The Interactive Campus Map: An Essential Online Recruiting Tool

Kyle Jameskyle@nucloud.com

twitter.com/kylejames

Michael Fienenmichael@nucloud.com

twitter.com/fienen

Who Are We

• Experienced - 15+ years of Higher Education and Web Experience and years of web development on the side

• Thought Leaders - Founder and writing staff members at .eduGuru, an award winning higher education marketing and development blog

Virtual Tour• Creating a virtual experience without

actually being there

• Picture, video, audio

Interactive Map vs Virtual Tour

Interactive Map• Interacting with a user

• Providing a means to give input and

get results

So an interactive map is always a virtual tour, but a virtual tour isn’t always an

interactive map.

Who has a map ?

Map Audiences

It’s All About Recruitment!

• USA Today - instructs prospective students to take virtual tours as the #1 step before actually visiting a college.

• Open up the top of your recruitment funnel with a virtual tour of your campus

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/2008-08-13-control-costs-of-college-visits_N.htm

It’s All About Recruitment!

Prospective Student Decision Process

Lots of Choices

How to Narrow the List?

Visit Campuses!

You Can’t Visit Every School

It’s Just Too Expensive and Takes Too Much Time

Most Important Web Features

Data from Noel-Levitz 2010 E-Expectations– www.noellevitz.com

Most Used Social Media Resources

Data from Noel-Levitz 2010 E-Expectations– www.noellevitz.com

Credible Sources in Decision Process

Data from Hobsons, 2010 - www.hobsons.com

• Looking at 48 institutions…• 69% had virtual tours• 41% included a map• Only one was trying out mobile

Other Research

• A tour is “singlehandedly the most important element” of a college website. --Ron Reis, Co-founder YOUniversity

• Students will “get frustrated very quickly if they can’t get the 10,000-foot view.”--Chris Carson, President CampusTours

How Important is a Virtual Tour?

*Quote from - http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1122

• Interactive Tours• Course Catalogs• Common App• Net Price Calculator• Event Calendar• Online Videos• Blogs

An Interactive Tour is Part of a Suite of Killer Web Apps

Building A Business Case

Establishing ROI

If we can work backwards from the value of a student we can establish the value of

an Interactive Campus Map.

*All numbers are created as examples

Let’s Do Some Math

• Average Years = 3• Cost Per Year = $20,000• Average Yearly Discount = $10,000

• Student Value = 3 * ($20,000 - $10,000)• So a Student is worth

$30,000!

Let’s Do Some Math

• Student Value = $30,000• Conversion Rate in Applicant = 20%

• App Value = $30,000 * .2• So an Applicant is worth

$6,000!

Value Of Campus Tour

Let’s Do Some Math

• Application Value = $6,000• Conversion Rate of Visits to Applicant = 20%

• Value of Visit = $6,000 * .2• So Each Student Visit is Worth

$1,200!

Drive More Campus Visitors

Interactive Campus Map

Visit Campus

Application

Let’s Do Some Math

• Visit Value = $1,200• Conversion of Map to Visit = 5%

• Value of a Map View = $1,200 * .05• So Each Map View is Worth

$60!

Do You Think 1,000 People Would View Your

Map In A Month?

Then Having A Map Is Worth $60,000!

Per Month!

ROI Spreadsheet

http://bit.ly/map-roi

Things Not To Do

• Use Flash – it’s inaccessible and creates an maintenance nightmare

• Only images – Include more content than just a map with some photo galleries. Tours need context.

• Ignore updates – Keep building information and imagery fresh. You virtual tour needs the power to entice real visits.

Things Not To Do With A Map

Where Do I Start?

http://www.uky.edu/CampusGuide/

Too Many Options

http://map.emory.edu/

Slow Load Times

http://www.campustours.com/prodfeatures/suffolk/

Confuse UsersTotally Different Direction

http://www.virtualtour.potsdam.edu/index.php

Tips - Creating A Great Virtual Map

1. Make It Interesting

USC Upstate Map

http://uscupstate.edu/map/

2. Make It Real

Belmont University Map

http://belmont.edu/interactivemap/

3. Make It Easy

Anderson University Map

http://www.andersonuniversity.edu/interactivemap.aspx

4. Make It Yours

University of Missouri Map

http://admissions.missouri.edu/visit/virtual-tours.php

Future Of The Web

Rise of the Social Web

Always on the Mobile Web

• The future of a tour is self guided tours that people can take with their phone as they walk around your campus

Questions?

• Kyle Jameskyle@nucloud.comtwitter.com/kylejames

• Michael Fienenmichael@nucloud.comtwitter.com/fienen