Recruitment - Shrinking Resources -
Changing Recruitment Strategies, Increased Efficiency for Greater Enrollment Results
Jeff Kallay, VP Consulting, “Apostle of Authenticity”
NAADA 2010
There is no magic bullet!
6,000 ft.600 ft.
6 ft.
6,000 ft.
The Perfect Storm
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 (’01-’24)Silent Generation (’25-’42)Baby-Boomers (’43-’60)Generation X (’61-’81)Millennials (’82-’00)
Homeland or iGen (2000-current)
Born in 1982
“New Silent Generation”
Boomer Parents GenX Parents
GraduateGraduateGraduateGraduate
CollegeCollegeCollegeCollege
High SchoolHigh SchoolHigh SchoolHigh School
Elementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary SchoolElementary School
Questions We’re AskingHave you actively engaged parents?
Have you promoted the ROI?
Are graduate & continuing studies ready?
The Economy.
“Loan crisis goes to college.”CNN Money.com, May 2010
“College loans are the new subprime crisis”New York Times, June 2010
“Credit crisis hits student borrowers.”The Boston Globe, April 2009
46%Colleges with Students Stopping Out
Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, October 2009
22%Enrolling Fewer Returning Students
Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, October 2009
29%Smaller Freshman Classes than Expected
Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, May 2010
Meeting Operating ExpensesThe Common Fund Freezes
Paying Off or Pausing Capital Improvements
Increased Discount Rate
Largest Increase from Employee Benefits
Frozen or Cut Professional Development Expenses
Staff Reduction
Questions We’re AskingWill students go to school closer to home?
Will they “go away” to college?
How will you encourage them to visit?
How is your financial aid strategy adjusting?
Are you prepared to answer cost questions earlier?
How well trained are your recruiters on aid?
Questions We’re AskingAre you in Growth or Retreat Mode?
What is your college/you doing to cut costs?
Will your recruiting staff travel less?
600 ft.
The Shift of Control
The Internet.
Millennials +the Internet =_________ ???
Traditional RecruitingUndergraduate Recruiting in Junior Year
Direct Mail Search Campaigns
Letter Series-Based Communication Plans
Viewbooks, Roadpieces, Department Brochures
Large Open Houses, Info Sessions and Group Tours
High School/Company Visits & College/Graduate Fairs
Where Most Colleges Are Today
Special Thanks to Bob McCullough, Ursinus College
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
Email What We Use to Talk to “Old People”
IMSMS
Casual Written Conversations with
Friends
Medium Choices of TeensPew Internet & American Life Project, Teens and Technology, July 2005
ConsumerAttitudes
64%Believe Advertising is “Dishonest” or “Unrealistic”
Consumers 18-65 years old, Ad Age 2009
Marketing Immunity3,000-5,000 Daily Messages
Neurological Blockades
Building Brand RecognitionHasn’t Been Harder
6 ft.
The Recruiting Revolution
The Communication PlanDifferentiation/Disruption
Aversion to Change
The New Communication
Plan.
Undergraduate Trends.
81%Started their College Search Before their Junior Year
Eduventures, 2009
50%PSAT Takers Were in the 10th Grade or Earlier (2% in 8th Grade)
College Board, 2008
19%Started their College Search in Eighth Grade or Earlier!
Eduventures, 2009
>45%First Point of Contact was the Admissions Application
Informal TargetX Survey of Undergraduate Admissions Clients & Noel-Levitz E-Recruiting Practices Report, April 2010
84%Students Spend Researching Colleges Online
Harris Interactive, 2009
84%Use the College’s Website Most Heavily in their Research
Eduventures, 2008
99%Join Facebook Groups Before Arriving on Campus
Amherst College IT Study, 2009
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
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& Disruption.
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.
71%Campus Visit was the Most Trusted Source of Information
Eduventures, 2008
Change Adverse.
Requires a Change in Campus Culture.Starting with the President and Faculty
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 students - they’ll tell you
Trust your gut instinct
Calculate the ROI (when possible)
Ignore your competition - be who you are
Students Speak!
“Don’t Flirt With Me”Study done for SACAC 2008 Presentation
Traditional Age College Bound Seniors
“Textbook” Millennials
View complete surveyhttp://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=Ch5WwvVEeaFp6_2b4urrcwWX3lBqPchoZ_2bCOVpZfQXtWU_3d
Password: SACAC
“Most colleges gave too much of a glossy image of themselves. The end result is that they all come to look
inherently the same.”
“When schools over advertise, there must be
something wrong.”
“Be real, honest and straightforward.”
“Bulk and mass-mailing are offensive. Personalize -
it’s about me, not you.”
“You look desperate for a date - chill out!”
“You’re hurting by flirting so much.”
“If I’m not a candidate, leave me alone.”
“Reply to my requests more quickly.”
“Hard to navigate”“Outdated or
unprofessional”“Too busy or confusing”
“Too basic”“Too many links”
Flip the Funnel
“The funnel has outlived its usefulness as a metaphor” (because people learn
from each other now). -Groundswell
“The funnel” assumes that colleges and universities control the information
students use to make decisions
Participate
(It’s the Participation Age)
-Word of Mouth
-Word of Mouse
Participate
(It’s the Participation Age) Listen and Observe
Be Transparent
Give up Some Control
Participate Yourself
Word of Mouth
Text
Art & Science Group
Word of Mouth
Text
“Word of Mouse”
"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."
Quote
Quote
Facebook Will Rule the Web“So, yes, Facebook is slowly devouring the web. And while the social network has plenty of critics and it runs into the occasional privacy concerns, it will dominate. In fact, I see it becoming the No. 1 website in the world in less than three years.What does this mean? Websites will become less important over time. They will be primarily transactional and/or utilitarian. Brands will shift more of their dollars and resources to creating a robust presence where people already are and figure out how to use them to build relationships. Media companies will do the same -- they will be increasingly "headless”.Get ready for a new web. It's big, it's blue, and it's social.”
Read the Ad Age Article
June 7 Bloomberg Businessweek
“In the era of social media, people use technologies to get what they need from each
other, not traditional institutions.”
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies , 2008, Harvard UPCharlene Li & Josh Bernoff
What are you doing to facilitate that process?
“Social media describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share content, opinions, insights, experiences,
perspectives and media themselves.”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spoiler Alert:Social Media is not about
technology.
It’s about people’s desire to connect with each other.
Final Thoughts.
Today the most important conversation
is not the marketing monologue but
the dialogue between your audience.
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
Start EarlierBrand Recognition Begins in Freshman Year
College Search Starts in Sophomore Year
Short List is Made Before Junior Year
Enhance Junior Year Recruiting Activities
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.
Change Now.Differentiate or Die.
Bury the competition. Stop being nice.Know what you do best. Outsource the rest.
Plan for the worst. Question everything.Take charge. Lead. Do not follow.
All hands on deck.
Change AgentsDon’t lead change because it makes sense.
Lead change because you believe youmust get ahead of an approaching“discontinuity” in order to survive.
Jack and Suzy Welch, BusinessWeek, October 2008
Jeff’s Bookshelf
Want More? Read Our Blogs:
TargetX Blog at www.targetx.com/ithink/
Free on Friday Webcasts
Free On Friday Webcasts Watch Past Webcasts
Download Session PDF#1 Go to www.targetx.com
click iThink Blogclick Slide Presentations
#2 Go to www.slideshare.net/targetx
#3 Look for email with link
Recruitment - Shrinking Resources -
Changing Recruitment Strategies, Increased Efficiency for Greater Enrollment Results
Jeff Kallay, VP Consulting, “Apostle of Authenticity”
NAADA 2010
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