Download Integrating Print and Electronic Communication for Recruitment

Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Two Case Studies:
Fairleigh Dickinson
University
The University of Tulsa
and consultant
GDA Integrated Services
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Panelists
John Corso
Moderator
Assoc. VP for Enrollment and Student
Services & Dean of Admission
Jonathan Steele
Associate Vice President
Earl Johnson
Senior Associate Dean of Admission
Becky Wiseman
Admission Communications
Coordinator
Bernetta Millonde University Director of
Undergraduate Admissions
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
A private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church
Located in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Total enrollment: 4,072 students (2,672 undergraduate, 763 graduate, 637
law)
Average class size: 19; Student-faculty ratio: 12:1
60% of 2003 freshman class graduated in the top 10% of their high
school class
49 National Merit Scholars in 2003 freshman class
Bachelor’s degrees in 58 areas of study, in addition to 33 master’s degree
programs, 10 doctoral degree programs and the Juris Doctorate degree
NCAA Division I athletics and a member of the Western Athletic
Conference (WAC)
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
FDU is New Jersey's largest private university with 6,514
undergraduate students and 3,550 graduate students
Fairleigh Dickinson University has campuses in
Teaneck, New Jersey
Madison, New Jersey
Wroxton, England
The student/faculty Ratio is 14.1, and the average class size is 18
The University offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree
programs
FDU has both Men's and Women's Division I and Division III
athletics
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
GDA Integrated Services is a market research, consulting and services
firm specializing in customized, integrated marketing solutions to aid
colleges and universities compete successfully for students, funding and
visibility in the competitive twenty-first century.
Services include:
Market Research
Telemarketing
Integrated Marketing Plans
Direct Mail
Integrated Communications
Website Design
Electronic Communications
“Guaranteed Visibility”
Printed Communications
Public Relations Counsel
Video Production
Fundraising Communications
Come
visit us in
booth 124
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Prospect Management
“A process or activity that influences the size, shape and characteristics of a
student body by directing institutional efforts in marketing, recruitment, and
admissions as well as pricing and financial aid. In addition, the process exerts
a significant influence on academic career advising, the institutional research
agenda, orientation, retention, and student services.”
–Don Hossler, Creating Effective Enrollment Management Systems
Essentially, enrollment management is, as Hossler states elsewhere, “an
integrated, systems approach to influencing college enrollments.”
Enrollment management focuses on the entirety of the student’s collegiate
experience – from initial inquiry through graduation and post-graduation. It
is student-sensitive; student-responsive. It views the collegiate experience as
the STUDENTS perceive and experience it…
Its purpose: to recruit satisfied and successful alumni
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Prospect Management
“The guidance and direction through the admissions process
of those students most likely or most desirable to apply and enroll.”.
–GDA Integrated Services
Student are categorized according to their likelihood to enroll
early in the recruitment cycle, then, using techniques and
strategies targeted to find out more about them, these
prospective students are “managed” through the admissions
process to achieve a high yield.
The emphasis is on increasing the
inquiry-to-application yield.
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
10 Keys of Prospect Management
1. The campus visit is the only real predictor of
enrollment
2. The only contacts that count are those made by
the student
3. An admissions staff cannot work effectively with
all the inquirers it receives
4. Knowledge is power
5. You cannot count on the admissions staff alone
to recruit students
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
10 Keys of Prospect Management
6. The emphasis should be on customization as
well as personalization
7. A single message is more effective than multiple
messages
8. Admissions is a management information driven
business
9. Recruitment is directive counseling, not hard
sales
10. Professionalism is critical
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
How Students Like to
Communicate
GDAIS conducted an extensive survey of collegebound high school students from the applicant
and search pools of six different institutions.
We asked them about how they approach the
college search process.
This is some of what we learned…
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
GDAIS Research
When do students begin their college search?
Before their senior year: 95%
Before their junior year: 55%
Before their sophomore year: 20%
Before entering high school: 2%
How have students received most of their information about
colleges?
Information mailed to their homes: 53%
Internet: 46%
College fair/night: 12%
Visit to campus: 9%
High school guidance counselor: 6%
College guide book: 6%
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
GDAIS Research
Which format, paper or electronic, is more useful to
college search:
Paper: 57%
Electronic: 32%
Both equally: 9%
Which format do they prefer to use in the college
selection process:
Paper: 48%
Electronic: 45%
Both equally: 5%
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
GDAIS Research
Students described how they were most likely to contact a
college in which they became interested:
Very likely
Likely
Not likely
Through a college's Web site
42%
47%
11%
A college search Web site
39%
40%
21%
E-mail to the college
28%
46%
26%
Mail a letter or postcard to the
college
A telephone call to the college
25%
41%
34%
6%
29%
65%
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Research Interpretation
Prospective students are starting the college
search earlier than ever before
More students are using the Web as a
research tool
They still like to read print publications
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Research Interpretation
Colleges need to develop a series of multimedia (print and electronic)
communications
At each stage of this communication flow,
colleges need to collect information
Colleges need a way to measure their
success
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Dialog Process
Implementation of an automated sequence
of emails beginning at the sophomore year
that spans through the senior year
Sophomores are served exclusively with
email and internet strategies to maximize
budget and stay in front of student for
longer period of time
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Marketing Philosophy
Print marketing and electronic communication strategies are
designed with two stages of the search process in mind:
1.
Investments Benefits – quality of education, % of students going
to graduate school, major area of interest, etc.
2.
Consumption Benefits – student body make-up, personalities,
extracurricular life, residential offerings, etc.

Dialog is specifically designed with these benefits in mind.

Our traditional mail and email strategy is geared toward the prospect
management approach – strategic approach to measuring selfinitiated contact and responses from various sources of
mailings/emails.
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Dialog E-mails & Sites
Introductory E-mail & Mini-Website – focuses briefly on
consumption and investments benefits; captures student
information for subsequent contacts (Academics, Student
Life, City of Tulsa)
Academic Site – defines investments benefits such as
majors and quality of faculty, research experiences, etc.
Student Life – consumption benefits are identified
City of Tulsa HTML E-mail – provides overview of
Tulsa’s cultural, shopping and entertainment outlets
Facilities HTML E-mail – highlights campus facilities
Orientation HTML E-mail – encourages committed
students to register for New Student Orientation activities
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Tulsa Dialog Intro Site E-mail
Tulsa Dialog Intro Site
Tulsa Dialog Intro Site Registration Form
Tulsa Dialog Intro Site Database
Tulsa Dialog Follow-up
Tulsa E-mail City of Tulsa
Tulsa E-mail New Facilities
Tulsa E-mail Freshmen Orientation
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Virtual Tour
Philosophy:
Facilities needed to be a major marketing tool
Allows prospective students to preview campus
facilities
Goals:
Create an online prospect management vehicle
for the admissions office capable of collecting
information about prospective students
Provide information about campus life and
Tulsa’s emerging campus facilities through an
engaging, interactive experience
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Tulsa Virtual Tour Introduction
Tulsa Website Virtual Tour Page
Tulsa Dialog Virtual Tour Database
Tulsa Website Admissions Home Page
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Statistical Impact of Dialog
on Admission Web site
Fall Class of 2003
Number of Visits
Average Length of Visits
Number of Repeat Visitors
Admission Counselor Page
Online Requests for Information
Campus Visits Scheduled Online
Online Application for Admission
+33%
+26.4%
+42.8%
+323.7%
+70%
+25.6%
+194.5%
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
FDU: Using the Research
Undergraduate prospective students were getting
confused by the two campuses
Each campus has a very unique character:
College at Florham
Metropolitan Campus
We had to make sure prospects learned about the
right campus earlier in the search process
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
FDU’s Integrated Search: Print
Develop a consistent messaging theme:
One University – Two Great Locations
Use a series of contacts in three
distinct mediums:
Print direct mail letter
Visual print brochure
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
FDU’s Integrated Search: Electronic
E-mail invitation to online survey
Survey mini-website
How the mini-site works:
Which campus is right for you?
Which campus survey
Data collection
Campus Description
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
FDU: Other Electronic Communications
Email
Text messages with academic information
HTML FDU Newsletter
Flash messages
Additional Mini-Website
It will provide more of an introduction to the
University
It will come before the survey site in the
communication flow
It will have messages for other key prospective
student constituencies
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
FDU: Gathering Data
FDU captures names and contact
information of Web inquiries
They also capture the prospective
student’s intended major
They also know in which campus the
student will most likely be interested
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
FDU: Follow-up
The prospect receives a series of integrated
print and electronic communications
The prospect is assigned to a territory
manager
The admissions counselor follows up with
customized information relevant to the
student's interests
Integrating Print and Electronic
Communication for Recruitment
Thank You!