Recruitment Marketing and Social Media: the World is Out of Control National Council for Marketing and Public Relations – District IV Jackson Hole, Wyoming October 21, 2008

“ Universities look to new media as a way to target prospective students” http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/24/0924collegeads.html Is the social media now a regular part of an integrated marketing campaign? Or just something that happens? Can it be both?

What we’re talking about today … Web 2.0… the end of organizational control Blogs Social networks… MySpace, Facebook and more Wikis… Wikipedia Videos… YouTube Product reviews… Rate My Professor “ User generated” content you can’t control Do you… Hide in a cave? Join the advance of civilization?

Web 2.0… the end of organizational control

Blogs

Social networks… MySpace, Facebook and more

Wikis… Wikipedia

Videos… YouTube

Product reviews… Rate My Professor

“ User generated” content you can’t control

Do you…

Hide in a cave?

Join the advance of civilization?

Who uses social networking sites? Just about everybody… Fastest growing group is in their 30s and 40s and more Where are they online? MySpace and Facebook YouTube Wikipedia Smaller, specialized sites are becoming more popular

Just about everybody…

Fastest growing group is in their 30s and 40s and more

Where are they online?

MySpace and Facebook

YouTube

Wikipedia

Smaller, specialized sites are becoming more popular

What Noel-Levitz research says… Mixed marketing signals… High school students are receptive to college sites on MySpace & Facebook that present factual information about a college… 61 percent Students are less receptive to advertising on social network sites… 53 percent Social network sites from admissions counselors to recruit interested students… 56 percent

Mixed marketing signals…

High school students are receptive to college sites on MySpace & Facebook that present factual information about a college… 61 percent

Students are less receptive to advertising on social network sites… 53 percent

Social network sites from admissions counselors to recruit interested students… 56 percent

What Noel-Levitz research says… Results from 2-year college prospects are about the same as results from 4-year college prospects Students enrolling at 2-year colleges would… Use a financial aid estimator… 88 percent Use a tuition cost calculator… 85 percent Read a faculty blog… 64 percent Read a student blog… 61 percent

Results from 2-year college prospects are about the same as results from 4-year college prospects

Students enrolling at 2-year colleges would…

Use a financial aid estimator… 88 percent

Use a tuition cost calculator… 85 percent

Read a faculty blog… 64 percent

Read a student blog… 61 percent

An observation on the research… People visit websites for very basic information: What academic programs do you offer? Who goes to your school? What does it cost? What success do your students have? Most important marketing goal is a website that provides this information Social networking sites can… Provide the basic information that people want Allow people contact with real students at your school Be a friendlier place than “official” websites

People visit websites for very basic information:

What academic programs do you offer?

Who goes to your school?

What does it cost?

What success do your students have?

Most important marketing goal is a website that provides this information

Social networking sites can…

Provide the basic information that people want

Allow people contact with real students at your school

Be a friendlier place than “official” websites

Your “official” website… present and future Still your most important online space But would benefit from copying some of the less formal, more personal features of social networking sites In the future… distinctions in style and substance between “official” websites and social networking sites will decrease Start this by creating an internal social networking site Use analytics to measure where time is spent

Still your most important online space

But would benefit from copying some of the less formal, more personal features of social networking sites

In the future… distinctions in style and substance between “official” websites and social networking sites will decrease

Start this by creating an internal social networking site

Use analytics to measure where time is spent

Some things you can’t control…

Tyler Junior College… Rate the profs

Some things you can influence…

Your Wikipedia entry… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_College_of_Denver

Sometimes you take your chances…

Austin Community College… YouTube

Amarillo College… Facebook

Prediction: Internal social networking sites will increase… Interest in social networking around topics of common interest is growing… Colleges can take advantage of this

2-year colleges… An internal example on the official website Social networking sites can integrate online communication features… Interactivity and User-generated content

Edmonds Community College… http://edmondscc.ning.com/

Polls, feature story, links to regular site…

Forums, comments, and video…

Blogs…

News items… in secondary position

Access is controlled and used to gather marketing information…

2-year colleges… An external example at Amarillo College Facebook… MySpace… YouTube… Twitter

MySpace for higher education… http://www.myspace.com/collegesanduniversities

October MySpace site of the month…

MySpace links to YouTube… http://www.youtube.com/amarillocollege

MySpace links to Twitter… http://twitter.com/amarillocollege

Twitter links to MySpace, YouTube, Facebook…

Facebook links to MySpace, YouTube, Twitter…

A very important reminder… Tell people where you are… Link to your social network sites from your official site

Ohio State University… http://www.osu.edu/features/2008/socialmedia/?feature=socialmedia&yr=2008

The final notes… Social networking should be a part of your future marketing plans You have to be comfortable with losing some control over what’s said about you online… and what people are likely to find You can influence, you can’t control Give serious thought to creating a social networking experience on your own website… open to everyone

Social networking should be a part of your future marketing plans

You have to be comfortable with losing some control over what’s said about you online… and what people are likely to find

You can influence, you can’t control

Give serious thought to creating a social networking experience on your own website… open to everyone

To continue after today’s presentation…

Good source for new news… http://www.diosacommunications.com/highereducation.htm

Ongoing research…

Create your own… or hire out http://www.ning.com/...... http://www.targetx.com/network/index.html

Thank You! Bob Johnson, Ph.D. President and Senior Consultant Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 226 Chauncey Court Marshall, MI 49068 248.766.6425 [email_address] Customer Carewords Research for Online Marketing Success: http://www.bobjohnsonconsulting.com/customercarewords.html