Archive for 'Online Experiences'

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Let’s get visual

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I consider myself a “visual” learner. Draw out my thoughts on a whiteboard, watch a video tutorial, type out my weekly tasks in Evernote. So I wasn’t surprised to see Fast Company’s article “Fast Talk: The Visual Shift” — where industry experts were asked to weigh in on how businesses can adapt to our image-obsessed culture.

Experts from retail, news, government and more shared tips on how to infuse more imagery in your user and online experience, and they had some valid points that translated well to higher ed.

The Creative Visionary: Joe Stewart, partner and global creative director at Huge
“Consumers expect the same level of quality and service from digital that they would get in a store,” says ...

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Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Communication, Experience, Marketing, Online Experiences, Social Media, Storytelling, Student Recruiting

Put the emphasis on social

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Building an arsenal of social media to reach prospective students? Got your Facebook page, Twitter handle, YouTube channel? Maybe Pinterest and Instagram accounts and Tumblr too?

It certainly makes sense, since research indicates that two-thirds of high school students use social media to research colleges and more than a third of those students use the sites to help decide where to enroll.

But a recent article in Inside Higher Ed offers this advice: “The number of social media accounts might not be nearly as important as what colleges and universities do with the technology.”

Reporter Alexandra Tilsley talks to some of the people behind the research, and they recommend that you delve into the findings and perhaps reconsider your social media strategy. While ...

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Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Facebook, Online Experiences, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter

A picture is worth a thousand words

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Popular photo-sharing site Instagram has been added to the social media mix by many colleges and universities. Proving itself to be a useful tool not only for prospective students — but current students and alumni too.

While you might cringe at the thought of adding something else to your “to do” list, there are a few articles making the case for the new(er) channel with examples of how it’s working for campus communities.

Highlighted in a BestCollegesOnline.com article, here are just a few from their “top ten” list:

Going behind the scenes.
University of Florida is using Instagram to go behind the scenes of the university. Sharing photos from a variety of locations like class lectures, the university TV station and ...

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Categories: College Recruiting, Communication, Marketing, Online Experiences, Social Media, Storytelling, Student Recruiting

3 mistakes that are killing your marketing efforts

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I admit it.  I was pretty jazzed about the Spice Girls reunion at this year’s Olympic Closing Ceremony.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em — for me it was a fun journey down memory lane with the gals who literally laid the soundtrack for the era of “girl power” (plus I’ll take anything that brings me back to the 90′s).

In honor of those brassy Brits, today I’m relating some advice on how to, ahem, “spice up” the writing in your marketing communications.

It comes from “copyblogger,” a favorite of the Marketing team here at TargetX.  If you don’t already subscribe, you should.  I mean it.  Don’t even read the rest ...

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Categories: Blogs, College Recruiting, Communication, Communication Plans, Email, Email Recruiting, General, Marketing, Online Experiences

More marketing is paying off

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Does it seem like your competitors are more marketing aggressive these days? Do they appear to be all over the Internet?

It’s not your imagination — they are. And they probably think the same about you.

A new survey shows that colleges are increasing their spending on marketing communications, especially interactive tools like student blogs, online tours and microsites. In fact, say the study’s authors, “marketing is being increasingly regarded as a ‘mission critical’ process in higher education, worthy of significant investment.”

The trend has been building for a decade, according to the “Report on Marketing Spending at Colleges and Universities.” But momentum has been especially strong in recent years as higher ed marketers become more and more interactive.

A majority of institutions have ...

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Categories: Blogs, Budget, College Recruiting, Online Experiences

Be more social, be more…corporate?

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Corporate websites need to make an effort to be more social — does yours?

A recent blog entry from Hubspot.com says corporate websites are guilty of producing boring content. “These sites end up being a time and financial drain without delivering the appropriate value to current and potential customers.” Sound familiar?

If you have heard comments like this around your campus or by prospective students, then you should sit down with others and reevaluate your site’s priorities. Hubspot’s suggestion: “Four Ways to Make Your Corporate Website More Social.”

Focused on engaging customers and empowering them to share with others, Hubspot suggests a level of interaction between the customers and the organization that does not exist when the website spews one-way messages.

While the article ...

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Categories: College Recruiting, Communication, Communication Plans, Online Experiences, Social Media, Social Networking, Summer Projects, Web Traffic, Websites, Your Website

Social Media Style Guide

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It seems like everyone is trying to get their arms around social media. The future of “splinternet” is not easy to predict. (Though I agree with a recent Advertising Age Essay that “Facebook Will Rule the Web During the Next Decade.”)

While delayed at the Atlanta airport due to a pothole in the runway in Philadelphia, I got caught up on some reading, and want to share a few other observations about social media.

I’m a big fan of David T. Jones’ Adland Cartoons in the back of Adweek Magazine. This one made me chuckle:

136576-adlandwill-rogers42610

It seems like many colleges and universities social media efforts are guilty of trying ...

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Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Online Experiences, Outside Resources, Social Networking

Our apologies

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Apologies are a part of life. We offer them, we accept them. Some people are better than others at doing both, but almost everyone appreciates a sincere apology.

Mistakes are also a part of life. If you’re a marketer or recruiter who has sent a mass email or posted a blog entry or hosted an online event, you have undoubtedly made mistakes that caused you — and maybe your institution — some embarrassment.

The question is, did you follow those mistakes with an apology? A mass apology is a tricky thing, but when done right, it can disarm your audience and make your school more human and approachable.

A good example of a great apology followed TargetX’s latest “Free on Friday” webcast, which ...

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Categories: Email, Free on Friday Webcasts, Online Experiences, Word of Mouth

Setting the Pre-Arrival Expectation

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Setting the expectation is important for any campus visit.  Here are some things to keep in mind about setting the expectation during the pre-arrival experience.

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Categories: Best Practice Documents, Campus Visit, Online Experiences

Don't walk backwards – lessons from the road

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West Virginia University – gathering up the tour group

If you heard me present about the campus visit, you know how my soap box, “Don’t walk backwards (tour guides that is).

I’ve heard all the reason why tour guides walk backwards and I can negate them all.

Why am I so opposed:

1. it slows down the tour,
2. it makes guest uncomfortable (is that tour guide going to trip, fall, loose flip-flop, etc…)walking backwards (and why tour guides shouldn’t),
3. guest look at the tour guide not the campus,
4. you don’t walk across campus backwards with your friends,
5. it’s cliche (even the media mocks it),
6. tour guides don’t have ...

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Categories: Jeff Speaking Engagements, Online Experiences

ABC Family – "getting to know the millennials" and Greek online experience

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A few posts back we did a survey of “Millennials vs. Gen-Y.” Millennials won out as the proper term and the term that will weather history. So this weekend while reading they July 9 AdAge, I was thrilled to come across a six page ABC Family Channel advertorial, “getting to know the millennial“– click to download PDF.

Wow! It actually quotes Howe and Strauss and uses the term “Millennials.” At least this industry propaganda was using proper terms, even if I disagree with their 1977 -1996 birth years. I go with the 1982-2001/2002 version (thus graduating their first high school class in 2000, thus the term millennial.) Now remember it’s an advertorial in AdAge, an industry rag. ...

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Categories: Experience Economy Stuff, Online Experiences

Rethink your web strategy (and experience) or fail

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A recent Chronicle article reports that “Prospective Students Rely on Campus Visits and Web Site to Learn About Colleges” The article is about an Eduventures survey reporting “84% us the web most heavily in researching colleges” and “71% say the campus visit is the most trusted source of information.”

That’s why you have to think about these top two influencers as “experiences.” And you have to throw out traditional marketing strategies and communication plans.

A July 9 AdAge editorial by Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting, a Silicon Valley-based firm that creates business and market strategies for high-tech firms’ complex business networking has great advice rethinking the web strategy of any type of organization. From her ...

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Categories: Online Experiences

UArts "Paper Cuts" Student soap opera "cuts" to the heart of a student experience

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This past fall I conducted a campus visit consult at University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia. I fell in love with the place. UArts is creative, unique, distinctive and vibrant. It feels like what an arts school should feel like. It was there that my TargetX colleague and I enjoyed two of the most engaging and entertaining tour guides (in the experience economy work is theater and every business a stage) to date.

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So when I learned about their student produced soap opera “Paper Cuts” I had to watch. Fiction might be truer than reality. (In a “My Freshmen Year” blogscape “Paper Cuts” cuts to the chase ...

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Categories: Campus Visit Experiences, Experience Economy Stuff, Online Experiences

"Your California" is a very cool Web 2.0 social networking experience

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I love California!
(I love how LA is the most American of cities and San Fran the most European of American cities.)

jdvhotelsweb.jpg

I’m also a big fan of California’s Joie de Vivre Hotels and it’s founder/CEO Chip Conley, a member of their Joy of Life Club and now I’m a contributor to their “Your California” social network. JDV won Pine and Gilmore’s (Author’s of the Experience Economy) 2001 EXPY- Experience Stager of the Year. Why did they win? Two reasons: one; they use magazines to theme their more than thirty boutique hotels (connects guest with best fit) and two; the experience is the marketing ...

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Categories: Experience Economy Stuff, Online Experiences

What we can learn from the Bugaboo Daytrips online and in-person experiences

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I don’t have kids.

However, I do play helicopter parent to a really cool Wheaten Scottish Terrier named Rhodes (like the scholar) whom my colleague Adrienne Bartlett at TargetX has nicknamed “The Millennial Dog.” (Because he’s gifted, special, and one-of-a-kind. So much so that I found a reason to post him on my blog.)

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But, throughout my adult life I’ve witnessed many friends become parents. And I’ve contributed to the “transportation systems” as shower gifts.

I love European design and the car guy in me is impressed with the Dutch Bugaboo strollers. Talk about premium pricing – around $1000!

bugaboo_gecko.jpg

Bugaboo launched a very engaging website ...

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Categories: Campus Visit Experiences, Experience Economy Stuff, Online Experiences

Case Western Reserve creates tour in Second Life

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Recently the Chronicle reported that Case Western Reserve University created a virtual tour in Linden Labs Second Life. Click here to read it and see video tour (may require subscription).
Kudos to Case for taking this pioneering step!

While Second Life is more of a simulated online experience vs. that of a “game” it does give the visitor the means to create their own stories, memories, and experiences. That’s true interactivity.

For years I’ve been saying that if you want to connect with Millennials consider creating a roleplaying “game” that reveals your campus. (Like America’s Army.) Back in 2004 the Chronicle also reported about Georgia Tech assistant professor Dr. Ian Boogust and his company Continue Reading

Categories: Campus Visit Experiences, Online Experiences

Web sites that are experience toolboxes

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There’s a lot of consumer created content being integrated into brand efforts today.

I love it because it’s about collecting and sharing authentic stories.

To understand why “Authenticy” has become so predominant in today’s communication click here to read Fast Company’s An Authenticy Timeline.

There are several B2C brands leading the way with consumer created content storytelling, and it’s worth spending some time investigating them:
1. Cadillac’s mycadillastory.com consumers can upload text, photos, and videos revealing their Cadillac story.

2. Kleenex’s Let it Out consumers tell their stories as well. (Check out Kleenex’s My Kleenex Tissue where you can customize your own Kleenex oval – perhaps one directed with your school colors, logo, and images will ...

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Categories: Online Experiences

Online experiences that engage

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“You have to talk with people not at them. You have to give people the tools to create their own stories, memories and experiences!” I heard Douglas Rushkoff say this at EXP3 2003 and it’s become a mantra of sorts.

That’s why I’m captivated and inspired by the rise of consumer generated content.

Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty includes debate and consumer commentary

My Cadillac Story features Joan Jett, Andy Garcia, and Tiki Barber telling their Cadillac story as well as the means for others to upload their Cadillac stories in video, audio, or written word formats

My TargetX colleague Kevin Corr and I are both big Battlestar Galatica geeks. So, one ...

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Categories: Online Experiences