Given recent austerity efforts, higher education institutions have become more budget-conscious than ever. The effectiveness of marketing and recruitment must be evaluated so that maximum enrolment effect can be achieved from limited budgets. This presentation was part of a workshop held during EAIE in Liverpool in September 2016. I gave practical guidance on how to measure and compare the costs and benefits of the most frequently used marketing channels: agents, education fairs and advertising both off-line and online.

1. WORKING WITH AGENTS
NOT JUST RECRUITMENT BUT ALSO MARKETING
George Hernandez
October 11, 2017 Slide 1

2. October 11, 2017 Slide 2
Some agents
Represent over 800 universities worldwide and
recruit thousands of students every year.
This is NOT about agent management
This is NOT about admissions
This is NOT about process improvement
This is NOT about mailing brochures to agents
This is NOT about analysing commisions
This is NOT about financial incentives

3. October 11, 2017 Slide 3
This is about cutting
through the noise
It is about marketing to the agents
maximizing investment on the agent channel

4. Areas to cove
01
CRM
Contact management, email
marketing, web forms.
02
Virtual Reality
We believe VR speaks a thousand
images and a million words.
03
Marketing for agent events
Before the event, during the
event, and after the event.
04
Beyond corporate gifts
No more pens, USB drives, and
many other “me too” products.
05
Converting student offers
Helping agents with early
acceptance of offers.
06
Cost effective training
Leveaging reach with webinars
and student online activities.
October 11, 2017 Slide 4

5. October 11, 2017 Slide 5
 For marketing purposes
 Contact management
 Agents
 Country
 Branch
 Counsellor
 Email communications
 Individual Massive
 Integrate with any email marketing service
 Integrate with any marketing automation tool
 Web forms
 Agent requests (material, etc)
CRM
Software to manage a university's interactions with relevant audiences, (agents, students,
staff) The CRM collects and uses data about the student’s history with the university, to
improve the relationship with the relevant audience, specifically focusing on conversion.
5

6. October 11, 2017 Slide 6
COST
Free for 10 users
License model, €11, €23, €32
10X: €3800 per annum
ROI
64,000+ emails sent to agents
in 12 months
50+ freight requests
88 event requests by
recruitment
€

7. October 11, 2017 Slide 7
• Email Marketing

8. Virtual Reality
Beyond Brochures
 Technology from the 60’s, Affordable in the 90’s
 Smartphone revolution last decade
 Google cardboard 2014
 2015 for recruiters and agents
 2016 for students
COST
Eight 360 panorama
photography
€11,500 (All inclusive)
University branded cardboard
€13 per cardboard
240x = €3,120 (print +freight)
October 11, 2017 Slide 8

9. ROI
Cardboard and Panoramas
Content ROI is not limited to one audience or one timeline only.
Uploads to Facebook,
720Yun, Youvisit
Over 2,000 app installs
Over 10,000 views in
720Yun
Over 400,000 views in
Facebook
News coverage in China
October 11, 2017 Slide 9

10. October 11, 2017 Slide 10
Workshops
Agent communications for events, including:
before the event, during the event, and after the event messages.
Marketing for agent events

11. October 11, 2017 Slide 11
Event Marketing
Email Marketing Linkedin Groups Slideshare

12. October 11, 2017 Slide 12
Cost
Web design: 2 hours
Email marketing 2 hours
Photos: Google
Presentations: Slideshare
ROI
13 emails to 36 partners
Average Open Rate 72%
Over 13,000 views for the presentations

13. October 11, 2017 Slide 13
Beyond Corporate Gifts
ME TOO
Most used
promotional
products include:
USB drives, pens,
office supplies.
NO YES
TILE
RFID hardware
device for Android
and iOS, to locate
lost items via
Bluetooth.
€
€13
Distributed to
550 agents,
totalling €7,330
(tile, pack and
shipping)
ROI
FEEDBACK
100 offiline
visits

14. October 11, 2017 Slide 14
0
1
0
4
0
2
0
3

15. October 11, 2017 Slide 15
Early Acceptance Incentive
Seaplane Ride
 Seaplane tour
around Hobart,
Tasmania
 Worth €170, cost
€75
 For semester 2,
2015
 Acceptance
within 3 weeks of
issue date
 Total students
accepting within 3
weeks: 17
Welcome Adventure
 Six Tasmanian
touristic adventures
to choose from
 Worth €170, cost
€75
 For semester 1,
2016
 Acceptance within
3 weeks of issue
date
 Total students
accepting within 3
weeks: 37
Study Pack
 Two choices:
student centric
options
 Worth €330,
cost €170
 For semester 2,
2016
 Acceptance
within 3 weeks
of issue date
 Total students
accepting within
3 weeks: 155
IELTS Master Plus
 IELTS online
training course
 Worth €200,
cost €100
 For semester 1,
2017
 Acceptance
within 3 weeks
of issue date
 Total accepts
FIRST 3 weeks:
53

16. October 11, 2017 Slide 16
Webinar series
One week
1
2
3
4
Every semester
Targeting prospective
students and also
agent counsellors.
9 sessions
Courses, student
services, state
immigration
Marketing
Website, email
marketing, advertising
ROI
1,500+ registrations
Up to 25% attendance
Over 1,000 video
views after event

17. Enrolments for Onshore International Commencing Students
Commencing
students
Base
13%
19%
2014 2015
Commencing
students
2016
Commencing
students
1,236
1,391
1,656Heads (Excluding India and Nepal)
2014-2016
Marketing for agents
 $0
Conversion rate from
offer to acceptance: 30%
Marketing for agents
 $20,000
Conversion rate from
offer to acceptance: 32%
Marketing for agents
 $30,000
Conversion rate from
offer to acceptance: 35%