Archive for 'eXpressNet'

HomeeXpressNet

XpertTip No. 82: 'Cents' and sensibility

Posted by:


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 ...
Continue Reading

Categories: Email Campaign Ideas, eXpressNet, Lists, Parents, Social Networking, Uncategorized

XpertTip No. 71: What guidance counselors want

Posted by:


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 ...

Continue Reading

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

XpertTip No. 60: Social networks combat summer melt

Posted by:


“You just don’t know for sure whether students are coming until you see the whites of their eyes and their butts in the seats.”

The May issue of Lawlor Focus addresses a dreaded phenomenon in the “battle” for enrolled students: summer melt.

The newsletter outlined some of the major factors influencing decisions these days, including economic instability, student loan woes and the much-talked-about “wait-list shuffle.”

Their recommendation for those of you seeking to “minimize the melt” this summer? “Stay in touch with your prospects.”

I’d add that social networks take “staying in touch” to the next level; providing dynamic, interactive opportunities for prospects to make connections with you and each other.

Have you considered the power of social networking to combat summer melt?

Online ...

Continue Reading

Categories: eXpressNet, Millennials, Social Networking, Summer Projects, Web Traffic, Your Website

Xpert Tip No. 50: Access Xpert Summit content

Posted by:


“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, ...

Continue Reading

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

XpertTip No. 49: Why not just use Facebook?

Posted by:


The question: “So why setup a private social network vs. just using MySpace or Facebook? That’s where all the students are anyway.”

Adrienne’s answer: “Because I said so;)”

A much better answer: Provided by my long-time friend and colleague, TargetX’s own Kevin Corr. Hopefully he’ll forgive me, as I have used my creative license to condense parts of it (that Kevin, he’s a talker;)

His response?

Good question! The idea behind it is to engage in the conversation in your own space (or on your own turf!).

In a lot of ways, having your own social network versus using Facebook or MySpace is the internet equivalent of inviting students to campus to chat with you versus hanging out at the ...

Continue Reading

Categories: eXpressNet, Millennials, Social Networking, Your Website

XpertTip No. 48: Introducing the new Knowledge Center

Posted by:


This week, I have the privilege of announcing our brand new Knowledge Center!

If you’ve visited our Knowledge Center in the past, you know it’s the place on our website to access our blogs and podcast: An Email Minute, The Recruiting Revolution, The Experience Evangelist — and this little project of mine called the XpertTip;)

We’ve also traditionally included recommended readings, research studies, books, magazines and other great resources from some of the brightest brains in marketing and higher ed.

Well, we’re not changing any of that. But we are enhancing it quite a bit. We’ve created the new Knowledge Center as a social network so you can easily connect with us (and vice versa).

So here’s your assignment: head ...

Continue Reading

Categories: Client Concierge, eXpressNet, Invitations and Reminders, Misc., Outside Resources, Research, Social Networking, Workshops and Events

XpertTip No. 46: Six ways to embrace parents

Posted by:


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 ...

Continue Reading

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

XpertTip No. 45: Getting over the fear hump

Posted by:


You can love it or hate it — just don’t ignore it. Social networking has sure changed things.

A January 2008 study from eMarketer reports social networking is “An activity that 37% of U.S. adult Internet users and 70% of online teens engage in every month.”

With that kind of exposure amongst teens (and their hovering parents), it’s hard to understand why so many admissions offices are still just “thinking about it.”

Why the hesitation? Fear of the inherent “lack of control” is the #1 response I get. It seems that the risk of someone saying (read: posting) anything “negative” is enough to keep the masses at bay.

Try thinking a little differently. In reality, isn’t there a much greater risk ...

Continue Reading

Categories: eXpressNet, Millennials, Social Networking

XpertTip No. 34: Interaction, exploration and your website

Posted by:


I’m frequently asked about tracking the “ROI” of the latest technology trends in higher ed. This can be really difficult, as you don’t track a student from “read a blog post” to “enrolled” very easily.

That being said, how do you know your efforts are worth it?

A recent post from Seth Godin’s blog offers some insight (his blog is chock full of great marketing advice if you’re not familiar).

Seth points us to FreeRice, a website that seeks to end world hunger while improving your vocabulary.

His advice? “If you’re a web developer, notice how interaction leads to involvement which leads to learning and exploration. In that order.”

Sounds very abstract at first, but trust me — give it a ...

Continue Reading

Categories: Blogs, eXpressNet, Outside Resources, Social Networking, Your Website

XpertTip No. 28: What's new at TargetX (NACAC recap)

Posted by:


It’s official — my favorite month has finally arrived.

Here in the Northeast, I can’t help but get excited for that first chill in the air, crisp apple cider, rustling leaves, football and post-season baseball (after fourteen years;)

Life, my friends, is beautiful.

Here at TargetX, we’re busy “debriefing” from NACAC. After months and months of preparation, it is my pleasure to report that Austin was yet another great conference for us.

Special thanks to all of you who stopped by to say hello. I’m consistently amazed at how many folks feel comfortable just “hanging out” at our booth. Some of you even brought baby pictures. We loved it.

For everyone’s benefit, I thought I’d give a little NACAC recap. Here’s the “short-short” version of ...

Continue Reading

Categories: eXpressNet, eXpressSUITE, NACAC

XpertTip No. 24: Enhance your efforts this year

Posted by:


Well, for most of us, it’s back to school time. In the midst of planning travel schedules and going to meetings, don’t forget your friends at TargetX. Fall is the perfect time to do some housekeeping with us or get some ideas for new initiatives.

I’ve compiled a list that should help you prepare to head into another year of recruiting. As a TargetX client, have you thought about:

  • Scheduling training for any new staff members?
  • Printing out copies of my “Top 10 XpertTips for Student Bloggers” to use for blog training?
  • Sending me drafts of email messages to look over?
  • Adding/Subtracting bloggers?
  • Talking to Jeff Kallay, TargetX’s Experience Evangelist, about a campus visit audit?
  • Modifying ...
Continue Reading

Categories: Best Practice Documents, Blogs, Chat, Client Concierge, Database Fields, Email, Email Campaign Ideas, eXpressNet

XpertTip No. 23: Social networks support real-life

Posted by:


Have you seen it?

The Aug. 20-27, 2007 issue of Newsweek features Mark Zuckerberg, 23 year-old creator of Facebook. An article called The Facebook Effect makes it clear that social networking is here to stay and still picking up steam. Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the future of social networking.

Since today marks the end of my three-part series on social networking in admissions, I’d like to give a personal account of how creating an online social network enhanced an in-person event.

As many of you know, TargetX held its first-ever InstituteNext in Chicago this past July. As part of this unique event, we created a social network for attendees using our eXpressNet ...

Continue Reading

Categories: eXpressNet, Social Networking

XpertTip No. 22: Content ideas for social networks

Posted by:


Something interesting happened to me last week: I received “save-the-dates” for my high school reunion this year — via MySpace and Facebook.

I smiled, of course, thinking of this series of tips on social networking. I not only got the date, time and location for the event, but also a way to connect with other classmates and forward the information along. A paper invitation will follow in the coming weeks, but for now I’ve got it on the calendar and have participated in online conversations on everything from “Who’s Going?” to “Favorite High School Memory.” Social networking technology has truly changed the way I communicate and stay in touch.

Social networks aren’t just for the kids, either. Jeff Kallay, Experience ...

Continue Reading

Categories: eXpressNet, Lists, Social Networking, Tracking, Web Traffic

XpertTip No. 21: Why social networking?

Posted by:


Today begins a series of XpertTips on social networking in admissions. Over the next few weeks, I’ll look at the how and why of these sites and give you some data to get you thinking. Like most things, social networking isn’t for everyone. Hopefully I can help you decide if it’s a step in the right direction for your institution.

To understand the significance of these online communities, it helps to start with the numbers. A 2007 study conducted by Pew Internet & American Life Project concluded that more than half (55%) of all online American youths ages 12-17 use an online social networking site. The same study found that 48% of teens visit ...

Continue Reading

Categories: eXpressNet, Millennials, Social Networking, Your Website