The document discusses moving marketing strategies from conversations to conversions in higher education. It covers evolving student and communication trends, developing marketing personas to understand different student types, and setting strategic goals around growth, efficiency, quality and intelligence. Key recommendations include knowing your students, automating personalized communications, measuring performance metrics, and breaking down information silos across departments.

1. Signal vs. Noise
UCPEA Regional Conference
Moving from Conversation to Conversion
Dan Obregon, Vice President of Marketing, Intelliworks, Inc.
email: dan.obregon@intelliworks.com
twitter: @dobregon
WWW.INTELLIWORKS.COM

2. Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield Analyze Signal

3. Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield Analyze Signal

4. Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield Analyze Signal

5. Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield Analyze Signal

6. Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield Analyze Signal

7. Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield Analyze Signal

8. Noise Discover Educate Engage Enroll Yield Analyze Signal

9. EVOLUTION
Economic Demographic Consumer Technology
Trends Trends Trends Trends

13. EVOLVING CONSUMERS
• 7 percent of babies have an email address
• 92 percent of toddlers have an online
presences
Source: AVG Internet Security Study, October 2010
“As a consumer's online tenure increases, so
does the likelihood that he or she will
research and apply online. And as online
tenure increases, consumers are more apt to
research exclusively online.”
– Forrester Research

14. EVOLVING COMMUNICATIONS
“If we are driving them there, should we
then question where they currently are
and how we can push content to them?
It seems that in our strategies, we are
building a pull-environment for a push-
customer...”
-Mark Hoetning, CIO, Arkansas State University
(via EDUCAUSE Listserv)
•Multiple touch points
•Preferences vary based on lifecycle
•No “one size fits all” solution
•Next best thing is always around the corner

15. ? The Facebook Experience
1. Login
2. Browse the “News Feed”
3. Randomly browse the site
4. Log off
University
Presence

16. The Facebook Experience
1. Login
2. Browse the “News Feed”
3. Randomly browse the site
4. Log off
University
Presence

17. Putting a Face to Cyberspace
 Evolving to meet student expectations
 Setting strategic goals and objectives
 Creating benchmarks for success

18. THE DECK IS
STACKED, RIGHT?

19. DEMAND HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHER
• Less than 16% of those enrolled in higher education
are “traditional” age college students (18-22)
• Over 25 population is the fastest growing segment
in higher education
• Availability of online and hybrid programs makes
these programs more accessible than ever before
• Even in a recession, people are better off with an
education than without
• Increasing cost and scrutiny of for-profit educators
have made not-for-profit adult education providers
even more appealing

22. BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN…

23. MORE GOING, BUT PROGRESS IS SLOWING
Americans are growing more educated, but progress
appears to be slowing among younger adults.
While the share of U.S. adults holding a four-year
college degree rose from 24 percent to 28 percent
from 2000 to 2008, a lower share of 25 to 34 year-olds
than 35 to 44 year-olds held a four-year college degree
in 2008, a reversal from the pattern in 2000. Nearly a
quarter of those younger adults have completed
some college, but not a degree.
Source: Brookings Institutions, Report on Education Attainment, July 2010

24. EXPECTATIONS ARE CHANGING…
WEB: 92 percent said that they would be
disappointed with a school or remove it entirely
from their lists if they didn’t find the information
they needed on the school’s Web site.
SOCIAL MEDIA: 76 percent of students supported
schools creating their own private social networks
for prospective students.
ECONOMY: 46 percent claimed that the current
economic crisis had caused them to reconsider the
schools they would apply to or attend—an increase
from 34 percent just last year.
MOBILE: 23 percent of respondents reported
searching college sites from their smart phones.
Source: Noel-Levitz, “Focusing Your E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of
College-Bound Students,” August 2010

25. NARROWING THE GENERATIONAL GAP
Source: Community College Student Engagement Survey, June 2010

28. Putting a Face to Cyberspace
 Evolving to meet student expectations
 Setting strategic goals and objectives
 Creating benchmarks for success

29. You will fail
without a
strategy.

31. STRATEGY STARTS WITH YOUR CUSTOMER
• What are they interested in learning?
• How do they want to learn?
• What are their motivations?
• How would they calculate a return on investment?
• Where do I find them? Or (more important), where do they
find me?

32. DEGREE OF INTEREST
Source: Stamats, AdultS tudents Talk Survey 2010

33. COURSE FORMAT
43%
27% 30%
Online On Campus Hybrid
Source: Intelliworks Poll, October 2010 n=214

34. COURSE FORMAT BY GENDER
Online On Campus Hybrid
43% 39%
30%
38%
31%
19%
Female Male
Source: Intelliworks Poll, October 2010 n=214

35. COURSE FORMAT BY AGE
Online On Campus Hybrid
20%
39% 44% 48%
30%
22%
54% 40%
60%
30%
16%
7%
18-24 25-34 35-54 55+
Source: Intelliworks Poll, October 2010 n=214

36. FIGURE OUT
WHAT MOTIVATES THEM…

37. STUDENT MOTIVATIONS: WHAT THEY WANT
2%
6%
Student Motivations
Career Advancement
Earn More Money
28%
Personal Enrichment
52% Change Careers
Other
12%
Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, October 2009 (n = 355)

38. HOW IS YOUR INSTITUTION PROVING ITS WORTH?
18% 15%
How Institutions Prove ROI
Increased Earnings/Salary
Improved Job Placement
6% 20% Reached Personal Goals
Advanced to Higher Degree
Do Not Track
33%
Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, October 2009 (n = 100)

39. WHY DO MOTIVATIONS MATTER?

40. DEVELOPING PERSONAS

41. 1 What are they like?
2 Why are they here?
3 What keeps them up at night?
4 How can you solve their problem?
5 What do you want them to do?
6 How can you best reach them?
7 How might they resist?
© duarte.com 2008

42. THINKING IN
HUMAN TERMS
The Doubting Thomas
He went straight to work after high school
and now he’s looking to get ahead in his
career. He’d like to go back and earn his
degree, but just got promoted and doesn’t
want to leave his job.

43. THINKING IN
HUMAN TERMS
Ms. “Too Cool for Your School”
She’s weighing her options. You offer
everything she’s looking for in an art
history program, but she’s never heard
of your school. And neither have her
friends.

44. THINKING IN
HUMAN TERMS
Mr. “Show Me The Money”
His division II football career may be over,
but he never lost his passion for sports.
He’s having a hard time breaking into
the industry though, and thinks an MBA
in Sports Marketing might get him back
in action.

45. WHY?
• Understand their decision-making process.
• Understand their communication style.
• Discover pain points/barriers to enrollment.
• Validate or deny your assumptions and avoid stereotypes.

46. THINKING IN
HUMAN TERMS
The Idea Man
He’s spent the last 25 years running his
own company, and is ready to retire, but
that doesn’t mean he’s ready to stop.
Many assume he’s against online education
due to his age, but in fact he’d rather
affluent professionals like him may prefer
to learn at their own pace while enjoying
their golden years.

48. THEN FIGURE OUT
HOW TO FIND THEM.

50. PREFERRED COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS
Q: Would you want to receive information about a college or
university via __________________?
Yes No
75 74 84
92 96
25 26 16
8 4
Text Message Email Facebook Telephone Postal Mail
Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, January 2010 (n=100)

51. “If you want to grab someone's attention, you first
need to get his or her permission with some kind of
bait…Once a customer volunteers his or her
time, you're on your way to establishing a long-term
relationship and making a sale.”
– Seth Godin, Author, Permission Marketing

52. EMAIL PREFERRED FOR ADMISSIONS NOTIFICATIONS
Q: Would you want a college or university to contact you via
__________________regarding your admissions status?
Yes No
22
44 42
64
79
78
56 58
36
21
Text Message Email Facebook Telephone Postal Mail
Source: Intelliworks LinkedIn Poll, January 2010 (n=100)

53. THE TAKEAWAY?
• Make it easy for them to find you.
DO NOT SPAM!
• Once they’ve found you, engage
them where they want to engage.
• Optimize online presence to
convert interested prospects.
• 97% of students begin their search
online. (Source: Stamats)

54. Source: XKCD.com

55. WEBSITE FEATURES THAT MATTER
Virtual Tours
Personlization
RSS feeds
A lot of value
Online course catalog
Extreme value
Cost calculator
Campus visit form
Online Application
0 20 40 60 80 100
Source: Noel-Levitz, August 2010

56. WHAT YOU SEE HAPPENING
Education
Engagement
Application
/ Enrollment
Enrolled Student

57. WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING
Education Education
Education Engageme Engageme
Engageme nt nt
nt Applicatio Applicatio
Applicatio n/ n/
n/ Enrollmen Enrollmen
Enrollmen t t
t
Enrolled Student Enrolled Student
Enrolled Student
Education Education Education
Engageme Engageme Engageme
nt nt nt
Applicatio Applicatio Applicatio
n/ n/ n/
Enrollmen Enrollmen Enrollmen
t t t
Enrolled Student Enrolled Student Enrolled Student

58. Putting a Face to Cyberspace
 Evolving to meet student expectations
 Setting strategic goals and objectives
 Creating benchmarks for success

59. DO THESE LOOK FAMILIAR?
• Goals
– Increase Enrollment
– Improve Staff Efficiency
– Control Data Sharing
– Enhance Effectiveness of Student Contact

60. SURVEY SAYS!
Source: Intelliworks Email Poll of UCEA/Eduventures Members, April 2010

61. Growth
Intelligence
Quality Efficiency

62. GROWTH
• Increase inquiries,
applications, enrollments, etc.
Growth
• Raise awareness of your
program in the market
Intelligence
• Expand the diversity of your
offerings
Quality Efficiency

63. EFFICIENCY
• Reduce the number of clicks it
takes to complete an
Growth
application
• Improve your inquiry
Intelligence response time
• Automate workflow and
communications
Quality Efficiency

64. QUALITY
• Attract more qualified
students or attract the right
Growth
students for your program
• Differentiate your program
Intelligence from the competition
• Improve customer experience
Quality Efficiency

65. INTELLIGENCE
• Year-over-year comparisons
of your key metrics
Growth
• Responses to your marketing
messages (opens/click
Intelligence throughs, etc.)
• Engagement of your
community
Quality Efficiency

66. HELP THEM FIND YOU
• Goal
– Supplement database with quality leads
– Purchased Lists: Lower cost, raise results
– Calculate and track marketing ROI
• Tactics
– Drive search traffic to online inquiry forms
– Capture lead source data
– Send TARGETED email campaigns to opt-ins
• Results
– NO LISTS PURCHASED
– Over 30,000 Inquiries in 6 months
– Visibility to Recruiter Activities
– Marketing Dollar Spend Analysis
– Built In Analytics = Real Time Access To Data

67. FOLLOW THE THREE C’s
• Coordinated
• Consistent
• Compelling

69. FIU BUSINESS: UNCOMMON THINKERS
• Info Session Attendance up more than 200% over 3 years
• Applicants up more than 50% over 3 years
• Admits up more than 60% over 3 years
• Enrolled up nearly 75% over 3 years

70. THE KEYS TO SUCCESS
1. Know your students
2. Hire good communicators
3. Build “hoop-less” admissions and financial aid
processes
4. Take a proactive approach to student advising
5. Automate routine communications
6. Hire faculty suited to online teaching
7. Set and maintain high standards for student/faculty
communication
8. Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate
9. Check your program’s vital signs regularly
10. Use cross-functional teams to develop
enhancements and improvements
Source: American Public University System and Intelliworks

71. MEASUREMENT, ANALYSIS
& IMPROVEMENT

72. Awareness
Inquiry
Follow Up
Engagement
Qualification
Application
Admissions
Enrollment
Retention
Completion

73. TREAT DIFFERENT STUDENTS DIFFERENTLY
• Strategic Objectives
– Custom design of communications plan;
points of contact based on individual
student characteristics and individual
program marketing plan.
– Automated yet personalized
communications.

74. BREAK DOWN SILOS
• Consolidate Information
– Provide a central location to share and
collaborate on prospect data.
– Share goals and reports across the
organization.
– Transfer knowledge from one person to
another.
– Eliminate error from manual calculations
and various data management issues.

75. MEASURE THE BASICS
• Establish benchmarks
– Student Inquiries
– Web site Traffic
– Event Attendees
– Applicants

76. Growth
Intelligence
Quality Efficiency

77. EVOLUTION

78. RESOURCES
• Higher Education and Social Media
– http://www.intelliworks.com/blog
– http://www.ustream.tv/user/intelliworks/videos
– http://www.slideshare.net/intelliworks
• Creating Marketing Personas
– http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1799477031032190172&hl=en#
– http://technomarketer.typepad.com/technomarketer/2008/04/developing-pers.html
• Marketing Charts
– http://www.marketingcharts.com
• Cartoons
– http://www.tomfishburne.com/
– http://www.xkcd.com

80. THE END.
Dan Obregon, Vice President of Marketing, Intelliworks, Inc.
email: dan.obregon@intelliworks.com
twitter: @dobregon
WWW.INTELLIWORKS.COM