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World University Rankings Seminar, University of Edinburgh - 10th March 2008 Engaging “Generation Y” through Online Marketing Ian Lynes Online Business Manager, QS Online marketing • Promote – Reach global market – Use institutional and other ‘voices’ • Optimize – Reduce administration – Utilise staff expertise effectively • Engage – Tune messages by segment – Be responsive to applicants • Measure – Track marketing campaigns – React to market changes Agenda • Engaging “Generation Y” – Who are they? – International differences – Lifecycle marketing – A balanced approach • Online marketing mix – Web sites – Search engines – Banners – Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers – Videos and podcasts – Virtual worlds, avatars and bots – E-mail • Online applications 10th March 2008 Who are “Generation Y”? • Impatient • Team players • Hungry for feedback • Don’t hold back • Fearless of technology • Seek stimulation • Believe in themselves • Sceptical • Street smart Who are “Generation Y”? • 97% own a computer • 94% own a cell phone • 76% use Instant Messaging. • 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day • 34% use websites as primary source of news • 28% own a blog and 44% read blogs • 49% download music using file sharing • 75% of US students have a Facebook account • 60% own portable music or video device e.g. iPod Source: Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's College Students, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa (2007) International differences • Culture & etiquette – Greetings – Humour – Punctuality – Planning – Competitiveness – Organisation – Leadership • • • • Local references Currency Language Different online media – e.g. search engines China: Baidu 62% Russia: Yandex 62% Charles was sure Chuck had said he should wear pants and suspenders Source: “The Best of British” by Mike & Sarah Etherington, 1999 International English? “International” meaning Possible confusion Example delay period of lateness F: period of time a three week delay eventually after a time F / D: perhaps she will arrive eventually interesting holding the attention F: profitable an interesting idea qualified partial, conditional F: total a qualified success quite very UK: not very he’s quite reliable table put on the agenda US: take off agenda table a proposal luck out have good luck SA: have bad luck we lucked out look at read UK: revise, rewrite take a look at the report hear hear UK: disagree I hear what you say Source: Mind Your Manners by John Mole, 1998 “Invaluable political and psychological profiles of each nationality” - Business Week Defining the message • Proposition(s) REPUTATION CAREER PLACEMENT PROGRAMMES SPECIALIZATION RoI RANKINGS COST FINANCIAL AID LOCATION CAMPUS DIVERSITY VALUES INNOVATION STYLE FACULTY ALUMNI • Differentiators and USPs • Value and evidence • Messages to attract.. support.. convert Life-cycle marketing INTERESTED CANDIDATE ENQUIRER APPLICATION STARTED APPLICATION SUBMITTED PLACE OFFERED OFFER ACCEPTED Segmentation • Select and prioritise the messages to fit market segment(s) – – – – – – – – – – Nationalities Age groups Education Qualifications Employment Family Finances Interests Expectations Aspirations Don’t forget their parents • “Helicopter parents" are increasingly key influencers • Millennials have a near-zero generation gap • Parent-child co-purchase decisions are common • Consider creating a parallel process to market to parents Image source: Nordette Adams, blogher.org Balanced approach Institutional voice Online ads (search advertising, banners, guides…) Print media (Brochures, flyers, posters…) Press ads Traditional tools Campus information sessions Fairs Corporate blogs, chats, forums, podcasts… School site Innovative tools Websites PR (mags, newspapers…) Other sites e-PR (online press) Testimonies Rankings, guides, (FT, QS, BW…) Different voices Blogs, Chats, Forums, Wikis, Podcasts… Agenda • Engaging “Generation Y” – Who are they? – International differences – Lifecycle marketing – A balanced approach • Online marketing mix – Web sites – Search engines – Banners – Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers – Videos and podcasts – Virtual worlds, avatars and bots – E-mail • Online applications 10th March 2008 Web site • Design & navigation should reflect objectives and brand • Landing page(s) should match visitor source & status • Get visitors to return • Get visitors to tell their friends QS Scorecard • Personalized ranking system, schools weighted on candidate criteria • Unique value to prospective students QS Scorecard • Traffic from QS media partner web sites worldwide • Captures candidate contact details AND interests – Monthly newsletter sent by QS – Data on matching candidates sent to sponsoring schools Search engines SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) • Search engines all work differently and change frequently – 2 main factors: Web site itself and incoming links • Ensure site is search engine friendly – but avoid using tricks – Titles, headlines, content, meta tags – Site maps used extensively by search engines – Page titles should also attract human users: clear & provocative • Research keywords and phrases used by your prospects – 2 to 4 words usually less competitive – Include synonyms, plurals and misspellings • Keyword tools – Wordtracker, Yahoo! Suggestion Tool, Google Tool – Look at search words contained in your traffic logs • Links – Number, reputation and popularity – Industry hubs and directories – Press releases and free articles or feeds – Blogs, Forums and Social Networking Paid Advertising • Three common pricing structures – CPM: Cost per thousand impressions – PPC: Cost per click – CPA: Cost per action (e.g. affiliate partners) • Keyword bidding – Typically 20 to 30 phrases or 300 to 400 “tail terms” – Use variety of word sequences and action words – Long terms (e.g. 4 words) offer better conversion rates – Use of others’ trademarks and names currently accepted • Congruency of landing pages Paid Advertising • Numbers are important Paid Advertising • Relevant numbers are more important – TopUniversities.com: 1.2 million visits, 5.5 million impressions in 2007 Banner advertising tips • Identify and measure objectives – Branding – Traffic – Conversion • Media plan – Target market – Related sites – Sites with similar demographics • Design – Clear message – 7 words or less – Eye catching but not obtrusive – Don’t overdo animation • Test Earning trust User generated content • Social networking – Facebook, MySpace, Bebo • Professional profiles – LinkedIn, Ecademy, Naymz • Bookmarking & voting – Digg, Stumbleupon, Del.icio.us • Information, reviews & questions – Wkipedia, Yahoo! answers • Blogging – Blogger (Blogspot) • Rich media – YouTube, Flickr, iTunes • Virtual Worlds – SecondLife, The Sims Online User generated content • And hundreds more CHALLENGE: BE AWARE MONITOR PARTICIPATE RESPOND User generated content Networking sites • Display personal information and updates • Link with friends & expand personal network • Share information, photos & opinions • Messaging and chat Networking sites • Highly targeted and viral marketing possible – e.g 25k Facebook members at University of Edinburgh – “Beacons” from your site visible within friends newsfeeds MySpace Facebook Bebo LinkedIn Doostang Ryze 192 million 41 million 34 million 12 million 250,000 250,000 Researching candidates Blogs • Prospective students – Read and share opinions and expert advice – Self-regulated; positive and negative comments • Opportunities for schools include: – Allow applicants the chance to engage and ask questions – Allow academics & alumni to add details of their experience – Increase profile of good-case-practices from your school Would if they could Read blog written by faculty member 83% Read blog written by current student 63% Have done 17% 30% Source: Noel-Levitz, Inc – E-Expectations 1000 US College Students Class of 2007 Report Wikis • Collaboratively authored information - Open & free source e.g. – Wikipedia – one of the largest & most referenced web sites WARNING: Blatant marketing not permitted – Wikimapia – mark and annotate Google maps Rich media • Video – advertising, interviewing and profiling – Video has unique qualities – Take advantage of your location – Reduce distance barriers – Let the internet take the strain – Decrease your Carbon Footprint • Podcasts – Audio visualise your web content – Use your alumni to share experiences Bots, avatars and virtual worlds • Second Life – 18-34 = 60% – Top countries • • • • • • • • • • United States Germany United Kingdom Japan Brazil France Italy Netherlands Canada Spain Bots, avatars and virtual worlds • Second Life – Unproven as a marketing vehicle but offers new opportunities – Popular with academic institutions e.g. 50+ UK Universities – Recruitment example E-mail marketing • Define proposition(s) based on market segment and stage of lifecycle – Differentiators, USPs, value and proof points – Messages to attract – then support and convert • Identify tangible objectives and measurements for each campaign – Branding – Conversion • Message content – Keep it simple with a clear call to action – Ensure relevance of landing page(s) • E-mail design – Keep it simple – limit use of images – Check spelling and grammar • Privacy and security – Opt in / Opt out – Restrict access to personal data E-mail marketing • Technical considerations – – – – – SPAM filters Sending application and server technology HTML or plain text (might the recipient be mobile?) Use of images, links and attachments Choose subject lines carefully • Human considerations – Choose subject lines carefully! – Time of delivery E-mail example • List segmented by: Nationality, Industry, Experience • Subject: Meeting with XXXX School at World Grad School Tour in Shanghai on 16th November Dear Carolina, I would be interested in meeting with you at the World Grad School Tour in Shanghai on 16th November. Please do come and find me on the XXXXX table. Our IT Masters are in heavy demand by top employers and last year’s alumni have already secured senior positions with companies including AAA, BBB and CCC. This clearly recognises the respect that a degree from XXXXXX has with employers, as well as the quality of our students. I look forward to learning more about your career interests and discussing our programs with you in person. In the meantime, for a quick introduction please see www.xxxxxx.com. Best regards, Valerie Agenda • Engaging “Generation Y” – Who are they? – International differences – Lifecycle marketing – A balanced approach • Online marketing mix – Web sites – Search engines – Banners – Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers – Videos and podcasts – Virtual worlds, avatars and bots – E-mail • Online applications 10th March 2008 The role of online applications • Identify key information about your prospects • Focus resources on your preferred candidates • Build relationship with candidate throughout their application • Use a mix of communications media: e-mail, web status, mobile • Streamline processing of applications – Faster response – Less resource • Access to prospects in process of applying at key times • Improve conversion rates • Target resources on meeting diversity objectives • Measure the results of your marketing activity Online applications • But we already have an application form Online applications • Market adoption Source: QS Research – Web Survey Online applications Number of applications Time to respond to enquiries Research suggests that responsiveness is the single most important factor in choice of school QS TopApply • Complete system for Candidate Recruitment Management (CRM) – Database of prospective candidates – Track and manage communications – E-mail marketing campaigns – Interview scheduling – Online application form(s) – Back-office for processing applications – Text and graphical reports Prospect Manager Application Manager Prospect Manager • Relationship Management – Upload prospect databases – Track individual relationships – Target individuals and groups • E-mail campaigns – Build e-mail templates – Schedule campaigns • Reporting – Establish RoI – Understand trends • Schedule interviews Application Manager • Online application form for candidates – World class customer service – Upload supporting documents – Reference requests – Online payment of application fee – Monitor application status • Online back-office system for schools – Monitor application progress – Follow-up individuals and groups – Targeted e-mails – Process applications – Detailed reporting Phases of online marketing Individual Integrated Transforming E-mail CRM Online applications Web site Mobile messaging Web 2.0 Banner ads Search optimization Virtual worlds Improving reach Improving effectiveness New opportunities Agenda • Engaging “Generation Y” – Who are they? – International differences – Lifecycle marketing – A balanced approach • Online marketing mix – Web sites – Search engines – Banners – Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers – Videos and podcasts – Virtual worlds, avatars and bots – E-mail • Online applications 10th March 2008 Please complete the seminar feedback form For more information, please contact your QS Account Manager or Ian Lynes, TopApply Business Manager: [email protected] Office: +44 (0)20 7284 7259 Mobile: +44 (0)7796 958106 Thank you Converting prospects into students