1. Let’s Get Social!
Brian Wm. Niles, CEO

2. wherethehellismatt.com

3. Let’s Get Social!
Brian Wm. Niles, CEO

4. knowledgecenter.targetx.com
/groups/nagapinstitute/

5. Interactive Recruiting Solutions
Student Recruitment Manager (CRM)
Email, Blogs, Social Networks
Search Campaigns, Campus Visits

6. IM & SMS
Blogs/Diaries
Facebook & MySpace
Podcasts, Videos & Photos
Twitter
Second Life

7. Millennials +
the Internet =
_________
???

8. GI Generation (84-107)
Silent Generation (66-83)
Baby-Boomers (48-65)
Generation X (27-47)
Millennials (5-26)
New Silent Generation (0-4)

9. Traditional Recruiting
Direct Mail Search Campaigns
Letter Series-Based Communication Plans
Viewbooks, Roadpieces, Program Brochures
Outdoor Advertising, Newspaper Ads, Radio Spots
Large Open Houses, Info Sessions and Group Tours
Company Visits & College/Graduate Fairs

10. My Favorite Excuses
“I need a nicer brochure.”
“Let’s put an ad in the paper.”
“Email doesn’t work anymore.”

11. It’s all “talk at”
marketing.

12. Web 2.0

14. Sharing & Connecting
Web 2.0 is about making connections & sharing
Thoughts. Pictures. Videos. Places. Products.

15. Think this way:
1.0 = passive
2.0 = active
The web is more like a conversation
than a library.

16. Top 10 Web Sites Ages 17-25
Youth Trends and eMarketer.com, October 2006
Females Males
Facebook MySpace Google Yahoo YouTube iTunes Flickr eBay ESPN

17. Generational Online Activity Differences
100
75
50
25
0
12-17 18-28 29-40 41-50 51-59 60-69 70+
Send Email Instant Message Research a School Text Message Read Blogs
Pew Internet and American Life, 2005

18. 100%
Adults with a
Social Networking
80%
Profile
Pew Internet and American Life, January 2009
60%
40%
20%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and Older

19. It’s about people’s desire to
connect with each other.

20. 89%
Use Their Online Profile to Keep Up with Friends
Pew Internet and American Life, January 2009

21. Today, you must
“talk with.”

22. Consumer
Attitudes

24. 64%
Believe Advertising is “Dishonest” or “Unrealistic”
Consumers 18-65 years old, Ad Age 2006

25. Brand Confusion
Coke vs. Pepsi
Apple vs. Microsoft

26. Brand Clarity
“for the working professional”

27. Marketing Immunity
3,000-5,000 Daily Messages

28. Building Brand Recognition
Hasn’t Been Harder

29. Quality.
No Longer Differentiates
Difficult to Define in Higher Education

30. Everyone Looks the Same
Colleges not being true to themselves (inauthentic)
A “me-too” product development philosophy
Leadership not providing clear vision

31. Commodity
anything for which there is demand, but which is supplied
without qualitative differentiation across a market

33. Stories not Stats.
People not Programs.

39. 75%
Students Spend Researching Colleges Online
Harris Interactive, 2004

40. 84%
Use the College’s Website Most Heavily in their Research
Eduventures, 2007

41. 99%
Join Facebook Groups Before Arriving on Campus
Amherst College IT Study, 2008

42. Graduate Students: College Website Activity Discrepancies
Activity Do Want
Financial Aid Estimator 27% 93%
Request Campus Visit 18% 80%
Completed RSVP Form 20% 77%
Emailed Current Student 13% 71%
Read Faculty Blog 16% 72%
IM with Admissions 13% 68%
Read Student Blog 19% 66%
Downloaded Podcast 6% 41%
Downloaded Video Podcast 6% 38%
Online Chat Event 11% 35%
E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

43. 64%
Prefer Website vs. Brochures
E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

44. 63%
Prefer Email vs. Direct Mail
E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

45. 71%
of Prospective Graduate Students use Instant Messaging
E-Expectations: Graduate Edition, Noel-Nevitz, 2007

46. Medium Choices of Teens
Pew Internet & American Life Project, Teens and Technology, July 2005
What We Use to Talk
Email to “Old People”
Casual Written
IM Conversations with
SMS Friends

47. Takeaway
Preference for Electronic Communication
Want Details on Cost and Financial Aid - EARLIER
Desire to Connect with Students and Faculty
Use “New” Communication Tools (Blog & IM)

48. Recruiting 2.0
You are no longer in control of the conversation.
who, when & how

49. Retention begins with being
authentic in recruiting.

50. So where do you start?

51. 10 Minute Break

52. You didn’t earn the
knowledge for
yourselves.

54. They didn’t stop to
think if they should.

55. What’s your objective?
Listening
Learning
Speaking
Energizing
Supporting
Embracing

56. Are you listening?
Prospects, applicants, current students and alumni
are already talking about you online.

57. Technorati (blog search)

58. YouTube search

60. Are you learning?
To better understand social networking,
you have to experience it.

61. Are U Ready?

62. IM & SMS
Blogs/Diaries
Facebook & MySpace
Podcasts, Videos & Photos
Twitter
Second Life

63. Instant Messaging
Blogs
Facebook
Twitter

64. Instant Messaging
Real-time text-based communication
Can now also be audio or video conversations

65. Benefits
Compared to Email ... it’s realtime (synchronous)
Compared to the Phone ... it’s text only
Compared to a Letter ... it’s very short
Compared to In-Person ... location doesn’t matter

66. Excuse
“If I turn on my IM client and give my screen
name out to others, I’m just going to be
interrupted all day.”

67. Response
If your phone keeps ringing (interrupting
your day), would you not answer it?

68. Personal Tips
Get an AIM Screen Name (aim.com)
Download the AIM application (it’s free)
Get screen names of friends, family, colleagues
Start an IM chat to learn the system
Learn acronyms (imacronyms.com)

69. Professional Tips
Make it an available option
It’s an Opportunity, not a Disruption
Use away message (include email address)
Promote screen name (bcards, website, etc.)

70. Blogs
Online site where an individual posts regular entries on
a topic and where readers may comment on entries.

71. Benefits
Great example of story-telling possibilities
Low-cost means of distributing thoughts and ideas
Web-based - no software to install

72. Personal Tips
Start your own blog! A personal topic of interest
Go to blogger.com to create a free blog account
Start posting entries that interest you
Doesn’t matter how long or how short
Submit it to Technorati.com to be indexed

73. Professional Tips
Great way to tell stories (not stats)
Get students to tell their stories about your program
Integrate it into your publications
Promote it on your website
Keep posts reasonably short (don’t ramble)

76. Facebook
The most popular social networking site
and 5th most popular site on the Internet.

77. Benefits
Display your interests, opinions, thoughts
Network and connect with friends and colleagues
Share links, photos, videos, ideas, etc.
Connect with people of similar interests

78. Personal Tips
Get a free Facebook account (facebook.com)
Post as much personal information you want
Look for friends and colleagues to “friend”
Add “applications” to enhance Facebook
Join groups with interests you share

79. Professional Tips
Create a “Page” for your program (information)
Create a “Group” for your program (connecting)
Invite prospective students to join the group
Start with an admitted student’s group
Don’t control - invite & participate!

82. Twitter
Free micro-blogging and
social networking service

83. Benefits
Free, quick, easy.
Limited to only 140 characters per post
Networking by “following” others and being followed

84. Personal Tips
Create a free Twitter account
Use your name (twitter.com)
“Follow” others that interest you
Post items or links that interest you
Connect to Facebook status with application

86. Professional Tips
Create a Twitter account for your program
Post news, events and program status items
Invite prospective & current students to follow
Post as often as you can - won’t be intrusive

90. Others to Consider
Podcasts and Video

93. If u do 1 thing

94. 50/90%
of Non-profit Institutions Follow-up with Prospect within a Month
(90% of For-profit institutions do so)
Eduventures, 2006

95. Final Thoughts.

96. Today the most important conversation
is not the marketing monologue but
the dialogue between your audience.

97. Let go.
Remember, you’re not in control.
Remember, they don’t trust marketers.
Remember, they are talking about you anyways.
Remember, they want to figure out the truth.
Remember, their parents are talking about you too.

98. Change Agents
Don’t lead change because it makes sense.
Lead change because you believe you
must get ahead of an approaching
“discontinuity” in order to survive.
Jack and Suzy Welch, BusinessWeek, October 2008

99. Brian’s Bookshelf

100. Brian’s Podcasts

101. knowledgecenter.targetx.com
/groups/nagapinstitute/

102. Let’s Get Social!
Brian Wm. Niles, CEO