Recruiting 2.0Brian Wm. Niles

wherethehellismatt.com

Recruiting 2.0Brian Wm. Niles

Interactive Recruiting Solutions

Email, Blogs, Social NetworksSearch Campaigns, Campus Visits

Student Recruitment Manager (SRM)

6,000 ft.600 ft.

6 ft.

6,000 ft.

Opportunities & Challenges

High School Graduates.

Questions We’re AskingHow have you prepared for the decline?

Have you prioritized the adult market?

Generational Shift.(students & parents)

GI Generation (84-107)Silent Generation (66-83)Baby-Boomers (48-65)Generation X (27-47)

Millennials (5-26)New Silent Generation (0-4)

Born in 1982

“New Silent Generation”

Boomer Parents GenX Parents

Graduate

College

High School

Elementary School

Questions We’re AskingHave you actively engaged parents?

Have you promoted the ROI?

Are graduate & continuing studies ready?

The Economy.

Questions We’re AskingWill students go to graduate school closer to home?

How will you encourage them to visit?

Will offering more online courses help?

Will your recruiting staff travel less?

Lending Crisis.

“Loan crisis goes to college.”CNN Money.com, February 2008

“Credit crisis make college loans more costly.”Washington Post, March 2008

“Credit crisis his student borrowers.”The Boston Globe, April 2008

Questions We’re AskingHow will students with huge debt go to graduate school?

Are you prepared to answer cost questions earlier?

How well trained are your recruiters on aid?

600 ft.

The Shift of Control

Tallest Building in Des Moines is 630 Feet - The Principal Building(tallest building in Ames is 129 feet - Legacy Towers)

The Internet.

Millennials +the Internet =_________ ???

Traditional RecruitingUndergraduate Recruiting in Junior Year

Direct Mail Search Campaigns (e.g. GMASS)

Letter Series-Based Communication Plans

Viewbooks, Roadpieces, Program Brochures

Large Open Houses, Info Sessions and Group Tours

Onsite Corporate Visits & Graduate Fairs

Traditional Grad RecruitingPrint a Catalog and They Will Come.

Open House Events, Educational Supplement Ads,

Outdoor Advertising, Corporate Fairs, etc.

It’s all “talk at”marketing.

Sharing & ConnectingWeb 2.0 is about making connections & sharing

Thoughts. Pictures. Videos. Places. Products.

Think this way:1.0 = passive2.0 = active

The web is more like a conversationthan a library.

1996 - Websites1998 - Display2000 - Search

2002 - Contextual2004 - Exchanges

2005 - Lead Generation2006 - Behavioral

2008 - SOCIAL

Evolution of Online Advertising

Source: Seth Goldstein, CEO, socialmedia

Facebook MySpace Google Yahoo YouTube iTunes Flickr eBay ESPN

FemalesMales

Top 10 Web Sites Ages 17-25Youth Trends and eMarketer.com, October 2006

Pew Internet and American Life, 2005

0

25

50

75

100

12-17 18-28 29-40 41-50 51-59 60-69 70+

Send Email Instant Message Research a School Text Message Read Blogs

Generational Online Activity Differences

"Right now, your customers are writing about your products on blogs and recutting your

commercials on YouTube.

They're defining you on Wikipedia and ganging up on you in social networking sites like Facebook.

These are all elements of a social phenomenon -- thegroundswell -- that has created a permanent, long-

lasting shift in the way the world works.

Most companies see it as a threat. You can see it as an opportunity."

“The funnel” assumes that colleges and universities control the information

students use to make decisions

“The funnel has outlived its usefulness as a metaphor” (because people learn

from each other now). -Groundswell

“Word of Mouse”

It’s about people’s desire to connect with each other.

Today, you must“talk with.”

ConsumerAttitudes

1980’s1990’s2000’s

Marketing

Branding

Authenticity

I’m an OK lover, but afterwards I like to snuggle and talk. Me too!

AUTHENTICITY

Brand ConfusionCoke vs. Pepsi

Apple vs. Microsoft

Brand Clarity“for the working professional”

64%Believe Advertising is “Dishonest” or “Unrealistic”

Consumers 18-65 years old, Ad Age 2006

Marketing Immunity3,000-5,000 Daily Messages

Neurological Blockades

Building Brand RecognitionHasn’t Been Harder

What Kind of Car?How would your students answer this?

E X E R C I S E

6 ft.

The Recruiting Revolution

The Communication PlanDifferentiation/Disruption

Aversion to Change

The New Communication

Plan.

Undergraduate Trends.

71%Started their College Search Before their Junior Year

Eduventures, 2007

50%PSAT Takers Were in the 10th Grade or Earlier (2% in 8th Grade)

College Board, 2006

>25%First Point of Contact was the Admissions Application

Informal TargetX Survey of Undergraduate Admissions Clients & Noel-Levitz E-Recruiting Practices Report, April 2006

75%Students Spend Researching Colleges Online

Harris Interactive, 2004

84%Use the College’s Website Most Heavily in their Research

Eduventures, 2007

Activity Do WantFinancial Aid Estimator 24% 90%Online Application 22% 86%IM with Counselor 6% 70%Campus Visit Request 25% 84%Tuition Calculator 33% 88%Faculty Profile 26% 69%Student Profile 31% 63%Forwarded Page 34% 63%Online Survey 50% 72%Personalize Site 39% 58%Inquiry Form 72% 73%

Navigating Toward E-Recruitment, Noel-Levitz, Inc.

High School Students: College Website Activity Discrepancies

Adult & GraduateTrends.

64%Prefer Website vs. Brochures

E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

Fix Your WebsiteStrong, consistent brand image

Focus on future customers

Obvious, consistent navigation (from home page)

Stories, not just facts

Highlight Differentiation

ONLY THEN - build in Social Interaction

63%Prefer Email vs. Direct Mail

E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

Email CampaignsShort & 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

Activity Do WantFinancial 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%

Graduate Students: College Website Activity Discrepancies

E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

71%of Prospective Graduate Students use Instant Messaging

E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

Instant MessagingMake 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)

PodcastingDo 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

TakeawayPreference for Electronic Communication

Want Details on Cost and Financial Aid

Desire to Connect with Students and Faculty

Use “New” Communication Tools (Blog & IM)

Recruiting 2.0You are no longer in control of the conversation.

who, when & how

Differentiation

AvailabilityCost

QualityAuthenticity

Quality.No Longer Differentiates

Difficult to Define in Higher Education

Everyone Looks the SameColleges not being true to themselves (inauthentic)

A “me-too” product development philosophy

Leadership not providing clear vision

Stories not Stats.People not Programs.

Blogs & DiariesEntries 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

71%Campus Visit was the Most Trusted Source of Information

Eduventures, 2007

You must design the customer experience

or the customer will design it for you.Tom Peters

Retention begins with being authentic in recruiting.

I just wasn't happy with NYU, Spradlin says as she sits in a coffee shop after a morning of classes. Despite the fact that

they don't have a campus, they said “we make up for it; we're still a community; you see students all the time.”

And I really didn't get that.

I'd go out on the weekends, and I'd be with 30-year-old men at the bars that knew college girls were going to be

there and stuff, and it just wasn't very appealing.

Miranda Spradlin, NYU Student

SuggestionsPower yourself with data & research

Talk to your graduate students - they’ll tell you

Trust your gut instinct

Calculate the ROI (when possible)

Ignore your competition - be who you are

So where do you start?

Cautiously.Can start a firestorm of criticism.

Enthusiastic supporters, will rally to your defense.

Better to have your message reflective rather than be silent.

ListeningSpeaking

What’s your objective?

EnergizingSupportingEmbracing

Prospects, applicants, current students and alumni are already talking about you online.

Are you listening?

Google Alerts

Technorati (blog search)

del.icio.us search

YouTube search

Final Thoughts.

Today the most important conversation

is not the marketing monologue but

the dialogue between your audience.

Transparency

Differentiation

Connections

Stories

Profiles

Innovation

Wharton was the first collegiate business school in 1881, and that spirit of innovation still defines us today. Our professors

create the new ideas that are transforming businesses and governments around the world. And they bring that cutting-edge

knowledge into the classroom, so Wharton MBAs take the lead in innovating the new ideas of the future.

Business Knowledge

Wharton has the largest business school faculty in the world – 250+ faculty members, including visiting executives and

associated faculty. The most published, the most quoted, the most actively engaged with global businesses and public

policy, they know how to prepare MBA students for what businesses, governments, and international agencies need –

because they're working directly with these organizations every day.

Size and Scope

With more courses and programs than any other business school, Wharton provides more opportunities to acquire both

fundamental and specialized skills. With our wide variety of classes, you have the flexibility to pursue the areas that most

interest you, even to create an individualized major. You'll leave Wharton with the high-level knowledge and range of skills to

master new challenges, expand your choice of careers, or reposition yourself in a new industry.

Leadership Learning

At Wharton, you learn leadership by doing it. Our hands-on learning methods give you daily practice in leadership, with

learning teams, leadership ventures, and learning simulations that Wharton pioneered and now licenses to other schools.

You have daily opportunities to build the skills of organization, persuasion, and team-building that recruiters tell us they value

in our MBA graduates.

Global Alumni Network

Wharton has the largest alumni network of any business school – 80,000+ alumni in 140 countries. Your connections begin

with the friends and contacts you make during your two years on campus, as well as our sophisticated resources for

professional development and career management. And then they can see you through all the changes and new events of

your career. Wherever you are in the world, you can call on a Wharton graduate for help, advice, and support.

Engaged Community

With hundreds of activities – from clubs and conferences to student government and volunteer work – our community draws

its energy from the unique contributions of each year’s students. From high-tech Huntsman Hall, to lively and diverse

Philadelphia, to the New York/Washington DC/Boston corridor just a train ride away, Wharton offers the widest possible

variety of local and regional opportunities.

http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/difference.cfm

Current

Audiences

Searches

Podcasts

Outcomes

Visit

Graduate

Rethink the BudgetDistribution Print vs. Web, On-Campus vs. Off

Stop the “have to” Activities (hint: start with travel)

Avoid the many online marketing fads - calc ROI!

Focus on what WILL work - Not what ALWAYS worked

Doesn’t necessarily mean additional funding

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.

If u do 1 thing

50/90%of Non-profit Institutions Follow-up with Prospect within a Month

(90% of For-profit institutions do so)Eduventures, 2006

Brian’s Bookshelf

Brian’s Podcasts

knowledgecenter.targetx.com

Recruiting 2.0Brian Wm. Niles