MissouriACT Incorporating E-communications: Noel-Levitz

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Incorporating E-Communications and the Latest
Enrollment Technologies and Initiatives to Build
and Shape the Student Body
Presented by Stephanie Geyer
Vice President for Web Strategy and Interactive Marketing Services
March 27, 2013

Finding answers since 2005
Visit any partner site to find the latest studies,
including the 2013 E-expectations of Juniors
and Seniors white paper and trend reports for
our recent Net Price Calculator and
International Student studies.
E-Expectations Research

E-expectations 2013: Focal Points
Mobile Users and
Your Web Resources
E-communications
Resources and
Preferences
Social Media Trends
and Opportunities

Telephone survey of 2,018 high school students
• Facilitated in March and April 2013
• List source: National Research Center for
College and University Admissions
(NRCCUA)
• 95% confidence interval
• +/- 3% margin of error
Methodology

About the 2,018 Respondents
*1 percent of respondents reported a grade average below C-level.
©2013 Noel-Levitz, LLC. 2013 E-Expectations Report: The Impact of Mobile Browsing
on the Online Behavior of College-Bound High School Students.

Public schools still most popular choice

Mobile Users and
Your Web Resources

Access to mobile devices on the rise
Corresponds to
findings of the Pew
Internet and
American life study
reporting that 78
percent of teens
aged 14-17 own a
cell phone.
Up from 67% as
reported in the
2012 E-
expectations of
High School
Juniors and
Seniors
©2013 Noel-Levitz, LLC. 2013 E-Expectations Report: The Impact of Mobile Browsing on
the Online Behavior of College-Bound High School Students.
Pew Internet and American Life Project, Teens and Technology, 2013
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-and-Tech/Main-Findings/Teens-and-Technology.aspx

47% of this group
reported looking at
a college or
university site
within a week of
the date they were
polled

Recommendation:
Mobile users visiting your site will only increase. Consider
adaptive/responsive approaches to enhancing their
experience and mobile apps that can target specific
user needs.
See The 2013 State of Mobile & Responsive Web in Higher Ed
at higheredexperts.com:
• 68% of 174 campuses have a mobile strategy in place
o 51% adaptive
o 45% mobile
o 31% app

What content do they first seek on a college
site via mobile device?
Juniors
% of first
content
sought
Seniors
% of first
content
sought
Academic programs/majors listing 73% Orientation details 67%
Academic programs/major details 46% Academic programs/majors
listing
61%
Directory/contact list 46% Applications 48%
Enrollment or admissions
information
38% Enrollment or admissions
information
43%
Orientation details 38% Academic programs/major details 39%
Links to social media 33% Cost 39%
Financial aid 32% Financial aid 38%
Cost 31% Course catalogs 31%
Scholarships 29% Scholarships 30%
Search 30% Athletic program 24%
©2013 Noel-Levitz, LLC. 2013 E-Expectations Report: The Impact of Mobile
Browsing on the Online Behavior of College-Bound High School Students.

Recommendation:
Users are accessing your site throughout each stage of
the enrollment process. Be sure they can find the right
content at the right moment, even when they’re using a
mobile device.

There’s more interest than actual experience in
completing forms on mobile devices
Form type (mobile) Have
completed
Would
complete
Would NOT
complete
Request information 49% 59% 41%
Calculate scholarships 46% 62% 38%
Schedule visit 44% 67% 33%
Calculate cost 41% 67% 33%
Open house registration -- 67% 33%
Register for class -- 62% 38%
Apply online -- 50% 50%
Register for live chat -- 43% 57%
©2013 Noel-Levitz, LLC. 2013 E-Expectations Report: The Impact of Mobile
Browsing on the Online Behavior of College-Bound High School Students.

Recommendation:
Effective form completion and engagement opportunities
for mobile users can help keep the flow of research and
exploration moving forward.
Follow a mobile user’s potential journey through your site
and see where friction points might drive them away.

E-communications
Resources and
Preferences

Recommendation:
E-communications can make a difference in the
connections students develop with your institution. Layers
of online resources and experiences help them connect
with you on their own terms and in their own time.

Recommendation:
Experimenting with paid interactive marketing? Be sure
you are using unique landing pages for each campaign,
and that you’ve taken time to integrate each with your
Web analytics system to maximize your ability to track
users all the way through the engagement process.

Recommendations:
Students checking e-mail on a smartphone are not going to read
the same way they will on a full-size PC or laptop screen. Your e-
mail messages need to adapt to this reality.
• Economize your e-mail copy as much as possible so mobile
users won’t have to scroll through long lines of text.
• Create designs that, while attractive, maximize the screen space
of smaller displays.
• Move calls to action up so they display before the fold or on the
first scroll of a mobile display, and repeat the request at the end.
• Test all of your messages on a variety of mobile platforms
before deploying.

Up from
60% in
2012

Recommendations:
Begin integrating text messages in your overall
e-communications flow:
• From individual counselors to individual or small
groups of students
• Blast messages to larger market segments, especially
later in the funnel.
• Be certain that you have opt-in records for all whom
you include in these programs.

Social Media Trends
and Opportunities

Recommendation:
• Twitter was the only social media asset to gain users.
• Though Facebook appears to be losing some traction
with traditional college-bound students, it is still
worthwhile as a social media asset. Continue
developing engaging content resources that link into
inquiry forms, event registration, and other online
assets that can help build your inquiry pool and
engagement opportunities.
• Build an editorial calendar to coordinate your social
media posts with e-mail and print campaigns.
• Use tools like Storify to aggregate posts and tweets
and then repackage on your site.

Recommendation Summary:
• Optimize the mobile experience through adaptive
design or through mobile sites.
• Design with smaller displays in mind so that your Web
pages, e-mails, and other electronic content look
appealing on smartphones.
• Add forms for mobile users beyond simple
contact forms.
• Get students to opt into as many communication
streams as they want.
• Put your best institutional face on your Web site.
• Never stop researching your visitors.

MissouriACT Incorporating E-communications: Noel-Levitz

MissouriACT Incorporating E-communications: Noel-Levitz

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