Live Where Your Audiences Live: Engaging Students Virtually Throughout the Enrollment Cycle

Live Where Your Audiences Live: Engaging Students Virtually Throughout the Enrollment Cycle
Marty Bennett
Manager of International Partnerships, CollegeWeekLive
Brittany Wright
School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, GWU
Erica Lutes
Executive Director, Fulbright Belgium
Europe & Eurasia Regional ForumTbilisi, Georgia, September 22-24, 2014

Marty Bennett
Manager of International Partnerships, CollegeWeekLive
@CWLIntl
@martybennett

Overview
•What motivates (and prevents) international students to attend a foreign university?
•What interactions influence international students’ choice of university?
•Which aspects of the enrollment process do international students need the most help with?
•How can admissions capture the attention of international students & their families
2ndAnnual Study on the Expectations of International Students

About the respondents
More than 2,400 respondents from 164 countries

Institutional brand #1 reason to study abroad
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Interested in a particular university
Currently attending international high school
Private scholarship offered
No higher education opportunities in home country
Interested in studying with particular professor
Government funding
Siblings studied abroad
No post-high school career opportunities
No post-undergrad career oportunities
Avoid home country tests and requirements
No graduate education opportunties in home country
Parents studied abroad
What factors influence the decision to attend university outside of the home country?

Yet -most international students do not appear to be locked into one campus
17%
38%
21%
7%
4%
12%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
1 - 2
3 - 5
6 - 10
11 - 15
More than 15
Don't know
How many colleges do students intend to apply to?

Funding and Safety are Top Concerns
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Funding
Safety in surrounding area
Safety on campus
No friends or family nearby
Language barrier
My parents are concerned
Cultural differences
Other
I don't have any concerns
What are students' concerns about studying abroad?

Financial Decisions & Visa Process – where most help needed
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Financial decisions
Applying for a visa
Writing application essay
Deciding where to apply
Researching colleges
Completing applications
Moving to campus
Traveling to colleges
Deciding where to enroll
Standardized test prep (ACT/SAT)
English language prep (TOEFL/IELTS)
Which aspects of the enrollment process do students need help with?

Prospective students highly value conversations with campus representatives & current students
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
University website
College rankings
Conversations with reps
Student conversations
Campus tour
College search sites
Brochures
Guidance counselor
Local education/U.S. office
Independent counselor
University Facebook
How influential are the following experiences in the application decision? (1-5 scale, 5=most influential)

Prospective students highly value conversations with campus representatives & current students
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
E-mail
Traditional college fairs
Live chat (IM)
Campus tour
Phone
Live video Webcast
Social media
Webcam call
Text messaging
Interest in using the following resources to communicate with college representatives (1-5 scale, 5=highest interest)

Intl Students Will Likely Not Visit Campus Before Enrolling
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
All schools
My top schools
Might visit one ormore
No plans to visit
Plans to visit campuses
Before applying
After acceptance

Recruiting Strategies (based on the findings)
•Build your brand in target markets abroad
•Adapt your website & communications to mobile devices
•Use a variety of communication methods
•Build strong relationships early with key international prospects
•Involve parents in the communication flow
•Offer assistance with campus visits to top prospects
•Make funding information easily available

Value Across the Enrollment Cycle
Recruit everywhere you can’t be physically
195 Countries
Engageprospects through entire enrollment process
Save cost over traditional recruiting methods
Improve yield
Amplify your institutional brand
Reach new high school counselors

Europe & Eurasia Regional Forum
Tbilisi, Georgia, September 22-24, 2014
School of Engineering & Applied Science
Office of Graduate Admissions
• 70% of graduate student population are
international students
• Core Markets: China, India & Iran
• Growth Markets: Eurasia, South America,
GCC, Southeast Asia, MENA
• Exploratory Market: Indonesia, Sub-Saharan
Africa
• Online recruiting efforts are reflective of the
accessibility prospective students have to
technology and applications

Social
Media
Efforts

Graduate.seas.gwu.edu
Graduate Admissions Website

Translated Pages for Parents
Mobile Ready

Translated Job FAQ and Budgets
Tertiary pages on website and flyers

HobsonsConnect CRM
HobsonsApplyYourself
Online
Communication Plans:
Prospective & Applicants

Erica Lutes, Executive DirectorFulbright Belgium

Videos

From the EdUSA Advising perspective: Social Media Goals
•Become more accessible
•Widen outreach
•Make dynamic website
•Promote events
•Refresh website
•Communicate through new open media channels

Results: Statistics
193interviews –660+videos available on our You Tube channel
Channel Views: 602,000+
Channel Subscribers:1,200+

Feedback
“Well done to you and the Fulbright Belgium team for putting that short, to the point, and visually appealing video clip together”
“I especially like the young women who participated in an LLM at Columbia, because you can sense her enthusiasm, which only feeds my own determination”
“It allowed me to get a real feel for her experience”
“So, if I have adifficult moment in the next couple of months where I wonder ifgoing on an LLAMA is reallyworth all the trouble, I know I just have to watch these interviews again to get a new boost of energy”
“One of the main things I got from all of them was the clear message to start on time!”

Engage prospective students multiple times throughout the enrollment process -and win them over
•Meet new sophomores and juniors starting the search
•Interact with seniors deciding where to apply
•Target specific segments
•Introduce enrolled students to campus resources
•Improve yield -give admitted students a window to your school
•Invite admitted students to meet with representatives & current students
PROSPECTS
INQUIRIES
APPLICANTS
ADMITS
DEPOSITS

University of San Diego Case Study: Increasing yield and retention via…
1. Improving the admissions experience for students
2. Having meaningful conversations at the right time
3. Expanding their reach (international students)
4. Providing greater access (shaping the class)

University of San Diego Case Study: On-campus vs. Virtual Open House
•On-Campus Open House
Attendance: 87% from California
Ethnic Diversity: Primarily Caucasian
Cost: $18,900
Staff time: 3 months
•Virtual Open House
Attendance: More out of state & international students
Ethnic Diversity: greater increase
Cost: $1,290
Staff time: 3 weeks
194 Registrants from USD Outreach
1,132 new leads

University of San Diego Case StudyVirtual vs. On-campus Open House
•Virtual Open House: Attendance: 45 states and 104 countries
Northeast
11.0%
Southeast
6.5%
Midwest
9.8%
Southwest
8.0%
West (includes AK & HI)
34.8%
Non-U.S.
29.8%

University of San Diego Case StudyOn-line Opportunities: Applicants and Admits
–Applicants: Chats with counseling staff
–Admits: Theme Chats with Staff and Students
Honors students
Out of state
Torero Life
Academics & Undergraduate Research
University Ministry
Changemaking

University of San Diego Case Study: On-line Opportunities: Deposits
–Summer Orientation: Webcasts & using Always On chats
4 Webcasts from May-August:
Get Classes: Registration with Dean’s Office and Faculty Advisors
Get Down to Business:Paying your Bill, Getting Your Financial Aid & Avoiding Long Lineswith Financial Aid, One Stop and Student Accounts
Get Ready:Parent Webinar on Supporting Your Student During the College Transition with Parent Relations and Student Wellness Center
Get Excited: Countdown to Arrival with Student
Affairs

University of San Diego Case Study: Their Success
•Yield increased by 2% from Fall 2012
•Enrolled second largest class in USD’s history for Fall 2013
•Yield rate continues to go up for Fall 2014 class

Engage Students on Their Preferred Communication Channels
Live chat example, Western Michigan University
•This example shows Western Michigan admissions engaging with a student about their intended major
Mobile & Tablet Accessible

Expand Access to InternationalHigh School Counselors & Advisers
CollegeWeekLiveHigh School Connect
•Enables 2-way communication with US/Intl High Schools, EdUSA Advising Centers
•Build new relationships with high schools & their counselors
Honduran High School Students & Counselor engaging with colleges using CollegeWeekLive

Greatly Expand Reach
Harness a Growing Audience
•Students from 195 Countries
•660 high school counselors & EducationUSA advisers
•231% projected growth in new annual registrants since 2012
•188% growth in number of college visits since 2012
•2014 Intl Undergrad Registrants projected to have 93% Growth
•2014 Intl Graduate Registrants projected to have 99% Growth

State Department/ CollegeWeekLivePublic-Private Partnership
•Following several successful virtual fair partnerships
•Private –Public Partnership MOU agreed upon between State Department and CollegeWeekLiveand signed in May 2014
•Partnering on 7 Virtual Fairs a year (3 regional + 4 Global)
oOne of the global fairs is during International Education Week (IEW) which the State Department is is using as the flagship event with an additional marketing/ social media push + on the ground viewing events
oAlso on the ground events planned for the upcoming Latin America Day as part of 100K Strong Americas Initiative.

Thank You & Questions

Live Where Your Audiences Live: Engaging Students Virtually Throughout the Enrollment Cycle

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Live Where Your Audiences Live: Engaging Students Virtually Throughout the Enrollment Cycle