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Time to start asking “why?”

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As admissions professionals, we often go about doing things the same year after year…after year. We continue to do search the same way, we are still producing thousands of full-color glossy view books that we know students throw away, and we are still hosting the same events the way we have done them for years — no matter the outcome.

In today’s market where there are decreasing numbers of high school students, increasing options available after high school, disappearing budgets, reduced staff levels, more demands by your prospective students, more applications and more visitors, it is time to start asking “Why?”

I know it sounds like a simple question to ask but often we get caught up in the ...

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18
MAY
0

Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Campus Visit, Campus Visit Experiences, Change

“No Duh,” Higher Ed

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Know where some of the most talented professionals I ever worked with in Admissions work now? (Hint: It’s not Admissions).

Sadly, our industry’s best and brightest often feel as if they have no other choice but to leave campus in search of professional development, career advancement, and in many cases, a decent salary.

In my time (and when did I get old enough to say that by the way?), phrases like “you’ve got to move over to move up” were the norm. Despite the fact that I worked full-time — plus “nights, overnights and weekends” as we liked to say in the business — my MBA advisor kept asking me when I was going to get a “real job.”

True — my colleagues ...

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11
MAY
0

Categories: Uncategorized

Sometimes the answers are simple

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This year marked my 18th NAGAP conference. For my acronym-challenged friends, this is the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals. My first presentation, in 1994 in San Francisco, was entitled “What is WWW?” Oh how the times have changed.

Over my career in higher education, I’ve attempted to bridge the divide between the undergraduate and graduate recruiting efforts — bringing the lessons learned recruiting an 18-year-old to the world of recruiting adults. However, I received pushback on a regular basis from the graduate professionals with claims of “we’re different” or “we don’t have the resources they have” or “we don’t have the same issues.”

Then came those pesky Millennials to their graduate program interview and campus tour with ...

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4
MAY
0

Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, College Recruiting, Graduate Recruiting, Student Recruiting

Presidential wisdom in 140 characters

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Babson College President Len Schlesinger extended an invitation to his campus: “Hope to see you tomorrow at 10:30 AM to Meet the Sharks..watch two Babson students pitching their best ideas to Daymond John and Mark Cuban!”

In case you didn’t notice, that invite to a taping of “Shark Tank” is 140 characters long.  It’s a tweet from one of the few college presidents who regularly shares his thoughts via Twitter.  And Lauren Landry, who covers higher education for a Boston news site, can’t figure out why Schlesinger is the exception and not the rule.

“I’m able to follow students, professors, deans and student newspapers, gathering all that I need into 140-character snippets,” she writes.  “The one group missing? College presidents. I follow ...

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27
APR
0

Categories: Social Networking, Student Recruiting, Twitter

Growing up techie

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We’re living in hyper-connected times and Millennials from a very early age are growing up with everything at their fingertips. But is that “always on” mentality helping or hurting our youth? And how will the increased use of technology affect higher education?

The Pew Research Center along with Elon University conducted a survey of over 1,000 Internet “experts” (with the majority coming from education and technology fields) asking respondents to select whether growing up constantly connected will be a positive or negative.

Fifty-five percent of respondents took an optimistic point of view. They felt that Internet use provides young people with a unique skill set, including knowing how to solve problems through cooperative work and knowing how to quickly and efficiently ...

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20
APR
0

Categories: Generations, Millennial Generation, Millennials

A little less conversation

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Change.

It’s an emotionally charged word in higher education, if not a dirty one.  And it’s been the war cry here at TargetX since day one.

When I joined the company back in 2005, I was quickly immersed into a culture of higher ed professionals trumpeting the need for industry change.  Defects from a world of cushy benefits and questionable accountability, they struck out on their own to become a voice of change in an industry sliding desperately into denial.

Together the team here wrote blog posts and email newsletters outlining how colleges needed to engage a new generation and operate more efficiently.   We spent years speaking at conferences about the impending shifts in technology, generations, demographics and more.  We even created our ...

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13
APR
0

Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Change, College Recruiting, Leadership, Marketing, Overthrowing Dead Culture, Uncategorized

International recruiting goes social

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International recruitment has become a top priority for many universities. There are a number of reasons for this trend.

Universities benefit by internationalizing their campus, enhancing their reputation and scoring higher in international rankings. International students also pay higher tuition fees, which is a welcome addition for cash-strapped institutions in today’s financial climate.

Traditional methods for recruiting international students include establishing strategic partnerships with other institutions, sending recruiters abroad to attend university fairs and hiring overseas agents.

The problem with these methods is that they are expensive and time-consuming. While the use of recruitment agents is a common practice in many countries, the issue is controversial in the United States and is currently being examined by a NACAC panel.

Dr. Rahul Choudaha, a renowned ...

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30
MAR
0

Categories: International Recruiting, Social Media, Social Networking, Student Recruiting

Unless.

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“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss

I’ve been doing some research for an upcoming set of conference presentations called “If I ran the zoo (and your admissions office too)” based on the lessons we can learn from the wonderful Dr. Seuss books. My timing couldn’t have been better with the recent release of “The Lorax” in theaters. We had a free Sunday night with my daughter and so it was time to grab some overpriced popcorn and snacks and nestle into our seats for the show.

I left the theater an hour and a half later with my mind racing with ideas to share. ...

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23
MAR
0

Categories: Change, Leadership, Overthrowing Dead Culture

Ready for your Facebook facelift?

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SUNY Cortland believes in looking at the big picture. At least when it comes to Facebook.

So the central New York campus is inviting students, faculty, staff and alums to submit photos for the new cover image that will dominate its Facebook page starting on March 30th. That’s the day the social goliath has set for its worldwide switch to “Timeline,” a redesigned interface that emphasizes photos, especially the one that spans the top of the page.

Many colleges have already converted to the new design, posting everything from breathtaking campus vistas, to inspirational taglines, to depictions of their athletic mascots. Others — like SUNY Cortland — have at least a strategy in place, if not an actual image. But there are ...

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16
MAR
0

Categories: Authenticity, College Recruiting, Facebook, Social Networking

Ch-Check it out

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Yes, that’s a Beastie Boys song title. While some may scoff at the idea of learning something from three guys who go by Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock — their 25-year career, international fan base and 2012 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is certainly no joke. And higher ed would be smart to listen up — there are serious lessons to be learned from this Brooklyn rap trio.

“The Beastie Boys Guide to Brand Storytelling” by Kimberly Bordonaro identifies seven elements that explain why their loyal following over the years didn’t happen because they got lucky. It happened through a unique blend of what the kids today would call “sick” rhymes, funky fresh beats, and for ...

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9
MAR
0

Categories: Authenticity, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Communication, Marketing, Storytelling

Marketing is like sex…

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Why?  Everyone thinks they’re good at it!

All joking aside, it’s true. Everyone from your brother to your boss has got their own definition of what marketing is and what makes it great (or horrendous, or remarkable, or offensive, or inspired…)

So much so that it can make it quite difficult for someone in my shoes to be confident my team and I are hitting the mark.

If you’re feeling my pain, then don’t miss this list of “10 Companies with Insanely Great Marketing.”

Of course you’ll glean insights from legends like Apple, Nike and Geico (I confess, I can’t get enough of Maxwell, the pig who cries “weee weee weeeee” all the way home. Never gets old.)

But as much as we all have ...

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2
MAR
0

Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Communication, Marketing

New Millennials in the Work Place and Old Style Business Cards

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Seems like we have been recruiting millennials for a long time and now they’re joining our ranks in the workplace.

AdAge recently published “What to Know About Your Latest Class of Employees”. The article outlines five observations and best practices that are relevant to millennials in the workplace:

1. Loyalty is back
2. Engagement is essential
3. Watch for short circuits
4. Make time for face time
6. Harness the coffeehouse effect

Read the quick article for all the details.

Regardless of what generation your work team is; Millennial, Gen X or Boomer, all employees should have well designed and well thought out business cards. Even in today’s digital world a business card reigns supreme for connection. However, keep your business cards simple in ...

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28
FEB
0

Categories: Uncategorized

Facebook without the whining

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“I would have written this article sooner,” says business journalist Lydia Dishman, “but I was busy on Pinterest.” Turns out, she wasn’t alone.

In her recent story in Fast Company magazine — entitled “Why Pinterest Is So Addictive” — Dishman explores the reasons this relatively new social networking site is attracting so many people, including, perhaps, students you’re trying to recruit.

Launched in 2010, Pinterest has suddenly exploded in popularity, with nearly 12 million unique U.S. visitors last month. The site is a virtual bulletin board that enables you to create online image collages, then easily share those collages — called pinboards — with other users.

Part of Pinterest’s appeal is that it is visually beautiful and overwhelmingly positive (“like Facebook without the ...

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24
FEB
1

Categories: College Recruiting, Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking

Avoiding data paralysis

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When I conjure up characteristics of a typical admissions professional, I immediately think of words like friendly, knowledgeable, professional, fun-loving (remembering NACAC 2011). My first thoughts aren’t about leveraging financial aid, predictive modeling or data integrity.

Being responsible for data can be a scary thought, even to those “techie” people in admissions who claim to love it. One hazard that CRM expert Mark Miller warns about is data paralysis. Sometimes knowing that all the data is out there waiting to be put to good use can be enough to stop you in your tracks. So, let’s talk baby steps.

Miller offers three suggestions for bringing things under control:

1. Favor smart data over big data. What data ...

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17
FEB
0

Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, CRM, Data, Uncategorized

Are you paying attention?

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Before parents and students set foot on your campus for a tour, you can bet they’re searching for reviews of your college online. You may have an archive of wonderful case studies, interviews or testimonials from recent grads and current students on your website, but do you know what the sad truth is? Parents and students don’t always trust them!

After surfing admissions site after admissions site and flipping through countless viewbooks, most of the marketing messages from each college begin to sound the same. So what are students and parents doing? They’re hitting up Google to find college reviews from each school on their list.

What can you do as a higher ed marketing professional? ...

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10
FEB
0

Categories: Best Practice Documents, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Website, Websites

“Take Your Parent To Work Day” and other tales of helicopter parenting

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For over a decade we’ve been attempting to understand Millennials and their relationships with their helicopter parents.  As a former latchkey kid, maybe I’m jealous of this dynamic; my own parents were fairly absent from a host of major and daily milestones in my development. Now I am a proud and somewhat bitter GenXer who is a bit fed up with Boomer narcissism and Millennial entitlement and having to see members of my generation serve as the managers in the work place caught in the middle of this overindulgence.

The helicopter is still hovering. Take a moment to see where and how.  Ranging from insane to the hilarious, here are some examples:

More parents helping adult children get homes, ...

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9
FEB
0

Categories: Generations, Millennial Generation, Millennials, Uncategorized

What the Superbowl can teach higher ed

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According to the Neilsen Co., an estimated 111 million people watched last year’s Superbowl. But I wonder how many people took their bathroom break during the game and stuck around for the commercials.

This advertising juggernaut has brought us some of the most iconic 30-60 second ads of all-time. Brands bring out the creative “big guns” to catch people’s attention and hopefully have them talking about their product long after the Lombardi Trophy has been awarded.

So you are probably asking yourself, “What does the Superbowl have to do with higher ed?” Well, if you’re in recruitment marketing those ads are doing something that colleges and universities need to be doing much more of — using creativity to grab ...

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3
FEB
0

Categories: Authenticity, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Millennial Generation, Millennials, Uncategorized

Would you like fries with that?

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Ever heard the one about “How the liberal arts major says hello?”
(answer: “Would you like fries with that?”)

[go ahead, guffaw]

An NPR reporter recounts the old joke in a recent piece on how new trends could be challenging the notion that specialization in higher ed is the only path to success. They go on to tell the story of how food giant ConAgra — think Chef Boyardee and Marie Callender’s — has revamped their internship program to include the recruitment of such “off the beaten path” employees as journalism or biology majors.

Could it be? Are media outlets finally recognizing that there is value in educational pursuits that don’t reduce to 1′s and 0′s?

USA Today seems to think ...

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27
JAN
0

Categories: Uncategorized

All Purchasing is Emotional – Especially Where to Attend College

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I will never understand the mind of teenagers. When we’re conducting tour guide workshops we ask students why they chose their school. There are always two repetitive answers: I visited and it felt right and I could see myself here.

I’ve also heard the most irrational reasons to support their choice:

  • “It was snowy and everyone was wearing flip flops when I visited in January and I thought they were cool.”
  • “My mom is afraid to drive over bridges, so I decided when I was crossing the Delaware river on the Ben Franklin bridge while driving in for a campus visit.”

As an emotive marketer, I was thrilled to read an article in a recent issue of The Economist about Ernest Dichter, an acolyte ...

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26
JAN
1

Categories: Authenticity, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Marketing

How to redesign a website

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When Marketing VP Adrienne Hamson decided to redesign the TargetX website, she immediately thought about making it faster and simpler to navigate.  She knew it had to be more interactive.  And she vowed to make all the product information easily digestible.

But the real challenge, she realized, was to build upon all the best-practice advice that TargetX has become known for — and make the site a place where admissions professionals can go for content that will make them better recruiters and marketersShe succeeded, and TargetX just launched a new website that offers:

  • A video library consisting of the company’s popular “Free on Friday” webcasts aimed at admissions officers.

  • The iThink Blog, a compendium of posts about student recruiting from a variety of ...
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20
JAN
0

Categories: Campus Visit, College Recruiting, Websites

Mailing Millennials

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Talking about “snail mail” as an effective recruitment strategy is sure to raise an eyebrow or two, but don’t discount its benefits and the value it adds. In the second half of this year’s recruitment cycle, admissions offices are thinking more about acceptance letters, open house invitations and financial aid packages — all traditionally print recruitment pieces — that still work according to Deliver Magazine.

In the article “Making sense of the Millennials” by Allan Nahajewski, Millennials don’t mind direct mail. According to one study, Millennials say 75 percent of the mail they receive is valuable, and 73 percent of them have used direct mail coupons.

With this in mind — what’s the most effective way to use direct mail? ...

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13
JAN
0

Categories: Authenticity, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Communication, Communication Plans, Marketing, Millennial Generation, Millennials

Writing your school’s resume

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You’ve heard it a thousand times — Be distinctive; stand out from your competitors. You can’t do that with your faculty/student ratio, no matter how impressive. Or with your small class sizes, no matter how important. Or with the personalized attention your professors provide their students, no matter how beneficial.

Start your story with something that cuts through the college marketing clutter, say all the experts. But perhaps no one has said it quite like advertising executive Angie Jones.

“I have a Bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing,” Jones writes in a recent blog post. Pretty good, but unfortunately millions of people in America have the same degree and emphasis, she says. “Education-wise, I don’t stand out from ...

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11
JAN
0

Categories: Authenticity, College Recruiting, Communication, Marketing

A New Year’s Resolution Toward Authenticity

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Most of my friends and colleagues know I’m not one for the November and December holidays. My nickname is Scrinch , a combination of Scrooge and Grinch. But, I do love New Year’s. It’s global, non-sectarian, and is about a fresh start and beginning.

For years I’ve been preaching about the experience economy and what it means to recruiting students, especially through more authentic, engaging, and memorable campus visits.

I have two titles at TargetX: VP, Consulting and Apostle of Authenticity. My mission as the Apostle of Authenticity is to get schools to be comfortable with who they genuinely are and to embrace their core DNA.

But our industry is overrun with a generation of leaders (most of whom have been raised ...

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19
DEC
0

Categories: Authenticity, Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Campus Visit, Millennial Generation, Millennials

Admissions’ Wish List

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During our holiday Free on Friday webcast last week — “Admissions’ Wish List for Santa” — admissions professionals were asked to submit their “wishes” for the industry. Many of our colleagues submitted a letter to Santa (TargetX’s very own Trent Gilbert) and the content did not disappoint. From the basic needs of an admissions office to campus-wide strategic planning, here are just a few requests we wanted to share.

Office and campus essentials included items like iPads for admissions staff (and a strategy for their use), and an additional staff member on the “social media” team. Taryn from Lynn University had a larger request, “A new student center that highlights campus life.” But she wasn’t the only one; many admissions officers ...

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16
DEC
0

Categories: Branding/Marketing/Recruiting, Free on Friday Webcasts

Marketing is the future

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American universities are not the only ones struggling with change these days. Sharply rising tuition and increasing competition from abroad have schools in the UK relying on marketing like never before.

For a higher education system that has hummed along since the 12th century, aggressive marketing was something other industries had to worry about. But that is changing, says Britain’s William Annandale, and he offers five predictions for the future of higher education marketing that may have relevance for those of us in the colonies:

Differentiate or die. “All HEIs [higher education institutions, as they're known in the UK] need to think clearly about their proposition and how they differentiate themselves. Importantly, this should be addressed from the perspective of target audiences: ...

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9
DEC
0

Categories: Change, College Recruiting, Communication, CRM, Marketing

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