Eye on the Prize
Implementing Technology with an Eye on ROI
Karlyn Morissette
karlyn@karlynmorissette.com
www.karlynmorissette.com
www.doteduguru.com

Return on Investment:
the magic number that
will make you look like
a golden god

What is the difference between
Marketing and Communications
?

“Communications makes
marketing tactics tangible”

Cartoon

Steps of Marketing
1. Set Goals
2. Plan your communications
3. Execute
4. Assess your results

Set Goals
⇒ What does success look like?
⇒ Marketing goals should relate back
to the business goals of the
institution
⇒ Make sure they are
measurable

Plan Your
Communications
⇒ What medium is the best way to
articulate your message?
⇒ What is the strategy for the
communication?

Time is Money
Planning not only includes
strategy, but also
infrastructure. Will an
in-house solution or an
outsourced one be more
cost effective?

Step One:
Employee’s Salary
+ 1/3 Salary (benefits)
==================
Total Salary
Step Two:
Total Salary / 2080
===============
Hourly Wage
Step Three:
Hourly Wage
X Number of Staff Hours
==================
Internal Cost

Execute your
communications

Assess your results
⇒ What was achieved as a direct result
of the communication?
⇒ Did that conversion result in a return?
⇒ What can I do better next time?

Example: Email Marketing
Set up tracking for an email
that is sent out to
prospects, encouraging
them to fill out an online
application for admissions.

Set Up Tracking
Two Key Tools:
⇒ Goals
⇒ URL Builder

Step One: Set up
a Goal / Funnel

Step Two: Build a Campaign URL
http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55578

Step Three: Put the Two Together
Kyle’s Tool: http://doteduguru.com/stamats/urlbuilder

Step Three: Put the Two Together
Goal Conversion

Example: Email Marketing
Figure out ROI on an email
campaign that sent out
3,000 emails, had 358 click
throughs, resulting in 130
applications. The email took
2 hours to complete, at the
cost of $40/hr staff time
and $0.015/per email.

ROI Calculator
http://www.marketingtoday.com/tools/roi_calculator.htm

Dollarize Everything
Assigning a monetary
value to your results
gives you a common
denominator to
compare costs to
outcomes

Assigning Value
Cost of Tuition: $20,000/year
Conversion rate from application to enroll: 20%
20% of $20,000 is $4,000
$4,000 is our “average profit per sale”

Values for the Calculator
⇒ Number of Pieces: 3,000
⇒ Total Program Costs:
($0.015 X 3,000) + ($40 X 2) = $125
⇒ Response Rate: 358 clicks/3,000 = 11.93%
⇒ Conversion Rate: 130 apps/358 = 36.31%
⇒ Average Profit Per Sale: $4,000

ROI Results

Share Your Success
⇒ Make it tangible
⇒ Give it context
⇒ Offer recommendations

Breaking Down Tactics

The dirty little
secret of
e-marketing

Email Marketing: What it’s good for
⇒ Increase online
applications
⇒ Register online for an
event
⇒ Bring in online gifts
⇒ Start a conversation

Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads: What are they good for?

Facebook Ads: What are they good for?

Facebook Ads: What are they good for?

Facebook Ads: How you measure ROI
⇒ Use a Google Analytics campaign URL
⇒ Set up a goal or create a unique landing
page to track conversion.
⇒ Assign a value and use the ROI
calculator.

Facebook Ads: How you measure ROI
⇒ Number of pieces: The total number of
impressions
⇒ Program costs: The total amount paid for the
ads, plus staff time.
⇒ Response rate: The percent of people who
clicked on the ad
⇒ Conversion rate: The percent of people
fulfilled the call-to-action
⇒ Average profit per sale: The value you assign
to them fulfilling the action

Facebook Ads: How you measure ROI

Blogs

Blogs: What are they good for?
⇒ Provide authentic stories of
the student experience
⇒ An opportunity for
interaction with current
students
⇒ Make institutional
announcements and
calls-to-action
⇒ Gain insight into the minds
of your audience

Blogs: How can you measure ROI?
⇒ Conversion, if you have a call to action
⇒ Readers: Cost of advertising in a similar
content channel
⇒ Comments: Cost of a focus group, if it
provides insight
⇒ Anecdotal: Take it on a case-by-case basis

Social Networks

Social Networks: What are they good for?
⇒ Allowing your audience
to become a
friend/fan/follower of
your institution
⇒ Engaging incoming
students over the
summer to prevent
“sugar off”
⇒ Giving alumni
volunteers a way to
interact with each
other and share tips

Social Networks: How you measure ROI
⇒ Easy dissemination of information: What would it
cost you in over mediums? What was your
conversion rate with calls-to-action?
⇒ Ease sugar off: Did the percentage of summer
sugar off go down? How much value does that
translate into?
⇒ Support alumni volunteers: Where your volunteers
more successful as a result? What value does that
translate into?

Bottom Line on Measurement
How much did
achieving my goals
relate directly back to
the bottom line of my
institution?

Key Takeaways
⇒ Start with bottom-line
related goals, not with
the technology
⇒ Measure everything
⇒ Dollarize your results to
calculate ROI
⇒ Always ask what you can
do better next time

Questions?
www.karlynmorissette.com
www.doteduguru.com
Email: karlyn@karlynmorissette.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/karlynm