Using Online Communities to Revolutionize how you Connect with Prospects, Students, Alumni and Faculty

James Davidson

VP of Digital Strategy

@jdavidson

7Summits

“A new class of company is emerging – one that uses collaborative technologies intensively to connect the internal efforts of employees and to extend the organization’s reach to customers, partners and suppliers....”

Social Media is Disrupting Business

McKinsey Global Institute

“The Social Economy: Unlocking value and productivity through Social Technologies” July 2012

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Marc Benioff Chairman & CEO

Today’s Agenda

• Introduction

• Online Community Overview

• Admissions Case Study

• Group Brainstorming

• Wrap Up

First Last Name

Title

Foundation Pres – PowerPoint Template – 16x9 FY14.pptx

Introduction

James Davidson

VP of Digital Strategy

@jdavidson

7Summits

Mission

We create online community experiences that transform businesses and enhance people’s lives.

Why

We believe in unleashing people's potential to create, compete, and innovate in entirely new ways.

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7Summits At A Glance

COMPREHENSIVE CAPABILITIES SOCIAL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

EXTERNAL AND INSIDETHE ENTERPRISE

INDUSTRY FOCUS

Consumer

Education

Financial Services

Healthcare

High Tech

Manufacturing

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Select Education Clients

Online Community Concepts

James Davidson

VP of Digital Strategy

@jdavidson

7Summits

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Social Business - Where Value is being Created

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From: To:

Social Media Represents the Biggest Shift in a Generation

Re-shaping the way you engage students, faculty, staff and partners

• Hoarding Information

• Web Sites/Portals

• Management

• Email / Newsletters

• CRM

• Generation X / Boomers

• User Interfaces

• Noise

• Desktop

• Information Sharing

• Online Communities

• Engagement

• Collaboration

• Social CRM + Communities

• Gen Z / Millennials

• User Experience

• Insights

• Mobile

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• Digital natives 3

• Social media is their default state 1

• Rely on user-generated content to make life decisions 1

• They absorb and manage information differently than other generations1

• Universities that create their own open communities have a much greater degree of credibility 2

Gen Z / Millennials Insights

Sources: 1Bazaarvoice. 2 Onlinecolleges.net 3 Ad Age

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A typical prospective student now receives 12-18 emails from 2-4 year public/ private institutions. 1

CRM is a top priority for 4-year public/private schools1

75-90% of 2-4 year institutions spend less than 25k annually on their institutions website1

4-year universities are experiencing very high attrition — up to 50% in some cases. 2

Higher Ed IT is seeking to consolidate platforms (Intranet, websites, portals, etc). 2

Classroom delivery models are shifting to incorporate more online/digital

Use of accurate data to drive alumni outreach strategies is one of the biggest needs to improving Alumni Relations 3

Alumni Relations frequently find themselves without the support, resources or staff needed to perform effectively 4

Recruitment / Admissions Student Success / Faculty Alumni / Advancement Mgt.

Higher Education Trends

Sources: Noel Levitz 1 ACT 2 Hartford 3 Council for Aid to Education 4

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Communications Misaligned

Prospects / Students / Alumni

E-mail Print Phone Social Media Mobile

Communication Channels

Academic Institution

Decrease in effectiveness

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The Gap and Opportunity

Online

Community

Opportunity?

Facebook LinkedIn

Student lifecycle continuum

Prospective Student Qualified Prospect Accepted Student Enrolled Student Graduate Alumni

Personally

Social

Professionally

Social

Academically

Social

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Online Communities 101

Social Networks vs. Online Communities

The primary purpose of social networks & online communities is different

Social Network Online Community

Business

Objectives

Primary Purpose Relationships

E.g. Facebook E.g. Rate My

Professor

Websites & Portals vs. Communities - Key Differences

Websites & Portals Online Community

Communication Top-down, structured Bottom-up, horizontal

Media Text heavy, documents Text, video, graphics, audio, “people”

Knowledge

Sources

Communication teams, formal “experts”

(top down cascade) All members, experts and advocates (top

down, bottom up)

Structure Based on organization / lines of business and or products/services

Based on member role, location and interests

Content Model One size fits all; post it – they will come Targeted / personalized compelling;

subscriptions & alerts

Discovery Search limited, varies by applications,

hunt-and-peck Google-like search, improved findability

(people, places, content)

Display Fragmented, poor user interface,

multiple sources Consolidated user experience, Aggregated

dashboards

Involvement Detached: view, browse (some

commenting) Engaged: participate, contribute

Access PC based, restricted Mobile; flexible

Timeliness Delayed, static Real time, current

Cre

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n

Co

nsu

mp

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n

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Common Use Cases for Online Communities

Gain Deeper Insights and Feedback

Stay informed – relevant campus news and updates

Access on Any Device at Anytime

Enable Student Self Service 24/7/365

Capture and Answer Questions

Generate and capture knowledge, exchange ideas

ENGAGE CONNECT

SHARE

Connect with Students, Faculty , Staff & Alumni

Connect

disparate

systems

and data

Give and Receive Peer Support

Guide and Simply Student Processes

Connect disparate systems and data

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Community Permission Access Models

Open

Peer to

Peer

Secure

Groups

Secure

Single

Entity

A combination can be used within a single community.

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Key Community Elements

Philosophy: “Bottom Up” vs. “Top Down”

Profiles: managing identities

(organizational and individual)

Relationships: following/

connecting with others

Presence: knowing when others

are available

Reputation: identifying experts

and advocates

Curated: administratively

controlled content libraries,

reference materials

User-Generated: organically

created content; appropriate for

more dynamic behaviors

Collaborative: collaboration

around specific cases / initiatives

Content types: Discussions,

Documents, Blogs, Polls, Ideas,

Cases, Files

Engagement: Comments, Sharing,

Liking, Topics, Rating, etc.

People Places Content

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Online Community Case Studies

20

Student lifecycle continuum

Admission Community Student Learning Community Faculty and Staff Community Alumni Community

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Representative Business Value for Online Communities

Online

Community

Opportunity!

Facebook LinkedIn

Student lifecycle continuum

Prospective Student Qualified Prospect Accepted Student Enrolled Student Graduate Alumni

Personally Social Professionally

Social

Academically Social

Admissions

• Increase best fit students

• Streamline enrollment processes

• Improve recruiter productivity

• Reduce recruitment media spend

• Retain applicants

• Enhance reputation / perception

• Increase enrollment numbers

• Reduce app processing time

• Increase students starts

Students and Faculty

• Streamline freshman onboarding

• Identify at risk students early

• Improve student retention

• Improve grades and satisfaction

• Improved graduation rates

• Reduced support costs (self-serve)

• Improve student / faculty

collaboration

• Enable study groups / peer support

• Crowdsource research and ideas

Alumni

• Re-engage lapsed alumni

• Increase donations

• Improve alumni engagement

• Drive event participation

• Drive new student referrals

• Facilitate student mentoring

• Capture student success stories

• Support professional networking

MSOE Admissions Case Study

James Davidson

VP of Digital Strategy

@jdavidson

7Summits

#hesummit15

MSOE Admissions Challenges:

Enrollment targets were not being met

Admissions team didn’t feel they had a relevant or competitive experience (across

all channels) for the social media and mobile friendly generation

Attempts to engage students on Facebook and other social channels weren't

working

Systems and tools for intake and application were confusing and dated

The organization was not working together, programs executed ad hoc by faculty

and staff creating a fragmented message and brand experience online

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Business / Project Goals

Increase admissions by engaging prospects using social media

Minimize friction in the admissions and application process

Increase conversion, retain applicants and increase matriculation

Deliver a brand experience that creates preference and affinity

24

1

2

3

4

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MSOE Admissions Community Video Overview

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANJ4ZjuEUhU

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MSOE Admissions Community Business Value & Results

30% Admissions team

productivity

Admission counselors spent less time chasing the student and more

time interacting with them increasing productivity 30%.

Deposit Melt Overall accepted student summer melt decreased by 5% 5%

Electrical engineering saw almost double enrollment 2X

Enrollment Numbers

Outbound

Call volume

Admission counselors reduced outbound calls by 66%

freeing up time to interact with prospective students in

community.

66%

Reached application goal nine months early and acceptance goal five

months early. 10,000+ registered members and growing!

Application and

acceptance goal

Application

turnaround time

Admission counselors spent less time chasing documents down. From

months to weeks!

Retention rate from accepted to deposit jumped from 30% to 38% in one

year

Accepted to Deposit 8%

Group Brainstorming

James Davidson

VP of Digital Strategy

@jdavidson

7Summits

#hesummit15

Online Communities - Group Exercise Scenario

Scenario: Your institution is looking to launch an initiative to leverage an online community to improve engagement and collaboration with 1) Admissions 2) Students 3) Faculty / Staff and 4) Alumni audience(s)

Top goals for your online community initiative are to:

1. Increase Engagement and Retention of Students

2. Streamline Communication / Improve Collaboration w/ Students

3. Enable Self-service and Peer support

4. Simplify Institutional Processes and Operations

As the project team, it is your job to begin the planning process and ensure your

institution has thought through the strategy and plan to implement your online

community

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Journey-Mapping Exercise

GOALS

• Clearly define the roles key digital properties through the lens of the student journey

• Identify and prioritize drivers/enablers and barriers/gaps

• Create alignment and areas of opportunity amongst stakeholders

PROCESS

• Organize a team of cross-functional stakeholders

• Map the journey for your chosen audience

• Identify, refine and readout gaps, opportunities and priorities

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ALUMNI / ADVOCATE CONSIDER SCHOOL

RESEARCH

INQUIRE / VISIT

APPLY / ACCEPTED

ONBOARD / MATRICULATE

ACTIVE STUDENT

GOAL: Clearly define the roles of key digital properties through the lens of the student journey, and identify barriers/gaps and areas of opportunity

STUDENT JOURNEY

EVALUATE

SEEK EMPLOYMENT

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NEED IDENTIFICATION CONSIDER/

RESEARCH

EVALUATE /

INQUIRE

APPLY /

ACCEPTED

ONBOARD /

MATRICULATE

ACTIVE STUDENT ADVOCACY &

LOYALTY

Prospective

Student

Role in Journey Step

Drivers/Enablers

• One

• Two

Barriers/Gaps

• One

• Two

Enrolled

Student

Role in Journey Step

Drivers/Enablers

• One

• Two

Barriers/Gaps

• One

• Two

Faculty and

Staff

Role in Journey Step

Drivers/Enablers

• One

• Two

Barriers/Gaps

• One

• Two

Student Journey Example

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CONSIDER/ RESEARCH EVALUATE / INQUIRE APPLY / ACCEPTED ONBOARD /

MATRICULATE ACTIVE STUDENT

Key Steps • Talk to friends / Family

• Google Search

• Referral

Current

Technology

• Website

• Search Engines

• Website

• Academic Profiles

• CommonApp?

• Website

• Student Portal

• Intranet?

Roadblocks /

Pain Points

• Personalization

Content and Data • Reviews • Application Form

Thoughts /

Feelings

• Overwhlemed • Tuition costs

• Uncertainty

• Overwhelmed

• Improve accessibility

• Advocacy

• Happiness

Future

• Social Referrals

• Faculty Reviews

• Social Websites • Mobile and Social • Admissions Community

Journey Mapping Exercise - Student

Wrap Up

James Davidson

VP of Digital Strategy

@jdavidson

7Summits

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Drop off your business card or stop by our booth to win an iPad mini, winner announced tomorrow @ 11.30am

Need a copy of the deck or have a question?

@jdavidson

james@7summitsinc.com

7summitsinc.com

iPad Mini Giveaway and Contact Details

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What can 7Summits do?

Communities out of the Box Branded and tailored use cases

Thank you