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Season's E-Greetings

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Holiday emails are a great opportunity to engage prospective students. You can share with them the celebrations and traditions of your institution, or share all the fun and interesting activities that the New Year will bring to your college. Not sure how to execute the perfect holiday greeting? You’re not the only one.

“Season’s E-Greetings! Great Examples of Year-End Outreach” by Jennifer Doak provides us with some best practices for creating effective holiday e-cards, videos and messages that resonate with your audience (and she shares some examples from colleges and universities too).

Here are a few tips from Doak’s post to keep in mind while creating your college or university’s message:

Tap into student and alumni talent. Alumni can tell stories of their ...

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Categories: Best Practice Documents, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Email Recruiting, Videos

Video in recruitment

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Are you utilizing email effectively?

With all the recent additions to our marketing plans, we often forget about the power of this tool. Enhance your recruitment campaigns by including video messages.

Georgia Christian focuses on this topic in “Using Video in Email — Facts, Figures and Benefits,” on TheEmailGuide.com. Did you know that there is a 96.38% higher click-through rate and 5.6% higher open rate for email that contains video?  That statistic alone should give us reason to give this medium a try.

If not, here are some additional benefits that may persuade you:

Video is simple to use. All you need is your content and something to record with (phone or flip camera) and you’ll be all set.

It’s a standout. According to Christian, ...

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Categories: College Recruiting, Communication Plans, Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Email Recruiting, Videos

XpertTip No. 180: 4 steps to better holiday campaigns

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My friends, December is just around the corner.

Have you started planning for your “holiday greeting” email campaign?

Since I’ve seen some great (and some decidedly not-so-great) examples over the years, today I thought I’d offer some advice on crafting that very merry message.

Here are four things to keep in mind as you go:

1. Have fun with it.

Don’t be afraid to show some personality (just keep it authentic to you). Try revealing your campus culture by offering a list of your school’s favorite traditions or send out your office’s top 10 holiday songs or movies. Check out last year’s “Lessons in Storytelling” webcast for some other creative ideas as well.

2. Attempting to tackle video?

We find ...

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Categories: Email Campaign Ideas

XpertTip No. 179: Thanks again

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In honor of the holiday this week, I thought it would be a good time to “talk turkey” about how important it is to maintain regular communication with prospects (especially as the admissions cycle shifts from fall travel to winter file-reading).

But it’s not enough just to contact inquiries and applicants regularly if you’re not providing something of value. So today I thought I’d point you to a tip that may just help you accomplish both.

I’d like to revisit a Thanksgiving tip I did a few years back — one which, thankfully, is still relevant today.

Read my “Ideas for Thanksgiving week” post for a slew of campaign ideas (served up with a side of holiday humor).

Even ...

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Categories: Communication Plans, Email Campaign Ideas

XpertTip No. 151: How much is too much?

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Last evening I had the pleasure of attending the President’s Welcome Reception here at SACAC in Jacksonville, FL (that’s the Southern Association’s regional conference for any of you following my jet-setting as of late;)

As fun as those receptions can be, I did eventually get around to talking about work with some pretty smart SACAC clients and friends.

Lee Ann Afton, the Associate Vice President for Enrollment at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA asked me a question about email that we all agreed would make a great tip — “How much is too much email?”

I get this question all the time.  But it’s really hard to give a cookie-cutter answer because it really should be different for every campaign, every audience ...

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Categories: Communication Plans, Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Email Recruiting

XpertTip No. 138: Money matters

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You’ve probably heard us TargetX-folk go on in recent months about how important it is to address cost with prospects as early as possible.

And now that you’ve accepted the first wave of applicants to this year’s class, it’s even more critical to supply information and de-bunk any myths surrounding your institution’s price.

Here are a few ideas if you’re looking to communicate value and address costs head-on in the weeks ahead:

  • Consider a simple email campaign (or at least one message) that centers on explaining the financial aid process at your institution and include links to learn more.
  • Have a private social network or Facebook page?  Try highlighting financial aid-related content and be sure to clearly point visitors to the person they should ...
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Categories: Cost, Email Campaign Ideas, Financial Aid

XpertTip No. 131: Don't shoot the messenger

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You know how this time of year goes — before you can even put your Halloween costume away, department stores will be all decked-out for the holidays and radio stations will be spinning The Waitresses 24-7.*

But while the premature holiday push can be frustrating, it does remind us that the end of the year is coming on fast.

So today I’d like to remind you to start making plans for any special holiday campaigns you’d like to execute in the next few weeks — especially if they involve creative services.

I know it’s early, but you’ll need the time to brainstorm, refine your concepts and get the right people involved (before it’s too late).

Here are a few ideas to help kick your ...

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Categories: Communication Plans, Email Campaign Ideas, Storytelling

XpertTip No.95: Data disasters

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Last week I received a pretty nice email from CVS Pharmacy explaining how easy it would be to transfer my prescriptions online.

It was well-designed, with a nice graphic and very clear call to action. It even had a coupon at the bottom offering me $5 off my next purchase. Score.

One major problem: I’m already a CVS customer! I’ve been getting my prescriptions filled there for at least a decade.

Naturally, I was annoyed. I felt taken advantage of — just another name and email address on some list somewhere. Didn’t these people care that I’d been a long-time client? A loyal customer? Who the heck is in charge of this operation? Do they ...

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Categories: Data, Database Fields, Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Experience Economy Stuff

XpertTip No. 94: Yield Better Results

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“This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.” – Bill Murray as Phil Connors in Groundhog Day (1993)

We’re officially into the second month of the new year — and already another Super Bowl is history and the soothsaying rodent has had his moment in the sun (literally).

But regardless of the prediction from Punxsutawney, on campus, the Spring semester is well under way.  And for us admissions folks, that means on to more important things — like yield.

Have you given much thought to your upcoming yield initiatives?

If you’ve been in the field for some time, you already know that around this time of year, prospective students ...

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Categories: Chat, Communication Plans, Email Campaign Ideas, Lists, Student Yield, Twitter

XpertTip No.92: Take it personally

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In 1998, TargetX hit the scene with the first email broadcast tool exclusively for higher education.

Back then, the ability to merge demographics into the subject line or body of an email was considered revolutionary.  Marketers everywhere could hardly contain themselves with thoughts of pushing out messages and achieving direct marketing nirvana.

Oh, how things have changed!  More than a decade later, merging my first name into the subject line of an email not only fails to impress me — it’s downright spammy (not to mention annoying).

Naturally, once everyone could do it, it became abused — and the “cool factor” was gone.  It’s kind of like how I felt when my Dad got an iPod;)

Real, targeted, personal emails don’t need to resort ...

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Categories: Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Outside Resources, Uncategorized

XpertTip No. 82: 'Cents' and sensibility

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Regardless of who you’re voting for tomorrow, I think we all agree that there are very serious economic challenges ahead.

From the collapse of financial giants and 401k blues to dismal projections for the holiday “retail season” — it seems we’ve all got money matters on the brain.

It makes perfect sense then that the cost of college will continue to make headlines in the coming months. And it’s certain to impact your yield.

Is your office prepared to handle it?

On the eve of our nation’s biggest election, I thought I’d offer a few ideas for you to proactively address your cost. While you can’t completely control it, you should be able to control how you communicate it.

Have you considered:

  • Adding sessions on ...
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Categories: Email Campaign Ideas, eXpressNet, Lists, Parents, Social Networking, Uncategorized

XpertTip No. 81: All apologies

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Recently, I received a frantic call from a client who had just done an email broadcast with a typo in it.

Sometimes you can get away with small errors like this, but this situation was a little different. The typo in question was a misspelling of the school’s name — and it went to 90,000 people inviting them to an Open House.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), it was a situation we’ve encountered before.

It’s been said that technology is only as good as the humans who operate it — and we all have those days when we’re either too tired or too distracted to notice a mistake (like right now as I sit here delirious from staying up to watch the World Series;)

Today I ...

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Categories: Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Lists

XpertTip No. 76: What's your answer?

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As a loyal “Mac-geek,” my friends are always surprised at my answer when they ask me what I think of my iPhone.

I tell them that, in all honesty, I’ve had better cell phones. Service is shaky in places, it tends to drop calls and too often I find myself uttering that now iconic wireless anthem: “Can you hear me now?”

You can imagine then, that they are just as puzzled by my next admission: “But I still love it. I would never even dream of getting rid of it.”

Am I crazy? Maybe. It’s just that the user interface is so completely fantastic that I can’t help but put up with that other stuff. It offers such a unique experience that ...

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Categories: Authenticity, Email Campaign Ideas, Misc.

XpertTip No. 74: The dreaded phrase

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Are you using the dreaded phrase?

Today I’d like each of you to look through your email library to see if you begin any messages with a certain phrase — a phrase I believe should be stricken from the lexicon of admissions marketing.

That phrase? “If you haven’t already visited campus.”

I’ve seen it often; a veiled “time saver” that ensures you won’t leave anyone out as you introduce the body of your message.

But what it really does is announce that you have no idea who you are writing to — a veritable “no-no” for any type of media.

Beginning a message by making it clear that you don’t know if that person has visited reeks of the mass marketing practices of days passed.

More ...

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Categories: Client Concierge, Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Followup, Invitations and Reminders, Summer Projects

XpertTip No. 71: What guidance counselors want

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Two of my best friends and college roommates are high school guidance counselors.

When they aren’t working with students on the college selection process (or wearing one of the myriad other hats that come with the counselor gig), they rely heavily on technology to keep up with their personal lives.

They text message, share YouTube videos and post to photo-sharing sites. And they’re on Facebook. A lot.

Is this your image of the school counselor? If it isn’t, perhaps the way we communicate with prospects isn’t the only thing that needs to change.

Modern guidance offices want what we all want — a better way to keep up. That means making it easier for them to stay updated on important things like new ...

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Categories: Blogs, Chat, Communication Plans, Email, Email Campaign Ideas, eXpressNet, Invitations and Reminders, Lists, Misc., Summer Projects, Uncategorized

XpertTip No. 69: It's not about you

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Are you guilty of sending narcissistic email messages?

Ok, perhaps “narcissistic” might be a bit too harsh.

But I’ve seen quite a few messages that seem to focus more on what the college wants to say than what the reader wants to hear.

It’s the email equivalent of someone shoving a flyer into my hand as I’m walking down the street. Sure, they may have something they want to say, but hey, I’m busy and I never asked for it.

With email, there’s no need to launch into a three-paragraph history of your school’s origin or your founder’s vision.

It’s probably safe to say that no one wants to scroll through the academically-long-winded description of a new major they’ve never heard of, either.

All of that ...

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Categories: Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Followup, Your Website

XpertTip No. 58: Admissions: A perfect storm

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It doesn’t take a psychic to see the makings of a “perfect storm” brewing in college admissions today.

Most specifically, I’m talking about the fact that the number of graduating high school students is declining while the price of tuition keeps rising.

With an industry in flux, you’ll be competing with more schools for fewer students and asking them to pay higher prices. And something’s gotta give.

I know from my conversations that many of you are already feeling the effects and have taken hits to your application and deposit numbers.

It’s only natural to ask “How do we begin to satiate hungry presidents, trustees and deans who have lived ‘high on the hog’ for so long — feeding off of the glut of ...

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Categories: Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Misc., Student Search, Student Yield, Your Website

XpertTip No. 55: Be a gracious chat host

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I’ve heard from a few clients this year who have had success hosting online chats the evening before admissions deadlines.

They’ve cited record attendance and great results for events aimed at answering those last-minute questions related to the application and financial aid process.

Why not adopt that strategy for the week before May 1?

Consider hosting at least one chat event on the days leading up to that all-important first day of May. If you can, host more than one and make use of the three business days before the big day (which is a Thursday this year — but I’m sure you already knew that;)

In your promotion, be sure to push the benefits. Prospects not only get answers to their questions — ...

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Categories: Chat, Email Campaign Ideas, eXpressSUITE, Millennials, Student Yield

XpertTip No. 53: Are you asking the question?

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Clients are always talking to me about the difficulties of recruiting a class with limited resources.

It seems there’s always more to accomplish — with less money, fewer staff and an ever-dwindling supply of precious time.

Here’s a tip to help better-utilize the resources you do have: ask prospects directly if they’re still considering attending your institution.

Already asking the students? Here’s an updated version: ask their parents.

It sounds simple, but the results can help you focus resources more effectively by filtering out those students who just aren’t interested. It’s a strategy that works for many schools at many different points in the recruitment cycle.

Why waste time calling and emailing students who’ve already decided to attend AnotherU? “Asking ...

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Categories: Client Concierge, Email Campaign Ideas, Millennials, Social Networking, Student Yield, Surveys

Xpert Tip No. 50: Access Xpert Summit content

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“How are you motivating your bloggers?” “Can you give me some examples of great email messages?” “We are finally ready to setup our social network!”

“How do you handle moving data?” “What does Jeff Kallay do as part of a campus visit audit?” “Where can I learn more about SRM and Banner integration?”

No, the XpertTip hasn’t gone haywire — these quotes were all overheard last Thursday at the 2008 Xpert Summit.

The event was a huge success, with 97 clients from all over the country joining us for our very first users group meeting.

As promised, we have made content from the Xpert Summit available as part of a private group on the TargetX Knowledge Center.

To access exclusive Xpert Summit content, ...

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Categories: Best Practice Documents, Client Concierge, Email, Email Campaign Ideas, eXpressNet, eXpressSUITE, Research, Social Networking, Student Search, Workshops and Events, Your Website

XpertTip No. 46: Six ways to embrace parents

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The intimate (and co-purchasing) relationship between Millennials and their parents is, well, kind of old news at this point.

These days, admissions professionals are regularly called on to take part in their own version of “Meet the Parents” (hopefully with much more poise than Ben Stiller;)

But all joking aside — the importance of parents in the college selection process has forced most offices to stand up and take notice.

Many of you have adjusted inquiry forms to include parent first names and email addresses. Gold stars to those of you who have even created a parallel “Parent Communication Plan.”

We’ve definitely gotten pretty savvy about collecting the 4-1-1 on Mom and Dad — but what are you doing with all of that info?

Here ...

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Categories: Blogs, Chat, Email Campaign Ideas, eXpressNet, eXpressSUITE, Lists, Millennials, Student Yield, Uncategorized, Your Website

XpertTip No. 42: State your case

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It’s the Achilles heel of admissions communication: leaving the most important part of the message to the end.

Too many times we inundate the reader with too many words in an effort to build our case instead of simply stating it.

I recently reviewed some chat invitations that were, for the most part, great.  The only problem was that they didn’t give the date and time of the event (or even ask for the reader to attend) until the fourth paragraph.

Most readers never get that far.

It’s easy to understand why we do it — anyone who’s ever studied writing learned to deliver the message with a “hook sentence” and supporting paragraphs, bolstering the rising action with suspense and narrative until ...

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Categories: Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Followup, Invitations and Reminders

XpertTip No. 38: Making sense of your data

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The end of the semester (and the year) is the perfect time to do a review of your email campaign intelligence.

I know, I say this all the time, but it’s one of the biggest advantages of email communication. It’s generally a good practice to take some time at least once or twice a year and make some sense of all that data.

Not sure what questions to ask? Allow me to help.

To start with, try a review of your messages from this Fall semester only. From the “Campaign” tab of eXpressEmail, click on the “Custom Campaign Intelligence” link and select only those campaigns from September till now. This will create a custom report to aid your review process.

Next, you ...

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Categories: Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Followup, Lists

XpertTip No. 36: Don't forget your applicants

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“Increase applications!” “Lower the discount rate!” “Improve our GPA and SAT averages!”

Happy “Monday morning after;)”

Thanksgiving can already seem like a distant memory when faced with the challenges of the coming weeks. I remember fondly the hours spent “chained to my desk” reading files through the haze of phone calls, emails, decision letters and appointments with families. For admissions officers, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Amidst the craziness of the office these days, it’s easy to ignore your applicants; spending all day talking about them and forgetting to talk with them.

One of the easiest ways to plummet from someone’s “short list” is to allow them to think you’ve forgotten them. Like a ...

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Categories: Email, Email Campaign Ideas, Followup, Student Yield

XpertTip No. 35: Ideas for Thanksgiving week

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Consider this familiar Thanksgiving-table scenario:

Uncle Went-to-Harvard:
“So, big guy, where ya headin’ off to next Fall?”

Unsuspecting Millennial:
“Uhhh…”

Helicopter Mom/Dad:
“He’s looking at a few very selective liberal arts schools but we’re still deciding…”

Aunt Means-Well:
“Well, isn’t that nice. Which ones?”

Unsuspecting Millennial:
“Err…Umm…”

Go-Get-Em Grandpa:
“When I was your age…”

Even the most prepared teenagers can freeze when faced with the inevitable “college question.” It’s as awkward as trying to “tactfully” refuse a slice of Great Aunt Sally’s minced-meat pie.

This week, try doing something fun that’s sure to keep you on the mind of Millennials searching for answers. Here are a few ideas:

  • Profile a new freshman and their experiences in the first few ...
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Categories: Blogs, Email Campaign Ideas, Lists, Millennials

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