This document discusses the importance of developing a mobile strategy for business schools. It notes that today's students are highly connected via mobile devices. It then provides a 10 step blueprint for a successful business school mobile strategy, including defining target audiences, deciding on a mobile website or app, creating tailored entry points, making apps easy to use and valuable, including calls to action, leveraging location, photos and social media, measuring impact, and integrating mobile into an overall digital strategy.
1. The Hyper Connected
Consumer and the
Mobile Experience
Grant Sabatier
VP Digital Strategy
AACSB B-School
Communications and
Development Symposium
2. E D U V A N T I S 2
Today’s Session
Why you need a mobile strategy
The expectations of the mobile
consumer
The blueprint for a successful
business school mobile strategy
Business school mobile best
practices
3. E D U V A N T I S 3
MOBILE DEVICES are Important Lenses
SO HOW ARE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
YOUR BRAND?
4. E D U V A N T I S 4
iPad: Fastest Adoption Rate in History
over 100 million sold
5. E D U V A N T I S 5
Business School Mobile Traffic
20%
5%
2010 Feb 2013
7. The Hyper-Connected US Business School
Prospective and Current Student in 2013
18-35 years old
• 39% own a tablet
• 74% own a smartphone
• 86% go online with phones
• 77% check phone at least
once an hour
• 48% use mobile device as
primary way to use the internet
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project
7E D U V A N T I S
8. E D U V A N T I S
Expectations of the Mobile Consumer
• Desire convenience and ease of use
• Easy access to key information
• Want to be able to easily share and
send info through email or social
networks
• Expect to sign up, connect, or request
more information through mobile
9. E D U V A N T I S 9
The Six Dimensions of Mobile Marketing
Websites
Email
Apps
Texting
Paid
Ads
Social
Media
11. E D U V A N T I S 11
1. Define your target stakeholder groups and
prioritize the most important mobile content
Prospectiv
e
Students
Current
Students
Alumni Recruiters
• Program
Information
• Admissions/Ap
plication
Information
• Student Life
Content/SM
Links
• Event Sign Up
• Contact Form
• Apply Now
• Program
Information
• Course
Listings
• News/Researc
h
• Student Life
Content/SM
Links
• Directory
• Campus Map
• News/Researc
h
• Alumni
Communities
• Reunion
Information
• Lifelong
Learning
• Career
Network
• Donate
• News/Researc
h
• Directory/Stud
ent Profiles
• Targeted
Content
• Event
Calendar
12. E D U V A N T I S 12
2. Mobile Website, Mobile App, or Both?
Mobile Website: A version of an institution’s
primary website that is optimized to be viewed on
mobile devices.
Mobile App: A closed environment native
application on either iOS of Android. Apps need to
be downloaded and are independently functioning
digital environments. Need to do things mobile
websites cannot.
13. A Deeper Look at Mobile Apps
• Users spend on average 82% of their mobile minutes
engaging with apps, and 18% with web browsers
• The average user downloads about 40 apps to their
phone and use 15 regularly
• Smartphone apps fall into 5 categories
– Games and Entertainment (42% of time spent on mobile)
– Social Networks (31% of time spent on mobile)
– Utilities (maps, clocks, calendars, email)
– Discovery (apps like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Flixster)
– Brands (Nike, Red Bull, etc)
Source: Harvard Business Review – March 2013
18. E D U V A N T I S 18
Many of the Features and Uses of Mobile Apps
and Mobile Websites are Similar
Mobile App Mobile Website
News ✓ ✓
Requesting More Information/Contact Form ✓ ✓
Apply Now ✓
Visit/Event Registration ✓ ✓
Search Courses ✓
Directories ✓ ✓
Campus Maps ✓ ✓
Event Calendars ✓ ✓
Social Links (FB, TW, LNKD, YT) ✓ ✓
Alumni Information ✓
Blogs ✓ ✓
19. E D U V A N T I S 19
Test your site at howtogomo.com by Google
20. E D U V A N T I S 20
3. Create an entry point for each of your stakeholder
groups to target visitor flow/content appropriately
21. 21
4. Develop mobile apps and websites that are
easy to use and “create value for the user”
Access (students only) course assignments/materials
and interact w/ colleagues & professors by posting
comments, docs, photos & videos through the UNC
Kenan Flagler App
SMU Cox Mobile Career Management center offers
career tips, resume storage, calendar for on campus
events, and important links for job seekers
22. 22
Develop mobile apps and websites that are easy
to use, useful, and create value for the user
Connect to anyone in the directory at Columbia
Business School through email or phone, view
profiles, and save contact information to phone
Wharton offers information for recruiters through their
mobile website
23. E D U V A N T I S 23
Alumni Apps
UCLA Anderson Magazine - iPad
HULT Alumni App
24. 24
5. Create calls to action for appropriate
stakeholder groups
Apply in 1 click to Columbia Business
School through Mobile Website
Request a brochure through Hult
mobile website
25. 25
Create calls to action for appropriate stakeholder
groups
Refer a prospective student or make a
donation through the Thunderbird
iPhone App
Sign up for a class visit, check your
application status, and engage on
social media through the Berkeley
Haas iPhone App
26. 26
6. Support mobile engagement through geo-
location, photos, videos, and social media
UVA Darden campus walking tour through iPhone App
27. 27
Support mobile engagement through geo-
location, photos, videos, and social media
Life@Insead allows students to explore around their three
campuses in Paris, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi
28. 28
7. Link appropriate content to mobile optimized
pages (ex. email, texting, and social media)
29. 29
8. Choose the right mobile development
path for your institution
• Custom Mobile App ($5 - $15K)
• Off the shelf solution (ex. Blackboard
Mobile) Cost: $1-$3K per year license.
• Mobile Website Plugin through CMS
(Potentially Free)
30. 30
9. Measure mobile impact and optimize
• Google Analytics tracking – mobile
traffic, custom links showing device
• Separate analytics profile for mobile with
important engagement statistics linked to
conversions (forms, applications, shares)
• App Downloads
31. E D U V A N T I S
Integrated
Digital
Strategy
Mobile
Maps, Navigation, Se
arch, Apps, Texting, E
mail
Website/CMS
Content, Calls to
Action, Landing Pages
Social Media/User
Generated
Content
Users engaging with the
brand across platforms
Business
Intelligence/We
b Analytics
What campaigns and
tactics are giving us
the best ROI?
Search Engine
Optimization
How are people finding
our website?
Paid Digital
Advertising
PPC, Display, and Paid
Social Media
Mobile is one part of your digital strategy10. Mobile is part of a larger digital strategy
31
Always ask yourself this important question – how are people experiencing my brand through social mediaScrolling colleges with my cousin recently on his iPhone while we were waiting for the train…
*out of 77 schools w/ numbered rankings 1-75, some schools are ranked same (ex. Rice University, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UW-Madison, and Vanderbilt are all ranked 25)General B-School App (not Reunion, or Alumni, or Magazine Apps) 13/77 schools Mobile Web : Accessed directly from my iPhone, so redirected mobile web sites = 17/77 Responsive Web Design: elements that shifted and responded to resizing of my browser = 9/77----- Meeting Notes (3/7/13 11:59) -----move this to beneath - look at where the industry is - copyright Eduvantis -
Marketing angle – be more connected on our campus78% of people sleep with their smartphones by their beds
Meet your prospective students where they are - Link to mobile optimized content – speak about each of these tacticsTexting popular in undergraduate recruiting -
It’s also important to ask members of your community what content they would like to see – in order to continue adding value you need to make sure you have useful functionality.
*out of 77 schools w/ numbered rankings 1-75, some schools are ranked same (ex. Rice University, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UW-Madison, and Vanderbilt are all ranked 25)General B-School App (not Reunion, or Alumni, or Magazine Apps) 13/77 schools Mobile Web : Accessed directly from my iPhone, so redirected mobile web sites = 17/77 Responsive Web Design: elements that shifted and responded to resizing of my browser = 9/77----- Meeting Notes (3/7/13 11:59) -----move this to beneath - look at where the industry is - copyright Eduvantis -
----- Meeting Notes (3/7/13 11:59) -----are institutions making these decisions independently - how do undergraduate - does your institution have a mobile app - what is your institutions mobile experience?mobile in general highere education -
Graphs/Charts depicting starting salary & signing bonuses for MBA grads optimized for mobile viewing
Graphs/Charts depicting starting salary & signing bonuses for MBA grads optimized for mobile viewing
Two different ways to target alumni -
----- Meeting Notes (3/7/13 11:59) -----what are their dimensions of mobile -
You are most likely missing potential leads – because people can’t find the content that they want to from their mobile device
As marketers drive the discussion with your IT team – tell them what you need!
There is not a magic solution – but your stakeholder demands are changing and as an institution it is critical to meet them where they are. This will inevitably lead to more leads and a better brand experience.