Beyond the school website, create a comprehensive web presence to reach international students was a presentation provided at the NAFSA Region XII conference in San Diego covering the topic of international student recruitment.

1. Beyond the School Web Site –
Create a Comprehensive Web Presence
to Reach International Students

2. About
Bryanna Davis – Marketing Coordinator, Envisage International
• From Missouri – received a degree in Journalism
• Studied abroad in Wales and taught English in Beijing, China
• Responsible for digital marketing and social media efforts

3. About Us
Our goal is to empower and encourage students to pursue an international education, and
provide them with the tools they need to educate themselves and experience the world.
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Neptune Beach, Florida
Started in 1998
Own the largest international student facing network
• InternationalStudent.com
• InternationalScholarships.com
• InternationalStudentInsurance.com
• ELSdirectory.com
• Reach - over 7 million students each year
Business Units
• Insurance
• Loans
• Leads and advertising

4. Agenda
• Internal web presence
• Your website, how students find you
• External web presence
• Third party websites, social media and search engines
• The New School and UNF
• Web presence
• Best practices – what works, how to best utilize what you have
• Q & A and Discussion

5. Web Presence
“The appearance of a person or organization on the World Wide Web."
How is it Measured?
By the amount of sites an organization or individual has, including
• The website
• Social media profiles
• Search engine rankings
• Amount of search engine real estate

6. Why is Web Presence Important?
Ability to reach millions of international student
Compliments your travel and traditional recruiting efforts
Brand awareness
Contact from reach to enrollment
Cost effective ROI
It is how you are found and have an impact
when students are searching for you or the
programs you offer

7. Why is a Web Presence important?
Over 50% of high school Juniors and Seniors say that the web played at least a significant role in the
evaluation of an institution
But 55% of students could not find the information they were looking for on a school’s website
So 18% of students turn to independent websites to learn about cost and financial aid
And 49% say independent websites are the best way to learn about an institution’s academic
programs
o 31% say blogs
o 38% social media
o 52% search
College Week Live and Noel-Levitz, 2013

8. Why is a Web Presence Important?

9. Your School’s Website
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Important
Expensive
Branding
Communicate with:
• Current students
• Prospective students
• Alumni
• Faculty
President’s message
Mission of the school
Admissions info
Academics
Programs and degrees offered
Maps, directories, employment opportunities
Athletics, events
Parent resources, student government
And that is the first page! Oh my!

10. Your School’s Website
• One site created for all
• Hard to navigate
• Not completely relevant
• Hard to find information
• Out of date

12. How is Your School’s Website Found?

16. They’re Doing What?

17. Getting Their Information

18. Email Marketing

19. Giving Them Information The Way They Prefer

20. Make It Real

21. Giving Them Information The Way They Prefer

22. Beyond Your Site- Your School’s Social Media Presence
• Extension of website
• Upcoming events
• News
• Upcoming deadlines
• Promoted from website and vice versa
• Engage users to push through the funnel

23. Social Media

24. Your School’s Web Presence
33,300 Monthly Unique Visitors

25. The New School

26. Working with Third Party Online Marketing Companies

27. Working with Third Party Online Marketing Companies
• Typically portal sites
• Established SEO
• Sticky
• Some do microsites
• Stand Alone
• ? – How do they get traffic
• Good way to expand your reach
• Promote your social networks
• Good way to expand brand awareness

31. What is your school currently doing?

32. What are a few improvement/updates you would like to
see happen when it comes to your school’s web
presence?

33. How to Grow your Web Presence
• Hire outside help like Envisage International
(us!), Hotcourses, Zinch or Hobsons…
• Ask:
• How will we be found
• What methods do you use (SEO, PPC, Affiliates)
• What are the benefits of social media
• What blogs and content will you distribute
• Know what your goals are (likes, leads, communications, brand)
• Ask for help