Experience from the field with Fresno State, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Admission Table explaining the challenges of implementing digital marketing and international student engagement. How every campaign gives us new knowledge to make improvements every step of the way

1. Digital Marketing
To The Next Level
for International Student Recruitment
Chair: Jennifer Gruenewald, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Paul Hofmann, California State University, Fresno
Duleep Deosthale, Admission Table
Ben Waxman, Intead

2. Can Your Institution Be Nimble?

3. IIE Open Door Data 2013
61,342 63,749 68,195
82,136 79,365 84,543
90,903
102,069
64,235
72,726
78,489
84,828 84,613 89,505 92,211
100,129
17,346 20,703
26,437
33,496 38,992 40,442 45,353 48,722
142,923
157,178
173,121
200,460 202,970
214,490
228,467
250,920
0
75,000
150,000
225,000
300,000
2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
Undergraduate Graduate Non-Degree Total
Open Doors Data: New International Enrollment

4. Associate’s
8%
Bachelor’s
33%
Graduate
38%
Non-degree
9%
Optional
Practical
Training
12%
Total
International Students:
819,644
Open Doors Data: Academic Level
IIE Open Door Data 2013

5. Business and
Management
22%
Engineering
19%
Math and
Computer Science
9%
Social Sciences
9%
Physical and Life
Sciences 8%
Fine and Applied
Arts 6%
Intensive English
5%
Health
Professions 4%
Humanities 2%
Education 2%
Agriculture 1%
Other Fields of
Study 10%
Undeclared
3%
Open Doors Data: Fields of Study
IIE Open Door Data 2013

6. China
29%
India
12%
South Korea
9%
Saudi Arabia
5%
Canada 3%
Taiwan 3%
Japan 2%
Vietnam 2%
Mexico 2%
Turkey 1%
Brazil 1%
Germany 1%
United Kingdom 1%
Nepal 1%
Iran 1%
Rest of world
26%
Open Doors Data: Leading Places of Origin
IIE Open Door Data 2013

7. UWM’s Enrollment Growth
1,102
1,230
1,325
1,647
1,777
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

8. Int’l Recruitment Strategy - Sources of Students
25%
15%
10% 15%
35%
Retention/Graduation/
Student Experience
Partnerships
Agents
International Fairs
Digital Marketing

9. Travel Support: Fair Inquiries
9

10. The Competition’s Out There
Michael E. Porter,
Bishop William Lawrence
University Professor,
Harvard
Source: Michael Porter: Five Forces

11. Differentiation
Why should anyone choose you?
Market Strategy Is about Differentiation
Communicate what makes you different

12. “Hey There, I’m Prospect #297”
12

13. Most Valuable Fair Email Addresses
Comparison by Fair Provider:
# of students vs. # of bad email addresses based on
hard bounces from first follow-up email

14. Most Valuable Fair Email Addresses
Comparison by Fair Provider: Open rates &
click through rates for first follow-up email

15. 23 Campuses 1 System

16. 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Fall 2014 Spring 2015
International Student Enrollment
350
815

17. Recruitment Strategies
• Overseas travel
• Streamlined Admissions & Transfer Credit Process
• Institutional Partnerships
• Agent-based recruitment
• Increased Digital Presence

18. Social Media Platforms

19. Mobile App

20. Institutional Challenges
• Connectivity – Linking Digital Media Platforms to SIS
• Staffing & Resources
• Leadership Transition
• Data Collection & Segmentation
• Scalability

21. Engagement Opportunities
• Direct Inquires
– Website, Email, Social Media
• Travel & International Fairs
• Agents
• Partnerships

22. Digital Content Marketing Tools
22

23. Polls & Games: Fun & Educational

24. Customized, Multi-Lang Content

25. 2 Days
EMAIL
1
1 Week
EMAIL
2
EMAIL
3
2 Weeks
EMAIL
4
1 Month
Prospect
CONTACT FORM
Digital Marketing Automation
What is an inquiry worth?

26. Respect Your Prospects’ Interests
• Where are your
prospects/inquires/applicants
coming from?
• How do they behave?
• What motivates them/
how do they choose
to apply and enroll?

27. Total
population
Active
internet users
Active social
media accounts
Active
Mobile users
Active mobile
Social accounts
53%
3 billion 2.1 billion 3.7 billion 1.7 billion
Urbanization
7.3 billion
Penetration Penetration Penetration Penetration
42% 29% 51%
Global Scenario
23%

28. 88
43
56
81
36
19
33
69
58
38
51
North
America
Central
America
South
America
West
Europe
East
Europe
Central
Asia
East
Asia
Middle
East
South
Asia South
East Asia
Oceania
% of internet usage
42
Global
Coverage

29. Monthly active users (in millions)
Sina Weibo
Facebook
QQ
WhatsApp
Q Zone
Skype
Twitter
1.4 Billion
829
700
167
288
300
629

30. Facebook use by device:
Laptop &
Desktop
Mobile Tablet
976 million 889 million 203 million
69% 63% 14%

31. Active
internet users
Active social
media accounts
Active
Mobile users
Active mobile
Social accounts
+525 million +222 million +185 million +313 million
percentage percentage percentage percentage
21% 12% 5%
FB growth: 2 months
23%

32. To reach 50 million users it took
Radio
Television
Internet
WhatsApp
Facebook
38 Years

33. To reach 50 million users it took
Radio
Television
Internet
WhatsApp
Facebook
13 years

34. To reach 50 million users it took
Radio
Television
Internet
WhatsApp
Facebook
4 years

35. To reach 50 million users it took
Radio
Television
Internet
WhatsApp
Facebook 62 days

36. To reach 50 million users it took
Radio
Television
Internet
WhatsApp
Facebook
5 days

37. Digital footprint begins before birth

38. Did you know children below 2 years…
• 81% have
• digital
• profiles
• 33% have
• pictures uploaded
• on net
• 23% have
• Sonograms
• uploaded
• 7% have
• an email

39. 47% 36% 13%
China Vietnam India
Smartphone penetration in emerging markets

40. 53% 66% 74%
2008 2012 20142008 2012 2014
Students live on mobile
Nomophobia: Fear of not being connected due to a lack of
battery power, signal or loss of ones mobile phone
Proportion of respondents who confess to ‘nomophobia’

41. 56%
13%
11%
6%
5%
5%3%
Apps
Text Messaging
Browser
Social Network
Call
Time spent on mobile by students

42. 21,667 MUMBAI
25,829 BANGALORE
63,315 HYDERABAD
40,062 CHENNAI
33,224 CALCUTTA
29,624 DELHI
TIER I CITIES
Tier I Cities

43. 5,496 CHANDIGARH
6,259 AHMEDABAD
21,667 MUMBAI
10,062 PUNE
25,829 BANGALORE
63,315 HYDERABAD
40,062 CHENNAI
33,224 CALCUTTA
5,496 BHUBANESHWA
R
3,473 LUCKNOW
2,988 NOIDA
29,624 DELHI
2,612 DEHRADUN
2,162 GHAZIABAD
2,086 SECUNDERABAD
1,851 NAVI MUMBAI
1,387 COCHIN
930 PATNA
698 NAGPUR
460 JABALPUR
789 KOTA
354 UDUPI
987 JAIPUR
894 RANCHI
TIER II CITIES
TIER I CITIES
Tier I, II Cities

44. 5,496 CHANDIGARH
6,259 AHMEDABAD
21,667 MUMBAI
10,062 PUNE
25,829 BANGALORE
63,315 HYDERABAD
40,062 CHENNAI
33,224 CALCUTTA
5,496 BHUBANESHWA
R
3,473 LUCKNOW
2,988 NOIDA
29,624 DELHI
2,612 DEHRADUN
2,162 GHAZIABAD
2,237 KANPUR
2,210 HOWRAH
2,133 MYSORE
2,086 SECUNDERABAD
1,963 VADODARA
1,851 NAVI MUMBAI
1,684 GREATER NOIDA
1,482 THANE
1,387 COCHIN
1,354 FARIDABAD
930 PATNA
1,121 FARIDABAD
698 NAGPUR
460 JABALPUR
332 BHOPAL
203 RAIPUR
789 KOTA
354 UDUPI
987 JAIPUR
894 RANCHI
TIER II CITIES
TIERIII CITIES
TIER I CITIES
Tier I, II, III Cities

45. Social media campaign to acquire prospects

46. Counseling on
WhatsApp
Counseling by
admission team

47. Holistic Approach to Recruitment

48. What Have We Learned?
• Find opportunities to stand out from the crowd
(message differentiation)
• Focus your resources – choose your regions carefully
• Create engaging content – send stuff they care about
• Choose a platform for dissemination – choose the
tools that allow you to automate, connect and
analyze for continual improvement
• Work on campus alignment – be sure the experience
on campus is meeting expectations, otherwise the
social media back home will undermine your efforts
• Learn as you go – this stuff is new and challenging

49. Q&A