Trends for 2012 - Trend Three

With the adoption of online mobile devices growing, consumers expect instant access to the information they seek. And the rise of social media platforms is allowing consumers to conduct third-party verification of any claims a college makes. Prospective students are also finding it increasingly easy to conduct their college searches in a “stealth” manner, investigating institutions’ reputations via online networks, word-of-mouth recommendations, and other communication channels beyond the colleges’ direct control.

• 40% of 13- to 17-year-olds own a smartphone device. (Nielsen)
• 14% of prospective students have viewed a college website via their mobile device; 62% of these students wanted to use it to access a college’s social media assets and 64% to watch a college’s videos. (Noel-Levitz)
• 76% of all 12- to 17-year-olds use social network sites, with those from households with annual income less than $50,000 more likely to be social network users than those from households with annual income of $50,000 or more. (Pew Research Center)
• 44% of prospective students have “liked” a college on a social network; 57% watch videos created by the college, and 53% read posts about the college via social media. (FastWeb)
• 61% of parents of prospective students prefer video produced by students on campus versus video produced by the college. (Cappex)
• 23% of all adults use mobile or social location-based services to get directions or recommendations based on their current location. (Pew Research Center)
• 49% of Americans believe online word of mouth is highly credible. (Word of Mouth Marketing Association)
• 57% of parents of prospective students say a bad experience on a college’s website may have some negative effect on their perception of the college, and 16% will probably drop the college from their consideration list if they don’t find what they need on its website. (Noel-Levitz)
• 27% of first-year students felt the admissions or recruitment materials didn’t accurately portray campus. (CIRP)

Opportunity: Engage

Colleges and universities must communicate with prospective students where they already are, and today that means in social media forums. Those who can listen within these spaces well enough to deliver timely, targeted, and personalized messages in welcomed conversations will win the day.

Thoughts? Let us know on the blog.
Part of: Trends 2012