Presentation given at the Aslanian Group spring workshop in Chicago on May 29, 2008

1. All Things
Electronic.
Recruiting in the Interactive Age

2. Interactive Recruiting Solutions
Email, Blogs, Social Networks
Search Campaigns, Campus Visits
Student Recruitment Manager (SRM)

4. Millennials +
the Internet =
_________
???

5. GI Generation (84-107)
Silent Generation (66-83)
Baby-Boomers (48-65)
Generation X (27-47)
Millennials (5-26)
New Silent Generation (0-4)

6. The Next Adult Generation
Born in 1982 “New Silent Generation”
College, Work, Family, etc.
High School
Elementary School
Boomer Parents GenX Parents

7. E-Expectations
of Adults.
Noel-Nevitz, 2007

8. 64%
Prefer Website vs. Brochures
E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

9. 63%
Prefer Email vs. Direct Mail
E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

10. 71%
of Prospective Graduate Students use Instant Messaging
E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

11. College Website Activity Discrepancies
Activity Do Want
Financial Aid Estimator 27% 93%
Request Campus Visit 18% 80%
Completed RSVP Form 20% 77%
Emailed Current Student 13% 71%
Read Faculty Blog 16% 72%
IM with Admissions 13% 68%
Read Student Blog 19% 66%
Downloaded Podcast 6% 41%
Downloaded Video Podcast 6% 38%
Online Chat Event 11% 35%
E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

12. Takeaway
Preference for Electronic Communication
Want Details on Cost and Financial Aid
Desire to Connect with Students and Faculty
Use “New” Communication Tools (Blog & IM)

13. Generational
Differences

14. Generational Online Activity Differences
100
75
50
25
0
12-17 18-28 29-40 41-50 51-59 60-69 70+
Send Email Instant Message Research a School Text Message Read Blogs
Pew Internet and American Life, 2005

15. Forrester Research, Inc. 2007 — Groundswell

16. Forrester Research, Inc. 2007 — Groundswell

17. Social
Technographic
Ladder
Forrester Research, Inc. 2007 — Groundswell

18. Top 10 Web Sites Ages 17-25
Youth Trends and eMarketer.com, October 2006
Females
Males
Facebook MySpace Google Yahoo YouTube iTunes Flickr eBay ESPN

19. 2.0

21. Sharing & Connecting
Web 2.0 is about making connections & sharing
Thoughts. Pictures. Videos. Places. Products.

22. 64%
Believe Advertising is “Dishonest” or “Unrealistic”
Consumers 18-65 years old, Ad Age 2006

23. Marketing Immunity
3,000-5,000 Daily Messages
Neurological Blockaides

24. Today the most important conversation
is not the marketing monologue but
the dialogue between your audience.

25. Recruiting Revolutions
0.0 1.0 1.5 2.0
In the Beginning Adult Enrollment Growth The Internet Today
Admissions as Aggressive Marketing Campaigns College Websites
Paper-Processing Brochures, Catalogs, Corporate Visits Online Apps
Department Open House Programs, Outdoor Ads Email Campaigns
Online Chats

26. 2.0 Recruiting Revolution
You are no longer in control of the conversation.
who, when & how

27. It’s all about making
connections online.
Which is different from just being “interactive”

28. Website

29. Fix Your Website
Strong, consistent brand image
Focus on future customers
Obvious, consistent navigation (from home page)
Stories, not just facts
Highlight Differentiation
Update frequently (reason to return)

31. Transparency
Differentiation
Connections
Stories
Profiles

32. Tell Better Stories
Stories not Stats. People not Programs.
Must be real, unique and recent.
Let “them” tell the story!
BTW: Can’t be authentic & have editorial control

33. Blogs
Online diary where readers may comment
on posts made on typically focused topics.

34. Blogs & Diaries
Entries should be short
More than just text - add pictures!
Hire bloggers with interesting things to tell
Create expectations - don’t censor
Encourage interaction through comment posts
Offer RSS feed option

40. Social Network
Single location for sharing, connecting
and meeting online.
e.g. MySpace, Facebook, Beebo, Ning

41. Social Networking
It’s called MySpace, not YourSpace
Trend is away from MySpace -> Facebook
Encourage grad assistants to share info on their Facebook
Create your own college’s branded social site
(possibly replacing blogs & message boards)

42. MySpace
More than 110 million unique users
Heavy emphasis on “fantasy”, multiple personalities
Showcases interests in music or film
1/2 of MySpace users are over 35 years old!
Age 18-24 make up only 17% of users
Transition to Facebook as students enter High School

43. Facebook
60 million active users (250,000 new per day)
Begins with relationships & limits multiple personalities
6th highest trafficked site in USA
Fastest growth are those over 25 years old
Lots of free “applications” to enhance sharing
New focus on social advertising & brand sharing

47. IM
“Instant Messaging”
Synchronous text conversations
Can also be audio or video too!

48. What’s So Unique About it?
Compared to Email ... it’s realtime (synchronous)
Compared to the Phone ... it’s text only
Compared to a Letter ... it’s very short
Compared to In-Person ... location doesn’t matter

49. Why They Choose One Over the Other
Pew Internet & American Life Project, Teens and Technology, July 2005
What We Use to Talk
Email to “Old People”
Casual Written
IM Conversations with
Friends

50. Instant Messaging
Make it an available option
It’s an Opportunity, not a Disruption
Use away message (include email address)
Promote screen name (bcards, website, etc.)
AIM at least (MSN & Yahoo as options)

51. Podcast
Distributed Digital Media File
Often Audio & Sometimes Video
Ability to Subscribe & Automatically Receive

52. What makes it unique?
The ability to subscribe to a “podcast show”
Receive new “shows” when they become available
Started around August 2004
by Dave Winer & Adam Curry

53. MYTH DEBUNKED
Do I need an Apple iPod to listen to Podcasts?
You don’t even need a portable MP3 player
You can listen to Podcasts on your computer

54. 125,000
Number of Podcasts Available in iTunes
Apple Quarterly Earnings Webcast, January 2008

55. Who’s Listening?
22% Have Heard of Podcasting
11% Listen to Podcasts (27 million people)
50+% 35 Years or Younger
Arbitron, April 2006

56. What are Colleges Doing?
Still in “testing” mode
Effectiveness is still unknown
Student Interviews/Roundtable Discussions
What’s Happening on Campus
Sports, Music, Department Talkshows
Events & Presentations On-Campus

60. Podcasting
Do other things well first
Consider time to record, produce and host
Determine frequency you can commit to
Make it real (um’s and ah’s are ok)
Promote it on iTunes

61. Other Tips

62. Email Campaigns
Short & sweet content
Strong, targeted call-to-action
“From” familiar to recipients
Obvious subject line - not cute
Limited HTML (or text-only)
Measure results & adjust accordingly

63. Embrace Parents
Collect their Name & Email Address
Get Student’s Permission, of course
Expect them and Embrace them at events
Invite them to online chats, blogs, etc.

64. Stage Better Experiences
Recreate Campus Visits, Receptions and Events
Make them Memorable. Make them Interesting.
Set the Expectations. Understand Visitor’s Needs.
Customize the Visit When Possible.
Eliminate Negative Cues - Now!
Get Together with Undergraduate Admissions on This

65. Let go.
Remember, you’re not in control.
Remember, they don’t trust marketers.
Remember, they are talking about you anyways.
Remember, they want to figure out the truth.
Remember, their parents are talking about you too.

66. If u do 1 thing

67. 50/90%
of Non-profit Institutions Follow-up with Prospect within a Month
(90% of For-profit institutions do so)
Eduventures, 2006

68. Your Bookshelf

69. The Knowledge Center
knowledgecenter.targetx.com

70. All Things
Electronic.
Recruiting in the Interactive Age