2011 Council on Student Affairs Summer Meeting

Marketing Ourselves on Campus

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities

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Panelists

•  William D. Schafer, Ph.D. (Moderator) Vice President for Student Affairs Georgia Institute of Technology

•  Michael L. Warden, APR Vice President Communications and Marketing Georgia Institute of Technology

•  Rachael Pocklington Communications Officer Parents Program Georgia Institute of Technology

•  Kathleen Pesha Director of Higher Education Programs, USA Today

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Marketing Ourselves On Campus

•  State of communications & marketing •  Benefits of Marketing Student Affairs:

Marketing 101 •  What we’re doing in Student Affairs

@GeorgiaTech •  What USA Today research tells us •  Discussion & Questions

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State of communications & marketing in higher education

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Communicating with internal audiences

•  Observations: – Higher education does not invest in internal

communications at the same level/priority as it does in external communications

– Faculty and staff communications tend to be the focus of internal communication programs

– Student communication lumped in with more general faculty/staff communications …. or left to “student media” outlets

– Mass emails still the dominant form of communicating directly with students

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Communication models have changed

•  Old model : one-way/hierarchical/mass communication – Newspapers/newsletters – Memos/e-memos and “blast” emails – Flyers/Posters/Brochures – Websites

•  Campus clients still rely on outdated/ineffective modes of communication with stakeholders …. – Same content “pushed” out to mass audiences

•  Audiences ignoring old model mass messages •  New model: engagement (social media/networks)

7 Source: http://www.theconversationprism.com/

The New Model of Communications

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Finding what works …. research

•  Two-way conversation is critical –  Forging successful relationships with students/parents –  Developing effective programs and desired experiences –  Delivering on our educational mission

•  Systematic ways to listen to the “voice of the customer” –

through planful research! –  Ensures this 2-way exchange –  Ensures decisions are informed beyond the anecdotal

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Research @ Georgia Tech …

•  Student Experience Study (overall satisfaction) •  Parents Program Surveys (feedback on program

initiatives) •  Brand Perceptions Studies (perceptions of brand

strengths, Georgia Tech differentiators, resonance of brand promise statements)

•  Student Communications Research (feedback on student-managed newspaper/radio station)

•  Program development research (Sophomore Experience)

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Perception Improvement Analysis

10M

10L

10K

10J

10I

10H

10G

10F 10E10D

10C

10B

10A

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8W

8V8U8T

8S

8R

8P 8O

8N

8M

8L

8K

8J8I

8H

8G

8F8E

8D

8C

8B

8A

0.3000

0.3500

0.4000

0.4500

0.5000

0.5500

0.6000

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Perception Rating (8-10)

Deriv

ed Im

porta

nce

Examples: Student Experience

Key Opportunities Primary Strengths

Secondary Opportunities

Secondary Strengths

First Issues to Address

Second Issues to Address

Understanding overall student experience perceptions – strengths and opportunities

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Examples: Research Insights (Content)

Ease of Locating Information versus Interest in Information

Academic procedures

Financial aid

Athletic events

Lectures/guest speakers

Volunteering

Job opportunities

Undergraduate research opportunities

Mentorship

Social events

Cultural events

Research by faculty/students

Available channels for offering feedback

Job preparation

Tutoring/academic support programs

Comm service/service learning

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100%

Interest in Information (6-10 Rating)

Ease

of L

ocat

ing

Info

rmat

ion

(6-1

0 Ra

ting)

Priorities Met

Focus Efforts Here

Maintain

Non-Priority

Understanding topics for student communications emphasis

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Examples: Research Insights (Delivery)

“A positive idea would be to attempt to reduce campus and departmental messages to a digest of 1 per day, with solitary emails reserved for things of importance to all on the list.” “I believe there are too many different websites for services, academics, etc. and that they should be consolidated to a single place or a few places.” “Have one portal that all information is shared in – we have T-Square, Oscar, Buzzport, the main website, all subsites, etc. – try to consolidate it all or at least have a consistent look and feel with links to all major sites.” “Weekly forums with faculty, administrators, alumni and students (not student representatives, but regular students) about what works and what needs to be changed and how the Institute can be improved.” “Access to a calendar with all GT events and activities in one place.”

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Research Insights (Student Media)

Content “More discussion of technical advancements and significant research taking place at GT. Also keep in mind that graduate students make up about a third of the student body. Keep them in mind when selecting and writing your articles.” “Talk about more national and world news issues; as college students, I feel like we are very isolated in our GT bubble, so we need to learn more about what is going on beyond our campus.” “Listing of jobs (internships/co-op/full-time) around campus/off campus”

Distribution “Make it more readily available. I never know where it is.” “Like the Daily Digest, an electronic version sent directly to my email…” “Social media updates for breaking news”

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Adding a Student Communicator @GT

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Need for a Student Communicator

•  Added to Internal Communications team in 2007 •  Focus: Make the Georgia Tech brand more

accessible to students –  Develop  communica/ons  tools  that  form,  direct,  and  engage  students  in  the  Georgia  Tech  brand  

–  Develop  student  engagement  strategies  for  Ins/tute-­‐level  ini/a/ves  

–  Consult  with  departments  and  student  organiza/ons  on  student  engagement    

–  Increase  consistency  and  relevance  in  the  messages  and  mediums  developed  around  student  engagement  

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Student Communicator Responsibilities

•  Identify, write and track student stories (academic, extracurricular or social) for existing vehicles to enhance relevance to students

•  Gauge student perspective and opinions on campus issues in student-focused settings (SGA meetings, one-on-ones with students) – Lend perspective to Institute projects and

decisions •  Communicate regularly with staff across campus to

learn of upcoming student opportunities

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•  Meet one-on-one with students in leadership roles to build relationships and share ideas and information

•  Provide mentorship/assistance on various communications (from adding a calendar event to reviewing proposals/communications plans)

•  Capture snapshot of student activity across campus to provide students with ideas and opportunities for collaboration

•  Identify students to represent the Institute both internally and externally

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Benefits of Marketing Student Affairs: Marketing 101

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Benefits of Marketing Student Affairs

•  Improve the student experience – Build affinity toward the Institute

•  Recruit and retain highly desirable students •  Increase program awareness and participation

– Reach the elusive “middle” student •  Generate awareness and build credibility among

campus colleagues •  Increase funding opportunities

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Student Affairs: Marketing 101

•  People – Understand your audiences and their information

needs

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Student Affairs: Marketing 101

STUDENTS

Prospective First-year Fourth-year

High Involvement

Low Involvement

Graduating

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Student Affairs: Marketing 101

•  People – Understand your audiences and their information

needs •  Programs

– Know your programs and how they complement your mission

•  Purpose – Solidify your value proposition

•  Plan – Develop objectives and a supportive plan – Dedicate resources to implementation

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Student Affairs: Marketing 101

•  Collaborative effort between Office of Communications and Marketing and students to promote the Student Experience Survey campaign

•  Authentic feel gives credibility and improves participation rates

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Division of Student Affairs at Georgia Tech

•  Strategic planning process to support the Institute’s strategic plan – Updating marketing and communications plan

•  Partnering with campus constituents – Office of Undergraduate Admission – Office of Communications and Marketing

•  Leveraging touch-points to reach audiences – Events: recruitment, orientation, convocation,

graduation – Media: print and electronic – Word of mouth: students, parents, faculty, staff

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What Research Tells Us: Lessons from USA Today

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USA Today College

Take a collaborative approach to understanding the needs of our customers through effective partnerships and ongoing assessment Immerse ourselves in our clients’ business and processes so we can more fully define the needs of all key players on campus: students, faculty and administration Established The Collegiate Readership Program in 1997 at Penn State University by the recommendation of President, Dr. Graham Spanier

- Now, 450 programs active nationally Our objective is to continue to collaborate, assess and learn in order to develop new products and services that meet your ultimate news and information needs

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Students

Gather feedback through various outlets:

- In-person surveys conducted on campus - Class projects (Penn State, Ohio State) - Direct interviews with students - Facebook Advisory Group - Intern feedback - Focus groups

Cannot answer a direct question, such as “what do you want…” More effective to ask questions that assess their behavior Consistent feedback gathered despite varied assessment methods

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Faculty

Do not like to be “trained” or “talked down to” Must see a relevance for better receptiveness Don’t try to be “all things to all people”

- Break the message down by curriculum area Rather than presenting at a general faculty luncheon, invest the extra time to connect with Chairs individually

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Additional Takeaways

When marketing to individual groups on or off campus, it is most effective to go straight to the source for effective feedback

- Consult your SGA, student marketing clubs, etc. for help

- Ask innovative faculty members for direct feedback/suggestions Use social media to have a conversation and gain feedback

- www.usatodaycollege.com: “For students, by students”

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Discussion: What is going on with your campuses?

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Discussion Topics

•  Given the state of communications in student affairs, are you effectively reaching your audiences? – What are some of your successes? – What are some of your challenges/failures?

•  Describe your planning process – What are your objectives? – How do you assess?

•  Are your investments in communications generating a satisfactory return?

•  What have you learned from planning and implementing a communications & marketing plan?

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Contacts

•  william.schafer at vpss.gatech dot edu •  michael.warden at gatech dot edu •  rachael.pocklington at vpss.gatech dot edu •  Kpesha at usatoday dot com