Then and Now: Revisiting Our Communications Technology Recommendations

We enjoy providing commentary on emerging technologies in the Lawlor Focus, but the test of time is required to fully appreciate a new electronic tool's implications and utility. Accordingly, for this issue of the Focus we take a look back at our technology recommendations over the past two years and share updates and new strategies in light of current thinking.

RSS Feeds

July 2005: As with any other communications medium, the most effective way to deliver information via RSS feeds is to segment and personalize the content for each audience. "Feeds" for affinity groups, such as alumni, students or parents, are especially effective for pushing out content for specific audiences, much like that which is published in newsletters. For instance … Keep parents of current students informed about campus activities and important dates—as well as emergency situations that arise—with a feed just for them. Create a college counselor feed to let them know about new buildings or programs, updates to admission policies, counselor visit programs or other news that may be integral to their work with college admissions.

Update: RSS feeds have shown the most promise for marketing and communications offices at colleges and universities, as a University Business article demonstrates. However, schools are increasingly using RSS as a delivery channel for targeting prospective students in particular, satisfying their "craving for real-time, tailored information." Meanwhile, Peterson's has established a directory of college and university admission offices that are successfully employing RSS feeds.

E-Search

October 2005: Supplementing a traditional direct mail campaign with an electronic search campaign can increase response rates—and give you tremendous insight into the students receiving your messages. By following the metrics of the e-mail campaign, you can learn how well the message was received, what topics were most important to the recipients and which calls to action yielded the best responses. And, because of the dynamic nature of e-mail, the messages and web landing pages can be altered instantaneously to improve response rates in the future.

Update: Perhaps the biggest hurdle to overcome in e-search today is that everyone seems to be doing it, as a recent Chronicle of Higher Education column illustrates. Therefore, metrics are more important than ever, especially in targeting your audience. ClickZ Network recently published a series titled "Ten Steps for Developing an Effective E-mail Strategy" that includes tips on how to create both qualitative and quantitative goals for your e-campaign. Another consideration is whether teenagers even check their e-mail very frequently anymore, so some schools are experimenting with text messaging to cell phones and posting to Facebook walls.

Blogs

December 2005: When updated regularly, blogs are fluid and dynamic—more like a conversation than a library, which is how the web has been described in the past. As such, blogs are fundamentally changing the way we use the web, and they offer colleges and universities an economical, easy and effective way to engage various constituents and target markets. … When colleges and universities host blogs, site visitors are transformed from passive readers and consumers of information to active participants and contributors in an ongoing conversation. … [B]logs can create relevancy, build interest and sustain relationships between the institution and its constituencies. In the end, blogs build community—a goal every college and university seeks to achieve.

Update: The Fast Company web site recently drew attention to the increasing prevalence of student-written blogs for college admission offices, noting that they "do not necessarily come off cheery and in total praise of the school"—but that's exactly what makes them work: "If the blogs just talked about lunch at the Union and walks on the main square, then no applicant would read them." The Boston Globe recently reported findings from an upcoming NACAC study that one-quarter of all college admission offices offer blogs written by students or admission personnel, as more and institutions are realizing that prospective students "may be more inclined to trust a school they think is willing to show them real campus life." Thus, the key to successful admission blogs is authenticity—which is achieved through transparency and necessarily requires some ceding of control on the part of administrators.

Podcasts

May 2006: Podcasts may be one of the most promising ways to enhance the brand experience and to build relationships with both known and anonymous customers. Like Mansfield University, a college's podcast might involve interviews with current students or faculty. … Given that they are free and available on demand, podcasts are particularly appealing to the prospective student market. They like being able to get the information at their convenience—and to enjoy it while mobile. But don't discount the potential for podcasts to reach parents, alumni and other friends of the college.

Update: Although iTunes accounts for 75 percent of podcast downloads, according to an eMarketer report, the term "podcast" is becoming less wed to iPods—not only can podcasts now be played on cell phones, but the term is used generically for various types of syndicated audio files, not just those downloaded for portable playback. The user demographics compiled by eMarketer also indicate that people between the ages of 35 and 54 represent about half of podcast downloaders, leading many higher education marketers to wonder whether prospective parents may be their best target audience for podcasts.

Second Life

November 2006: It's entirely possible that colleges might soon be staffing a virtual admission office! At last count, 1,377,717 people are living in a parallel universe—as avatars in the 3D digital world called Second Life. Residents (including some university professors and students) are exploring and creating, connecting with others, running simulations, and even transacting business in Second Life, where virtual commerce is increasingly being converted into real dollars.

Update: Second Life now has more than 7 million residents, and the Chronicle of Higher Education reports that an admission office has indeed set up shop there: Case Western Reserve University has built a virtual version of its campus so admission staff can give tours to prospective students in Second Life. In a sign of how mainstream the virtual world is becoming, earlier this month Reuters conducted an interview with Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu in Second Life. Business Week has provided a tip sheet for how to avoid mistakes while establishing a Second Life presence.

In the News: Anxiety About Paying for College

Inside Higher Ed reported that 62 percent of more than 1,000 randomly selected American adults believe that many qualified and motivated students do not have the opportunity to obtain a higher education due to financial realities, up from 45 percent in 1998. The survey by the Public Agenda, commissioned by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, also found that 60 percent of respondents feel the middle class is hardest hit in the financial aid process (with 61 percent considering themselves in the middle or upper-middle class).

The complete results of the survey are available on the Center's web site.

Did You Know?

An extra $10,000 in student load debt reduces the likelihood that a graduate will take a job in a nonprofit organization, with the government or in an educational field by about 5 to 6 percentage points.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research