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 try. I was amazed at how the simple act of interacting made me want to click around and learn more.

And that, folks, is how it works.

So think about adding components like social networks, blogs, podcasts, quizzes, games, etc. to enhance your website experience. Giving users the ability to interact more with your site can help you a) attract more visitors b) make them stay longer and c) make them want to pass it on.

It’s still tough to say (with any certainty) how website interaction directly translates to more enrolled students. However, I can say that I donated 450 grains of rice and read every page of that site;)

Check out the full text of Seth’s post, entitled “Put it in your portmanteau.”

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