Blogging
– Blogger (Blogspot)
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Rich media
– YouTube, Flickr, iTunes
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Virtual Worlds
– SecondLife, The Sims Online
User generated content
• And hundreds more
CHALLENGE:
BE AWARE
MONITOR
PARTICIPATE
RESPOND
User generated content
Networking sites
• Display personal information and updates
• Link with friends & expand personal network
• Share information, photos & opinions
• Messaging and chat
Networking sites
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Highly targeted and viral marketing possible
– e.g 25k Facebook members at University of Edinburgh
– “Beacons” from your site visible within friends newsfeeds
MySpace
Facebook
Bebo
LinkedIn
Doostang
Ryze
192 million
41 million
34 million
12 million
250,000
250,000
Researching candidates
Blogs
• Prospective students
– Read and share opinions and expert advice
– Self-regulated; positive and negative comments
• Opportunities for schools include:
– Allow applicants the chance to engage and ask questions
– Allow academics & alumni to add details of their experience
– Increase profile of good-case-practices from your school
Would if
they could
Read blog written by
faculty member
83%
Read blog written by
current student
63%
Have
done
17%
30%
Source:
Noel-Levitz, Inc – E-Expectations
1000 US College Students Class
of 2007 Report
Wikis
• Collaboratively authored information - Open & free source e.g.
– Wikipedia – one of the largest & most referenced web sites
WARNING: Blatant marketing not permitted
– Wikimapia – mark and annotate Google maps
Rich media
• Video – advertising, interviewing and profiling
– Video has unique qualities
– Take advantage of your location
– Reduce distance barriers
– Let the internet take the strain
– Decrease your Carbon Footprint
• Podcasts
– Audio visualise your web content
– Use your alumni to share experiences
Bots, avatars and virtual worlds
• Second Life
– 18-34 = 60%
– Top countries
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United States
Germany
United Kingdom
Japan
Brazil
France
Italy
Netherlands
Canada
Spain
Bots, avatars and virtual worlds
• Second Life
– Unproven as a marketing vehicle but offers new opportunities
– Popular with academic institutions e.g. 50+ UK Universities
– Recruitment example
E-mail marketing
•
Define proposition(s) based on market segment and stage of lifecycle
– Differentiators, USPs, value and proof points
– Messages to attract – then support and convert
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Identify tangible objectives and measurements for each campaign
– Branding
– Conversion
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Message content
– Keep it simple with a clear call to action
– Ensure relevance of landing page(s)
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E-mail design
– Keep it simple – limit use of images
– Check spelling and grammar
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Privacy and security
– Opt in / Opt out
– Restrict access to personal data
E-mail marketing
• Technical considerations
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SPAM filters
Sending application and server technology
HTML or plain text (might the recipient be mobile?)
Use of images, links and attachments
Choose subject lines carefully
• Human considerations
– Choose subject lines carefully!
– Time of delivery
E-mail example
• List segmented by: Nationality, Industry, Experience
• Subject: Meeting with XXXX School at World Grad School
Tour in Shanghai on 16th November
Dear Carolina,
I would be interested in meeting with you at the World Grad School Tour in
Shanghai on 16th November. Please do come and find me on the XXXXX table.
Our IT Masters are in heavy demand by top employers and last year’s alumni
have already secured senior positions with companies including AAA, BBB and
CCC. This clearly recognises the respect that a degree from XXXXXX has with
employers, as well as the quality of our students.
I look forward to learning more about your career interests and discussing
our programs with you in person. In the meantime, for a quick introduction
please see www.xxxxxx.com.
Best regards,
Valerie
Agenda
• Engaging “Generation Y”
– Who are they?
– International differences
– Lifecycle marketing
– A balanced approach
• Online marketing mix
– Web sites
– Search engines
– Banners
– Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers
– Videos and podcasts
– Virtual worlds, avatars and bots
– E-mail
• Online applications
10th March 2008
The role of online applications
• Identify key information about your prospects
• Focus resources on your preferred candidates
• Build relationship with candidate throughout their application
• Use a mix of communications media: e-mail, web status, mobile
• Streamline processing of applications
– Faster response
– Less resource
• Access to prospects in process of applying at key times
• Improve conversion rates
• Target resources on meeting diversity objectives
• Measure the results of your marketing activity
Online applications
• But we already have an application form
Online applications
• Market adoption
Source:
QS Research – Web Survey
Online applications
Number of
applications
Time to respond
to enquiries
Research suggests that responsiveness is the
single most important factor in choice of school
QS TopApply
• Complete system for Candidate Recruitment Management (CRM)
– Database of prospective candidates
– Track and manage communications
– E-mail marketing campaigns
– Interview scheduling
– Online application form(s)
– Back-office for processing applications
– Text and graphical reports
Prospect Manager
Application Manager
Prospect Manager
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Relationship Management
– Upload prospect databases
– Track individual relationships
– Target individuals and groups
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E-mail campaigns
– Build e-mail templates
– Schedule campaigns
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Reporting
– Establish RoI
– Understand trends
•
Schedule interviews
Application Manager
•
Online application form for candidates
– World class customer service
– Upload supporting documents
– Reference requests
– Online payment of application fee
– Monitor application status
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Online back-office system for schools
– Monitor application progress
– Follow-up individuals and groups
– Targeted e-mails
– Process applications
– Detailed reporting
Phases of online marketing
Individual
Integrated
Transforming
E-mail
CRM
Online applications
Web site
Mobile messaging
Web 2.0
Banner ads
Search optimization
Virtual worlds
Improving reach
Improving effectiveness
New opportunities
Agenda
• Engaging “Generation Y”
– Who are they?
– International differences
– Lifecycle marketing
– A balanced approach
• Online marketing mix
– Web sites
– Search engines
– Banners
– Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers
– Videos and podcasts
– Virtual worlds, avatars and bots
– E-mail
• Online applications
10th March 2008
Please complete the seminar feedback form
For more information, please contact your QS Account Manager
or Ian Lynes, TopApply Business Manager:
[email protected]
Office: +44 (0)20 7284 7259
Mobile: +44 (0)7796 958106
Thank you
Converting prospects into students