The document outlines the findings from a 2016 college prospect survey that examined how digital natives engage with college marketing, highlighting the importance of tailored content and on-campus visits in the college selection process. Key insights indicate that online searches and word of mouth are primary awareness drivers, while social media plays a less significant role at the initial stages. The report emphasizes the need for colleges to adapt their marketing strategies to effectively reach prospective students through various phases of their decision-making journey.

1. College Prospect
Survey 2016
Answers on marketing to digital natives, from the students themselves.

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3. There has never been a more complex time to compete for college prospects. A generation of
digital natives is transforming how media is consumed, expecting messaging to be served up
how, when and where they’re prepared to absorb it.
When it comes to prospects connecting with the right college, however, we still believe the
“why” is the most essential factor in creating that affinity.
One of the most common sayings we hear from college students on why they chose a school is
“it just felt right.” It's important to understand the factors that influence this gut-level
response, both digitally and in-person. Unfortunately, what little research exists on the subject
is outdated, which is a surprise considering the significant changes happening each year in the
college prospect process.
Put simply, we need better data. Tuition increases, escalating debt and parental scrutiny of
long-term return on investment all underscore the need to justify the most significant
financial investment many families have made. Premium investments will follow premium
interactions and it is critical to understand what is driving the prospect’s behavior every step
of the way.
Overview
3

4. To comprehend the various aspects of a college’s “curb” appeal, we commissioned a survey
that looked at two aspects of the prospect journey: content and the on-campus visit.
Whether it’s a Facebook post, a Snap or a college information session, the right message at
the right time will make the difference in reaching the prospects colleges really want. We
segmented the teenage college prospect journey into three stages – Prospect, Inquiry and
Courtship. In broad terms, the three parts of the admissions funnel move someone from
general awareness to consideration set (application) to finalist (admission through enrollment).
As you know, there is significant overlap and gradation within each part of the process and we
address this throughout our survey.
We offer the survey results, our takeaways and recommendations as a guide. We hope it
sparks conversation among your colleagues, inspires you to get to know your prospects better
and provides some tangible takeaways that you can put in to action.
Overview
4

5. We surveyed 328 current high school juniors and seniors, all of whom are planning on
attending a four-year non-profit university. The survey included 15 different Illinois
high schools from relatively equally distributed socioeconomic strata. Here are the
highlights of the demographics surveyed:
• Gender - 58.4% female, 40.6% male
• 63.6% know what they plan to major in
• Number of schools plan on or applied to
– 37.7% - 4-7
– 34.0% - 8-10
– 17.5% - 1-3
– 9.7% - 11-15
– 1.3% - More than 15
• Number of college info sessions attended
– 45% - 1-3
– 28.7% - 4-7
– 10.0% - More than 15
– 8.7% - 11-15
– 8.1% - 8-10
Survey Demographics
5

6. 61
Prospect
phase
The prospect phase is the
earliest stage of the
college selection process.
During this step,
prospective students are
actively seeking
information to rule your
university in or out of their
consideration set.

7. Analysis
1. Online searches are the
key driver of awareness.
Web search (31.2%) came in
number one as the method by
which prospects first become
aware of a college. When you
combine college ranking website
(12.8%) with web search, 44% of
prospects first discover you
through some type of online
search.
7

8. Analysis (cont.)
2. Word of mouth plays a large role.
The second greatest factor in
awareness of a particular university
was conversation with a family
member or friend (29.7%).
3. Social media isn’t yet relevant at
this stage.
Only 6.1% of prospects first became
aware of a prospective college through
social media. Even sports on television
(7.1%) outranked social media as a
prospect’s first point of contact.
This may, of course, be a chicken or the
egg scenario: quality social
interactions are predicated on quality
social content – since so few
prospects look at social media at this
stage, marketing departments aren’t
prioritizing the creation of engaging
social content; this, in turn, keeps
prospects from seeing it as a source.
8

9. Actions to take
1. Pay attention to SEO
Most of you are keenly aware of the power of search engine
optimization (SEO) and some ways to implement paid and organic
strategies. Our survey results further prove that the war for
winning “Best colleges for [insert subject matter here]” is on.
There are a few easy methods for improving this crucial tactic:
Survey current freshmen on search terms
For example, what specific search terms did they start with and
why? Were college ranking sites truly the first stop or was that an
intermediary step after a general search query?
When it comes to social media (which is also a signal to search
engines), what would it have taken for them to notice you on social
media at this stage? On what platform? In what context?
Look at your Google Analytics account
As much as those “(not provided)” entries allow, look at which
keywords are pointing traffic your way.
9

10. Actions to take
1. Pay attention to SEO (cont.)
Buy branded keywords on paid search
If you’re not buying paid ads on your university’s name, others
might be – if this is the case, when a prospect searches for you,
they’re immediately served up an ad for a peer institution.
If you need help with any or all of these aforementioned top funnel
search tactics, we’ll be happy to connect you with some trusted
resources.
10

11. Actions to take
2. Develop quality content
Before writing a bunch of blogs or creating myriad videos, create a
content strategy that delivers on your school’s messaging goals.
Ensure all content is targeted and on-brand.
Here are some tips for improving your content strategy:
Divide content by stage in the journey
It’s wise to hold your prospect’s hands through the college
selection process. Provide relevant content to them for their
journey and associate your brand with that content. This involves
understanding which types of messages belong on which
platforms, which we’ll discuss later in this report. However, it starts
with easing their anxiety.
Consider admissions-specific division of content
People are looking for information customized for their stage in the
cycle. Overall, institutional marketing may not be addressing their
concerns with enough frequency. Consider creating various
streams of content – some directed at admitees, others at
promoters (which helps guide word of mouth).
11

12. Actions to take
2. Develop quality content (cont.)
Provide value, not advertising
Producing posts like “10 things college freshmen wish they knew
when trying to find their dream school” or “5 tips to help you make
sense of the college search process” featuring authentic student
insights is likely to connect better than images of your leafy
campus with a generic tagline.
By being the curator of helpful content, you benefit by association.
Remember, it has to be authentic. While calls to action are
acceptable, you must remember to provide value by answering
their questions about the process first.
12

13. Insider’s advice
Converge Consulting
13
We met with Converge Consulting, a leading
Higher Ed digital inbound marketing firm, to get
their insights on the survey results. Founder Ann
Oleson, President Jay Kelly and VP of Content
Strategy Megan Bys all weighed in.
The Converge team is seeing an increase in
schools being more strategic and focusing on
calendar-driven content strategies, a critical
must for small schools with small digital media
teams. The more sophisticated schools are
embracing a swath of digital media tools to
measure, iterate and improve upon serving the
right message to the right audience.
And though social media didn’t resonate with
our survey takers in this stage, Kelly
recommends that clients “increase paid social
media as part of their paid advertising strategy”
while noting that they’re seeing institutions pay
more attention to social media lower down the
funnel.

14. 141
Inquiry
phase
Prospective students
move into the Inquiry
phase after engaging or
showing some type of
interest in your university.
At this stage they are
looking to find the college
with the best fit.

15. Analysis
1. Safety, feeling
like I belong
socially and
academic
reputation are
essentials
While many of the
following factors
were neck-and-
neck, those top
three were key.
The only topic
they significantly
downplayed was a
university’s
impressive alumni.
15

16. 2. Social media is still a
secondary concern
Though its relevance is
greater here than at the
top of the funnel, less
than one-third of
prospects (28.0%) look
at a university’s social
media accounts before
applying, compared to
the 47% of prospects
who reportedly do not. In
a follow up question,
approximately one-third
of respondents agreed
that a university’s social
media presence gives
them a sense of the
campus culture.
16
Analysis (cont.)

17. Actions to take
1. Address their influential factors
Use your owned channels to guide students through the
challenging college search process.
Create content on your side that addresses their influential
factors. Answer the questions they’re looking for, being cognizant
of how they would phrase these search terms.
Show, don’t tell
It’s all about content authenticity. You can show stats about job
placement, or you can produce first-person video essays from
young alumni to tell your story for you. You can try to describe
campus culture, or you can let your best promoters – current
students – do it for you.
Know how behavioral traits affect their decisions
Think of user-generated content as your prospect’s version of
“word of mouth.” Content created by their peers is seen as
trustworthy and may help prospective students better connect to
the message.
17
A recent study of
Millennials says they
trust information
received through UGC
(user-generated
content) 50% more
than information from
other media sources,
including TV,
newspapers, and
magazines. And in
terms of purchase
decisions, UGC is 20%
more influential on
Millennials than other
media.

18. Actions to take
2. Segment your message by audience
Identify where your audience is connecting with you
If admitted students are utilizing your social media accounts to
find school-specific information, focus your content around their
needs instead of around prospects’ who are likely only looking at
your website to answer their general collegiate questions.
Audit your social media accounts
Start by reviewing your social accounts to see how much content
is Prospect/Inquiry phase-focused versus Courtship phase-
focused. Ensure that your social media messaging geared toward
the early stages of the admissions funnel is proportional to how
much students in these stages check your social media accounts.
Segment your messaging
Knowing that your many social media platforms are home to
different audiences with different wants and needs, develop a plan
to deliver each of those audience groups the information relevant
to them.
18
38% of
respondents
check school
social media
accounts
after they
apply.

19. Insider’s advice
Princeton University
19
“Princeton will continue to use Snapchat as a storytelling platform to
reach current and prospective students whereas Instagram Stories
presents an opportunity to share Princeton’s story to a global
audience.”
Jessica Fillinger, Social Media Specialist, Princeton

20. 201
Courtship
phase
The Courtship phase –
traditionally cited as the
applicant-admit-
acceptance parts of the
higher education funnel –
extends from the post-
application process
through enrollment. It
overlaps with the Inquiry
phase because prospects
may be visiting campuses
earlier (depending on
student). For simplicity,
we’ve emphasized the
social media strategy and
on-campus visit in this
step.

21. Analysis
Social media becomes increasingly
important in later stages
Facebook is overwhelmingly the
platform of choice (43.1%) on which
prospects want to engage with
universities. Instagram was a distant
second (17.5%) to Facebook and only
slightly ahead of Twitter (15.6%), while
the real surprise came with Snapchat
ranked fourth (9.1%) in our survey.
Respondents who answered other
indicated either they don’t want to
engage with a university via social
media period or they would prefer to
connect by email.
The campus visit is the single
greatest driver of conversion
A whopping 78.2% of prospects cite a
campus visit as increasing their
likelihood of attending that college.
We’ll dig in on the specific factors that
move the needle below.
21

22. Analysis (cont.)
Information sessions are uniformly uniform
Exactly 50% of respondents agreed (46.3%) or
strongly agreed (3.7%) that college admissions
presentations are interesting. Significantly less
(20.8%) agreed (19.9%) or strongly agreed (.9%)
the presentations are unique. This presents
tremendous opportunity for institutions willing to
be creative trailblazers to separate themselves.
Old standbys continue to be essential
The majority of prospects ranked five of the seven
factors as very important or essential, with feeling
welcomed and faculty carrying a lot of weight. It’s
of little surprise the application process and
financial aid top the charts in importance on a
campus visit; questioning and assessing such a
large investment is a big priority.
The surprise to us was how high feeling welcomed
by the staff ranked. It was the second highest
ranked in the essential category, outweighing
faculty. Also very important or essential: Tour
guides, campus beauty and emotionally engaging
stories that allow prospects to vet their fit with the
institution.
22

23. Actions to take
1. Audit your on-campus experience
Put your staff into the role of prospects for a day and audit the
experience:
• How well are you hitting those influential hot buttons?
• Is your staff making a remarkable, welcoming impression?
• How are you showcasing your faculty in an engaging way that
appeals to students?
• How are you enhancing curb appeal of the campus visit?
• Are you soliciting and using feedback from prospects regarding
your tour guides?
• When was the last time you went on your own tour?
• How are you sharing stories that will help prospects identify
and connect with the culture?
23

24. Actions to take
1. Audit your on-campus experience (cont.)
We conducted a qualitative focus group with college coaches from
the Illinois-based Schuler Scholar Program. Collectively, these
counselors personally visit 60 private liberal arts colleges per year
as they guide primarily minority, first-generation collegegoers on
their journey.
We specifically talked about the key factors that create lasting
impressions for prospects. A handshake, “thank you for coming”
and greeting at the door all prove to be differentiators on today’s
tours. The same goes for small group breakouts with personalized
conversations and emotionally engaging storytelling by tour guides
versus flowery propaganda.
Giving people the feeling that they are expected and welcomed will
put you in the top percentile.
24

25. Actions to take
2. Dare to be different
Highly engaged prospects want to soak up your stories. They want
to be emotionally engaged and know what it’s like to actually
attend class and live on campus – not just absorb stats and facts.
There is an element of “the message is the medium” for college
information sessions. Be personal. Show your unique culture, don’t
tell it. Make the information session entertaining, personal and, yes,
even customized. Your ability to create the “it just felt right to me”
sentiment for prospects comes down to this day.
25

26. Actions to take
3. Invest in social, but consider platform/voice
Social media for college prospects is rapidly evolving. Most schools
are still using their one primary college master brand account for
all things. Some have added a university admissions-specific
presence to further hone the message and increase relevancy for
prospects. The next step is taking inventory of your admissions-
specific content and crafting a plan both from a subject matter
perspective and over time on a content calendar – segmenting it
by Prospect, Inquiry and Courtship phases, as well as platform.
In order to produce videos for your teen prospects, you must
consume content as they do. Step one in channeling your inner
teen: Subscribe! How often are you viewing Snapchat stories per
day? The average teen is checking stories hourly. Spend a week
doing this and you’ll quickly pick up on platform trends.
For example, Michigan is hyper-focused on Snapchat at this phase
and the primary driver is access to authentic “day in the life”
content. The primary platforms that prospects are asking colleges
to pay attention to – Snapchat and YouTube – are video-based
and lend themselves to emotional engagement.
26
Create
calls-to-
action. Invite
prospects to
follow you
on social
media.

27. Insider’s advice
University of Michigan
27
We shared the social media results with
University of Michigan social media manager
Yasin Id-Deen for his feedback and insights.
According to him, Michigan’s Snapchat focus is
primarily the late Courtship phase – once
Michigan is a strong finalist for a prospect,
particularly for incoming freshmen.
The authenticity of Snaps of arts, culture and
especially day-long event coverage like their
spring festival boast the highest engagement.
They realize it is indeed a tool for prospects to
gain insights into what a day in the life is like, so
the focus is on engaging current students and
assimilating new ones.

28. 281
Big
takeaways

29. Use this as information, not THE information
Consider doing your own research because every school is different – and while our sample
size is statistically relevant, it is still from a single market in Illinois.
Customize and personalize
From Converse sneakers to iPhone cases, practically everything is customizable. Your
prospects have grown up in this environment and expect a certain level of personalization.
Look for ways to create one-of-a-kind, authentic experiences for your prospects and their
families.
Keep an eye on social media
While our results indicate social media has yet to become a major force in the early stages
of the higher education admissions funnel, we believe it’s only a matter of time. As our
insider Yasin Id-Deen says: “You have to remember for most of these teens, YouTube isn’t
their second screen, it is their first.”
29

30. Thank you for taking a look at our
survey and analysis. We’d love to be
able to expand our sample size to
more schools, so if you have a high
school or group to recommend,
please email us.
We will provide the specific results
to the institution as well as the total
of results received to date.
Just email
jay@teamworksmedia.com.
Jay Sharman
CEO / Founder TeamWorks Media
312.829.8326 x230
312.446.9435 (c)
www.storiedu.com
@StoriedU
www.teamworksmedia.com