iGen Goes to College
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Presentation by Schneider and Associates at NEGAP 2014 fall conference
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iGen Goes to College
- 1. 1
- 3. Environment Increased Competition Challenging Recruitment Process Uncertain Yield & Higher Melt Top-down Pressure from Administration A Disruptive Storm in Higher Education 3
- 4. What are the challenges? Quality of Leads Cost Per Conversion Cost Per Lead Conversion Rate Application Volume Yield Enrollment Melt Enrollment Tuition/Revenue Brand Awareness Geographical Location Quality of Student of Students Marketing Strategy and Mix Competition Reputation Financial Aid ROI Program Offerings Rankings 4
- 5. Today’s enrollment officials “must accept that, at any moment, their heads could roll.” -Chronicle of Higher Ed 5
- 6. Trends in Size of College/Undergraduate Applicant Pool 6
- 7. As the nation’s smallest and oldest region, New England faces an escalating aging population that will affect the fate of graduate enrollment Median age is over 40 -NE Journal of Higher Ed 7
- 8. Between 2000 and 2010, children under 18 in New England dropped by 197,000. From 2010 to 2013, it dropped by another 102,000 children -Census Bureau 8
- 9. • Growth of online universities Online education is becoming increasingly popular and a contributing factor to the decreasing applicant pool 9
- 10. Get ready. If you thought Millennials were hard to understand… 10
- 11. The next generation of college applicants, according to Stefan Pollack’s book, Disrupted. 11
- 12. Who is an iGen? The next generation of college applicants. iGens were born between 1994 and 2004 12
- 13. They are accustomed Who is an iGen? to accessing information about anything at anytime The next generation of college applicants. Members of the iGeneration (iGen) were born between 1994 and 2004. 13
- 14. Who is an iGen? The next generation of college applicants. iGens listen to iGens They avoid commercials, favor peer reviews and only Members of the iGeneration (iGen) were born between 1994 and 2004. read messages from trusted networks 14
- 15. Who is an iGen? Colleges are no longer competing with each other, but with students who hold the power to influence The next generation of college applicants. Members of the iGeneration (iGen) were born between 1994 and 2004. 15
- 16. Who is an iGen? Think “one-to-one-to-many” iGens expect personal communication and will amplify positive or negative personal experiences to broader networks The next generation of college applicants. Members of the iGeneration (iGen) were born between 1994 and 2004. 16
- 17. Who is an iGen? Think One to One to Many. iGens expect communication to be personal, but will also amplify personal experiences to their broader network—positive or negative. The next generation of college applicants. They curate and control their media experience These “gatekeepers” require brands to seek permission to Members of the iGeneration (iGen) were enter their world born between 1994 and 2004. 17
- 18. How do we know this? 18
- 19. Key Findings from the “iGen Goes to College” Survey 19
- 20. Students want to engage with schools on their own terms 67% of iGens learned about a school through Facebook 20
- 21. 92% of students used social media during the application process 60% of applicants felt comfortable contacting schools via social media 21
- 22. iGens desire authentic, personalized outreach from likeminded peers 43% stated personal contact influenced their decision to attend a school 22
- 23. Applicants place importance on program specialties and digital presentation Course/program offerings (48%) and school reputation (44%) were critical enrollment influencers 23
- 24. 38% said a school’s website was the most trustworthy source when learning about a school 24
- 25. Key Findings from the iGen Focus Groups: Boston, New York, Los Angeles 25
- 26. Students liked direct outreach from schools via social media (i.e. when current students tweeted at them) 26
- 27. Students suggested schools include pictures and interactive features in emails to make them more engaging and effective 27
- 28. Participants wished schools would be more aware of them as individuals rather than sending generic communiques 28
- 29. Students found repeat emails and letters annoying, especially when redundant or after acceptance when they to enroll elsewhere 29
- 31. Takeaway: Traditional marketing does not resonate with iGens and requires a new look at the communications, admissions and enrollment process 31
- 32. Media iGens’ Consumption media consumption Patterns: iGens patterns are constantly changing They gather information about schools from many more online sources than previous generations 32
- 33. How do we respond to this? 33
- 34. Schools should take a page from the consumer retail playbook and market directly to students using interesting/ personalized messages 34
- 35. The need for strategic, targeted, value-oriented and measureable marketing programs is critical 35
- 36. Reimagining the recruitment funnel is a priority – using “mass” marketing to increase yield is hindering success 36
- 37. The Old Admissions Enrollment Funnel is Linear Inquiry Application Yield Enrollment One Way Communication Process Driven Impersonal Correspondence Variable Melt Conversion 37
- 38. The Old Admissions Enrollment Funnel is Linear 38 Inquiry Application Yield Enrollment One Way Communication Process Driven Impersonal Correspondence Variable Melt Conversion
- 39. iGens Have #Hacked the Funnel Drive Awareness Increase yield, decrease melt, and secure enrollment Grad School Class of 2017/2018 Online DEADLINES Offline Foster Consideration Encourage Engagement Create Excitement 39
- 40. Creating the Personal Enrollment Journey Name: Jessica Born: 1994 Lives: Wakefield, MA Attributes: • GPA 3.8 • Rowing team • Interested in medicine • Wants to attend an urban school • Needs financial aid • Loves pizza, dogs and shopping • Cares about the environment • Active on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat 40
- 41. – Received a viewbook and letters that she recycled – Received three emails that remain unopened Communications with Meaning – Received Tweet to “chat” with a current law student – Read blog post about law student’s trip to work on a real case – Followed by law students on Instagram who are brand ambassadors – Opts-in through mobile to communicate and apply Communications with Meaning 41
- 42. – Invited to informational event in a large lecture hall – Struggled to stay awake during presentation Making Info Sessions Fun Admissions Road Trip – Branded truck visits Jessica’s hometown during holidays and invites her via Twitter – Meet-ups in cities across U.S. – College engages with Jessica on her social channels and encourages sharing 42
- 43. – Tour was awkward and Jessica didn’t get to meet any professors or connect with other students Interactive Experience – Jessica takes self-guided tour, tweeting with hashtag – Visits “selfie station” in the library – Connected with other grad students through Instagram scavenger-hunt Socialize Grad School Tours 43
- 44. – Tour guide was cold and impersonal – There were no opportunities for social interaction Brand Ambassadors – Met Erica, a grad school Brand Ambassador, who also loves the environment and law – Jessica is incentivized to take pictures and tweet during tour – Current students engage with Jessica and retweet her content Tour Guides 44
- 45. Brand Ambassadors Part II – Received LinkedIn request to connect with an alum – Connected with existing students from undergrad through Twitter – Participated in online chat with graduates from program she’s interested in attending Role of Current Grad Students and Alumni – Received form letter from a graduate in the program she’s interested in 45
- 46. Traditional Advertising – Read a billboard – Saw a television ad – Heard a radio spot – Recalled a print ad Integrated, Digital Marketing – Heard a student testimonial on Pandora – Read sponsored content on Buzzfeed – Viewed an alumni testimonial on YouTube video or pre-roll Advertising 46
- 47. Traditional Media Relations – Doesn’t read the newspaper Media Relations Thought Leadership – Read a student blog post on Buzzfeed and BostInno – Participated in a media-sponsored Twitter chat about how to improve grad school application essays 47
- 48. Communications Financial Data and Admissions Analytics Aid Social Media Advertising 48 Faculty/ Deans Public Relations Digital Content Marketing Creation
- 49. All departments and marketing disciplines need to row in the same direction 49
- 50. The Question Remains: How do schools know this will work? 50
- 51. Measuring Results: Quality of Recruits Conversion Rate Cost Per Recruit Cost Per Conversion Increase in Applications Increase in Yield Decrease in % Melt Matriculated Students 51
- 52. Questions? jschneider@SchneiderPR.com @SA_launch www.SchneiderPR.com 52
Notas del editor
- Having worked with over three decades of higher education clients, I have observed the pain that schools have been facing in the enrollment realm. Education marketing is an art and a science – there is no exact formula or guidebook to reach applicants, as every college has a different pain point (some may have a demographics issue while others are not connecting to the right type of student) but with new tactics and approaches, college enrollment offices can insert solutions into their preexisting enrollment funnel. With this sea change occurring and so many outside forces impacting college enrollment, it is becoming harder to reach the next generation of college applicants. Everyone is so focused on the Millennial generation – but there is a new cohort of students that are even more diverse and technically savvy than Generation Y, and we need to start paying attention to them. Today, I am going to talk about how this newest generation thinks, how they crave information and personalization, and most importantly, how they are creating any even bigger and more complex disruption to the college enrollment process. TALK ABOUT HOW YOU LISTENED TO POLLACK SPEAK AND READ HIS BOOK, AND HOW THIS CREATED AN URGENCY TO RUN BACK AND REIMAGINE COLLEGE MARKETING TACTICS FOR YOUR EDUCATION CLIENTS.
- In this video, you’ll see that we’re not dealing with the same demographic of students that we were back when the Boomers were going to college. Today, going to college is an expectation if you want to be successful, but with so many schools competing for the same applicant pool, institutions are finding it difficult to relate to and reach this new generation and matriculate students.
- There are a number of factors that are contributing to this shift in enrollment trends. Educational institutions are facing increasing pressure to differentiate, decrease costs, demonstrate value and increase yield since students are applying to multiple colleges. There is increased scrutiny on schools for a variety of reasons (student safety, value of a degree, cost of tuition). Flat or declining growth makes relying on traditional marketing and media channels a risk—new strategies are required. Marketing departments are experiencing a resource crunch and are outsourcing specific disciplines to specialty agencies. The marketing spend is the same or increasing, but the annual yield is decreasing. Budgets are being allocated without metrics to show the revenue impact of the program, leading to a misallocation of funds and insufficient support for key programs. With national enrollment levels expected to decline, the competition for students and revenue will only increase with the potential for contracting budgets.
- So what exactly are some of the challenges? The gap between tuition and aid is widening. As college tuition consumes a larger percentage of family income, more students and parents cannot afford to pay. This will also put downward pressure on enrollments(-BMO Captial Markets based on data from College Board’s Trends in College Pricing and Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- In a recent article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed, “The Hottest Seat on Campus,” the point was made that today’s enrollment officials simply need a mind for marketing and a nose for numbers. Enrollment managers must accept that, at any moment, their heads could roll. “As the coast-to-coast competition for students intensifies, a profession that rides the whims of teenagers has become even more uncertain.” With demographic shifts, declining family incomes, and rising tuition, enrollment offices are under extreme pressure to meet high expectations. Presidents and trustees ask enrollment officials the toughest questions: “How do we get more applications,” “Where can we find more wealthy students?” “Why isn’t our campus more diverse?” “What could we do to improve our ranking?” One enrollment VP at a small private college in NY said, “there are institutions in denial about reality,” and it’s true – the landscape has changed and people who have been doing this job for decades, without any implications, are suddenly not reaching their goals.
- What we have here is a diminishing applicant pool, as you can see highlighted in green. Basically, this means there are less students graduating high school, in turn making the college applicant pool smaller. As you can see, from 2009 to 2012, the last of the millennials graduated high school, which leads us into a drop in graduates. From 2012 until 2016, we have our first iGens graduating high school and entering undergrad. While millennials think very similar to iGens, this new generation of students is even more extreme. From 2016 on, we have our first iGens attending and graduating from graduate programs. The people you’re trying to reach are the very beginning of this trend – and while it looks like things are going to get better in the future, you shouldn’t wait until then to employ changes. Especially as New Englanders, we can’t just hang in there and wait it out – because there is such a population decline in this region, we’re not going to see that upward trend as seen in the graph. Beginning in 2014, the number of 18 to 24 year olds in the United States is going to begin a six- to seven-year decline. Fewer high school graduates entering college will contribute to the pressure on declining college enrollments (-US Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics).
- In a recent New England Journal of Higher Education article, “Is Our Aging Population a Threat to Education?”, the point was made that New England in particular is facing a complete population decline that will impact college enrollment. New England is demographically unique in many ways, and with fewer than 15-million year-round residents, New England institutions will have slim pickings for young applicants. In the past three years, the population has edged up only 1.1%, which is les than half the rest of the nation’s growth rate. The median age of New Englander is now over 40. Adult women in this region are no longer in the child-bearing age range, and the consequence is a decline in the number of births and subsequent drop in the number of children in the region. From 2010 to 2013, every New England state had more people move out than move in.
- The number of young people in New England is drastically decreasing, therefore the number of in-state applicants will decrease. This decline is just another hindrance to this region’s enrollment struggle.
- Another hindrance to enrollment is the fact that online education is becoming a norm. We’ve seen the “college experience” morph into an online platform. According to Inside Higher Ed, even in the fall of 2012, 5.5 million students took at least one online course (1 in 4 college students), and among these students, about 2.6 million were enrolled in fully online programs (-The National Center for Education Statistics). Graduate students in this group were even more likely to take online courses - the share of graduate students enrolled in fully online programs was twice as high as the share of undergraduates - 22 to 11 percent. With options like Massive open Online Courses (MOOCs) becoming more prevalent, millions of students are choosing these options to receive their higher education. And we’ve seen this firsthand – we’re launching the first women’s online college geared toward the 76 million women in the U.S. who don’t have a college education.
- As I said before, college enrollment offices are so focused on understanding Millennials that many have yet to think about the newest generation of college applicants – these are the students we need to shift our focus to. They are extreme versions of Millennials, and while both generations have many similarities, this new cohort is an entirely new playing field for college admissons.
- We now arrive at the iGeneration, the most recent college applicants. This generation name stems from Stefan Pollack, President of the Pollack PR Marketing Group author of the book, Disrupted. According to his book, the “iGeneration” are those born between 1994 and 2004 and require “information on demand” with a professed inclination to trust the advice of “friends,” or strangers, who share their opinions freely on social media platforms. College enrollment offices have yet to see many iGens on their campuses, as they have just began entering their undergraduate programs back in 2012.
- So who exactly are these iGens? There are 23 million of them in the U.S. They have grown up entirely in the digital age, so they are the truest “digital natives” They are more connected, global, challenging and untrusting than even the Millennial generation.
- iGens don’t have to be home to call a friend, look up a review of a product/restaurant, get directions, or look up facts. Smartphones, tablets and Wi-Fi hotspots have enabled us to be connected anywhere and everywhere. This allows for young people to be constantly connected to friends/family/the outside world – the phone is an appendage. There are currently twenty-three estimated iGens in the U.S., according to Disrupted. Is it reported that more than 50 percent of children under eight have a mobile phone of their own (-Disrupted). The number of social network users around the world will rise from 1.47 billion in 2012 to 1.73 billion this year, an 18% increase. By 2017, the global social network audience will total 2.55 billion (-eMarketer report). If you’re on social media, you can reach them.
- iGens are natural-born researchers and they can smell phoniness. They know when they are being marketed to. This will lead them to turn to other iGens, more trusted sources of information, when researching a product, brand or offering. They trust social reviews from their “friends” on social networks, and even from strangers. iGens can learn from each other on multiple levels – from social media, their own friend circles, their classmates/peers, and so on.
- Building off this, it’s important for colleges and universities to think of themselves as brands. Colleges are no longer competing with just other college for students’ attention. Instead, they are competing with consumers, or in this case other students, because consumers are the ones who wield power when it comes to representing a brand. If a friend says or posts something negative about a college, the iGen will take that into serious consideration. College no longer own their messages – they are competing with a sea of social media and word-of-mouth opinions shared freely between iGens. Though it feels risky, brands have to give control to those who are capable of influencing their audience. If an iGen senses that an influencer is inauthentic or spitting out messages coming directly from the brand, they won’t buy it. That’s why it’s important that a brand align itself with influencers who can be themselves, but also represent the brand well at the same time.
- To be present, you have be where iGens are living – you have to be online and active. You can’t be a bystander – you have to engage in what they are saying, commenting on, trending, what they love and what they hate. For example: A brand has to be prepared to interface with a consumer through the buying cycle. Relevance is key. Why should iGen’s care about you? Your school? There is a “war of relevance” happening here – technology has made people smarter and has provided an endless stream of information – there is brand competition, the battle to beat the other and competition for brands to infiltrate the noisy field of infinite information. Brands, as a result, have to have infinite value. Partnering with influencers – Think “the cool kids.” Everyone wants to hang with the cool kids at least a little. This is where influencers set the stage for conversation, sway and directly impact brand – it’s key to make strategic relationships in whatever industry you are working in because it gives you street cred, raises profile and provides a powerful voice.
- The average person has 249 Facebook friends, but it really depends on who you are. iGens listen closely to their social networks, but they are incredibly picky about who enters their world. Once you’re in their world, you’ve officially passed their test and have their ear.
- So how do we know all of this about the iGen? Being such a new cohort of students, not many people have shifted from their Millennial focus, but it’s vital they do.
- With our higher education clients needing an enrollment answer (the fate of their jobs relied on it,) we knew it was necessary to uncover this new generation and figure out how to reach them. With an online survey of 130 current or recent college applicants, we got to know this demographic a closer. I’m going to share with you a few of the most concrete, iGen-oriented takeaways from our study.
- This generation wants to engage with students on their own terms, and in their own way. Schools reaching out to these students with generic collateral is not going to reach them – iGens want to be the shot-callers. They decide who they connect with and who they don’t, and it’s no different when it comes to colleges.
- Being the “i” Generation, it’s obvious this group lives on social media. Like I said before, if you’re on social media, you can reach them. Why not contact them through their main source of media consumption?
- iGens would like one-on-one communication with a current student or engaging content such as videos. Almost half of those surveyed said that personal contact influences their decision to enroll – this can be with a friend, current student, friendly tour guide.
- Almost half of those surveyed said that course/program offerings and school reputation were major influencers in the application and enrollment process. A generation that lives life online, digital presentation is something iGens take seriously and can tell when a website looks bad right away – outdated websites can instantly turn a student off to a school.
- Gaining trust from an iGen is a daunting task and they are picky about who they let into their world. Websites were a main source of trust when learning about a school among those surveyed.
- To add context to our hard data, we also conducted four focus groups with current or recent college graduates. We found that much of what students answered in the online survey was reflected in their interviews as well.
- To add context to our hard data, we also conducted four focus groups with current or recent college graduates. We found that much of what students answered in the online survey was reflected in their interviews as well.
- This generation is constantly stimulated and engaged, so a school’s email outreach, website and social channels must be engaging and effective in order to lure in this generation of visual people.
- Schools can’t just have a singular social media profile, because every program in the school has its own specific program that call for specific types of students. Students can’t just go to “Wentworth’s profile” and get a feel for the entire population of enrolled students. They need different personas for different types of students/program/majors. One would think we have data about recent graduates who are successful in different programs. The more we know about these kinds of students, the more we can continue to attract these specific kinds of people.
- You simply cannot repeatedly barge these students with emails – they won’t read them and if anything, you’re getting on the iGen’s bad side by doing so. In a minute, we’re going to show you some of the reactions iGens have to snail mail, email, and anything else that comes in an envelope.
- Traditional marketing just doesn’t work with iGens – they can see right through it. Marketing is becoming democratized with consumers delighting in or damaging your brand by what they post. Marketing departments are experiencing a resource crunch and are outsourcing specific disciplines to specialty agencies. The marketing spend is the same or increasing, but the annual yield is decreasing.
- iGens are on Pandora, Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The highlight of these platforms is that you don’t have to buy the space or time. We would recommend you do some Facebook ads or promoted posts, but it’s not the same level as taking a billboard or ad in a national publication. You really have to keep all of your channels up to date on the types of people who are looking at them as well – for example, Pinterest users are more women, so you want to keep the audience in mind at all times – where are your targeted applicants spending their online time?
- Now you know a little more about iGens, but how do you reach them? Traditional communiques clearly aren’t getting the job done, so what strategies do colleges and universities employ?
- First off, iGens are being conditioned to expect that they are being marketed to personally at all times, especially if it’s on their phone. Schools ought to position themselves as consumer retailers do – personalize your outreach and make it engaging, captivating.
- It’s not enough to continue to use these traditional, outdated approaches. College and universities need to be strategic about their outreach, bring value to their students and lock them in through engaging marketing plans. It’s not only enough to implement these strategies, but to measure them as well – how do you show the President, Board of Trustees and administration that these new iGen-oriented tactics are working?
- I want to emphasize that the traditional enrollment funnel doesn’t need to be completely changes – there are tried and true processes that do hold value and work. It’s about reimagining certain points in the funnel through the lens of an iGen, and shaping these strategies to fit this emerging generation. You can’t mass market to this cohort – you’ll find yourself with suffering enrollment numbers and put a sour taste in students’ mouths. Our data shows that iGens desire personalized messages, so enrollment offices must find a way to meet these expectations.
- The traditional enrollment funnel follows a linear pattern, and with a non-linear generation…
- ...this doesn’t work.
- iGens have officially hacked the funnel, because they simply aren’t following it.
- Meet Jessica and the new, personal enrollment journey – the one that will work for iGens.
- Blog posts can be an extremely tailored, personalized way to reach iGens. If there was an admissions blog, the posts could be tailored to the type of students the school is looking for. If students/alumni contributed to the blog as thought leaders, they could really reach out to other students who are looking to be their future colleagues in the field. We need to understand more about how they want to be communicated with, and the iGens will appreciate it if we’re asking them.
- CONVERSION
- Dighital ad, spotify, hulu, youtube
- Buzzfeed, BostInno -Ad on BuzzFeed “50 Reasons to go to Harvard” -Demo on BF/BostInno
- -ADD IN Faculty and Deans Data & Analytics are IT functions Disciplines floating above the silos and no one is working together