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WPI videos and Oxy website get it right

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Next month we’ll be in Las Vegas for our Xpert Summit and many of our clients will be presenting about technology, the campus visit and recruitment marketing.

But I want to take a moment to highlight some new recruitment marketing creative work by a few other TargetX clients; Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Occidental College (Oxy).

WPI videos
I love them because they tell a story, cut through the clutter and say something definitive. The animation is such a departure from the normal voice-over and standard shots of campus.

WPI “Rowbots”

WPI “Special Delivery”

OXY Website
Oxy launched ...

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Categories: Authenticity, Best Practice Documents, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Communication, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Videos, Website, Websites, Xpert Summit

Welcome Trent Gilbert-TargetX's Experience Evaluator

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If you know me, you know that I believe in timing.

Back in 2004 when I was at Mindpower, we had a campus visit session called A Mouse and a Coffee House. As I was preparing to present it at SACAC 2004 in Savannah, I was casually talking to session attendees. Then in walks this well-dressed, young admissions professional who is actually taller than me (and that’s not easy because I’m 6’4″). So, I read his name badge and say, “Trent Gilbert, I’ve read and heard a lot about your school, some day soon I hope to visit “Eel-on.” He shakes my hand and says with a grin, “Great, but it’s pronouced E-lon.” Thus started a friendship.

When Trent ...

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Categories: Campus Visit Experiences, Uncategorized, Workshops and Events, Xpert Summit

XpertTip No. 98: Great minds

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You know the saying: “Great minds think alike.”

I consider it an honor that in preparation for today’s tip, I ended up thinking just like Brian Niles. We both came away from the closing “Conversation on Yield” at this year’s Xpert Summit with the same nugget to share.

The idea? Allow students groups like your ambassadors or bloggers to register for classes early as an incentive (if you can’t afford to pay them much — or at all;)  Brian did a great post about it here on the iThink Online blog over the weekend.

Hey, we all know that bloggers, tour guides, telecounselors and other student workers are important kids. As the voice of your current students, they’re out ...

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Categories: Blogs, Campus Visit, Student Workers, Xpert Summit

Leaving Las Vegas (and bad customer service)

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February 25-27 was the TargetX Client Xpert Summit in Las Vegas. We had some 60+ clients from some 40+ colleges and universities from across the country participate. (Some of whom paid their own way to attend because of travel/budget cuts.)

The presentations were engaging and featured many clients.

The conversations and networking even better.

The Experience Excursion an experience.

But customer service in Las Vegas was terrible.

Ironically on the flight out I was reading a two articles in the 3/2/2009 Businessweek that I found relevant:

BTW – What Doesn’t Happen in Las Vegas
Short article about the decrease and cancellations of business meetings in Las Vegas. While perception is everything the article says,

“But in December, the number of corporate meetings was down ...

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Categories: Best Practice Documents, Blogs, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Campus Visit Experiences, Experience Economy Stuff, Lists, Uncategorized, Xpert Summit

Ease their pain

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We just returned from a very successful Xpert Summit in Las Vegas. In flying home, I got to thinking what was the ah-ha moment for me during the two days of interacting with our clients.

On Friday, we staged a mini-iThink session like the one we ran in Seattle at NACAC. One attendee found a way to provide an incentive to her tour guides that I thought was brilliant. She has worked out a deal with the registrar’s office to let her student workers register for classes first in lieu of paying them.

It got me thinking about the many times we get asked how admissions offices can provide incentives to student workers, tour guides, bloggers, etc.  The easy ...

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Categories: Xpert Summit

XpertTip No. 97: TargetX 'After Hours'

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Before you get too excited — we’re not talking about opening a night club (although that would be pretty cool).

We are, however, available to provide 24-hour technical support in case you find yourself in a serious predicament. Fortunately, this type of thing doesn’t happen often — but in the wacky world of the web, I find it’s best to prepare for the worst.

Do you know how to contact TargetX “after hours?”

Most of you know our hallowed headquarters lies just north of the fine City of Brotherly Love — and that means our typical office hours are between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Now, many of you are scattered across other parts of the country and ...

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Categories: Did You Know?, Support, Xpert Summit

XpertTip No. 93: Sharing the knowledge

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Most of you know that, along with our tools and services, we like to provide “best-practice” information in an effort to educate and help you recruit more effectively.

Pardon my bias, but as a result, I maintain that our clients are some of the best and brightest in the business.  And part of my job is to make sure it stays that way;)

If you are a loyal XpertTip reader — my sincere thanks.  You’re incredibly kind to devote time each week to my musings.

But as much as I enjoy my role, I’m not the only one around here researching and following current trends and issues in our industry.  To be honest, at times this place can feel like an admissions “think ...

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Categories: Blogs, Outside Resources, Research, Uncategorized, Xpert Summit

XpertTip No. 91: Get connected in '09

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December always brings a bit of upheaval to my daily routine.

With all of the additional commitments and responsibilities that come with the holidays, it becomes so easy to skip working out, eat and drink too much, sleep way too little and let some of those “non-essential” work tasks fall by the wayside.

I know that for me, one of the things that suffers most is my attention to “research.”  I put off reading articles, blog posts, Twitter, Facebook, etc.; opting to revel in my non-connectedness for as long as possible and enjoy the simple (a.k.a. “offline”) life.

But alas — it’s my job to keep up with all of the craziness and keep you informed — and I do quite enjoy it.  ...

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Categories: Blogs, Summer Projects, Twitter, Uncategorized, Xpert Summit