getting it right!

Getting It Right!What Message Are You Sending To Your Prospective Students, and Do They

Even Care?

Dr. Brenda Harms

Client Consultant

July 2009

Intelliworks – Personify Education 2009

About StamatsStamats is a higher education marketing thought leader with a distinct,

customized-solutions approach to the marketplace. Our array of time-tested services has set the standard for a marketing partner: actionable, research-based counsel that can inform effective,

multiple media creative solutions and strategic thinking. We promise our clients the highest level of professional service and attention to detail because we know our success is measured by

theirs.

Research• Image, perception, and brand studies• Recruiting, marketing, brand, and

academic program marketability audits• Tuition Price ElasticityTM studies• Communication process mapping

Creative Services• Creative concepting• Web strategies • Recruiting and advancement publications

© 2009 Stamats, Inc. – 2

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Are you….

Social NetworksText Messages

RSS FeedsViewbooks

Web Site

Instant MessagesPhone Calls

Campus VisitsSearch Mailings

Holiday Cards Emails

Postcards

Brochures


WHY….and most importantly WHAT?


The MESSAGE is primary…

The DELIVERY is somewhat secondary…


It’s About Saying One Thing…. That They Care About!

Safety.


So What Do They Care About?

Who are the they?

• 2008 TeensTALK™• 2006 ParentsTALK™• 2008 Adult StudentsTALK™

– Graduate Student Subset


2008 TeensTALK


™

Methodology

• Telephone survey of 800 geographically dispersed college-bound high school students

• 50% of respondents were high school juniors, 50% high school seniors

• All respondents completed core TeensTALK® questions and then were randomly assigned into one of four specialty subjects:

– Defining Academic Quality– Determining College “Fit”– Defining Graduate Outcomes– Preferred Methods of College Communication


Respondent DemographicsGender – 60% female; 40% male

Ethnicity – 57% White or Caucasian; 17% Black or African American; 14% Hispanic or Latino/a; 7% Asian or Pacific Islander; 3% no dominant race; <1% Native American; 2% don’t wish to reveal

Parent’s highest level of education – 33% high school diploma or GED; 24% some college or two-year degree; 23% four-year degree; 16% graduate degree; 5% not sure

Class rank – 13% top 5% of class; 14% top 10%; 14% top 15%; 16% top 25%; 11% top 50%; 5% below top 50%; 27% not sure

SAT score – 17% 1300 or lower; 21% 1310 to 1600; 14% 1610 to 1800; 9% 1810 to 2000; 11% 2010 or higher; 18% don’t remember

ACT score – 15% 18 or lower; 27% 19 to 22; 25% 23 to 26; 18% 27 to 30; 5% 30 or higher; 11% don’t remember


Geographic Distribution of Respondents


General Importance Attributes

Mean RatingPercent

“Very Important”

School offers the academic program I want to study 4.6 74%

Quality of faculty as teachers and mentors 4.5 66%

Graduates of the college get good jobs/accepted into good graduate programs 4.5 64%

Quality of academic facilities 4.5 58%

Amount of financial aid available, including scholarships 4.4 58%

Safety of the campus 4.4 58%

Overall academic reputation 4.3 48%

The school offers a fun college experience 4.2 45%

The people on campus are welcoming and friendly 4.2 44%

Cost to attend 4.1 43%

The ability to talk and interact with people from different backgrounds than my own 4.0 36%

Quality of campus amenities 4.0 28%

Variety of on-campus activities 3.8 28%

Study abroad opportunities 3.7 29%

There are things to do off-campus 3.7 22%


Individuals Involved in College Decision

Parents

Guidance counselor

High school teacher

Relative other than parents

No one

High school friend

Friends of my parents

College staff/faculty

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

69%

25%

14%

10%

8%

6%

2%

2%

Who has been most involved in helping you make your college decision?


Helpful Information Sources

Visiting the college campus

Course catalog

Conversations with ad-missions

Financial aid brochure

Visiting the college's Web site

Conversations with current students

Viewbook

Telephone call from a col-lege

E-mails from a college

College guidebooks or Web sites

Introductory/first mailing

Ranking guides, such as U.S. News

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

86%

61%

61%

53%

43%

43%

41%

34%

28%

27%

22%

18%

Percent indicating “very helpful”


The Five Factors of Academic Quality

Prestige• College is featured in the media• Ranked highly• Nationally & regionally known• Highly selective• Professors regularly published

Academic Experience• Hands-on learning• Faculty passionate about teaching• Internship opportunities• Expertise of faculty• Undergrads conduct research• Students work closely w/ faculty• Study abroad program

Student Outcomes• Employers actively recruit from the college• Career placement rate• Average starting salaries• Prestige of grad schools attended • Grad school acceptance rate• Four-year graduation rate

College Features• New/updated academic facilities• Wireless campus• Honors program• Small class sizes

Student Quality• Average high school GPA of students• Average ACT/SAT scores of students


The Five Factors of Academic Quality

Student Outcomes – Average rating of 4. 2

Academic Experience – Average rating of 4.1

Student Quality – Average rating of 3.7

College Features – Average rating of 3.7

Prestige – Average rating of 3.6


Indicators of Weak Academic Programs

Low graduation rate

Job placement info

Lack of information available

Low admission standards

Limited academic va-riety

High drop out rate

Success of grads

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

12%

8%

7%

6%

6%

6%

5%

What indicators suggest a college does not have a strong academic programs?


Indicators of Weak Academic Programs(Verbatim Responses)

• “An institution’s graduation rate is a good indicator of the quality of its programs. Also, how well people find jobs following gradation—if they can’t find a job, they didn’t have the right education.”

• “I think a college where the students don’t get good jobs after graduation is an indicator it’s not a good school.”

• “If they can’t answer my questions, they don’t have strong academic programs.”

• “If the institution doesn’t have a lot of variety in its majors and it’s brand new, just starting off as a new college.”


Quality of “Better” Schools (n=37)

Class size, personal at-tention

Quality of professors

Academic variety

Don't know

Hands-on learning

Recognition

Admissions standards

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

22%

22%

14%

11%

11%

8%

8%

What are the main characteristics that make the higher quality schools “better” in terms of academic quality?


Determining Successful Graduate Outcomes

Please tell me how strong an indicator each characteristic is in evaluating your chances for success after graduation.

Mean Rating

Percent “One of the Best

Indicators”

The college is located in a region offering lots of job opportunities related to my major 4.2 43%

The career placement office offers a wide variety of activities to prepare students for employment 4.2 41%

Graduates get good jobs with well-known employers 4.2 40%

Quality of the career placement program at the college 4.2 39%

Students go on to chase big dreams 4.1 40%

Graduates from the school go on to attend well-known and prestigious graduate schools 4.0 38%

Average starting salary of fellow graduates is higher than the national average 4.0 34%

Availability of prestigious internships 4.0 33%

Employers recruit heavily from the campus 4.0 33%

Networking opportunities with successful people in your field of interest 4.0 32%

Students graduate in four years 4.0 31%

The college has a strong alumni network to assist in job placement 3.9 28%

Graduates of the college are located throughout the nation or world 3.7 29%

Students conduct independent research while in college 3.7 23%

The college can show examples of famous alumni 3.3 15%


Acceptable Communication at Each Funnel Stage

Ordered from least personal to most

Percent “Yes”

Search Stage Inquiry Stage Applicant Stage

Admitted Student

Stage

Sending mass, non-personalized emails 34% 41% 34% 42%

Sending you publications through the mail 85% 87% 95% 89%

Sending you letters through the mail 96% 97% 95% 93%

Sending you a personal email, written specifically for you 87% 87% 92% 86%

Text messages to your cell phone 23% 24% 18% 18%

Contacting you through Facebook or MySpace 26% 25% 26% 26%

Phone calls to you 78% 78% 88% 82%

Phone calls to your parents 66% 69% 65% 62%

Contacting you via instant messenger 22% 19% 20% 21%

Personal visits to your home 40% 41% 35% 31%

Please indicate if you feel it is acceptable for a college or university to communicate with you in the following manners:


Preferred Communication at Each Funnel Stage

Ordered from least personal to most Search Stage Inquiry Stage Applicant Stage

Admitted Student

Stage

Email 36% 38% 31% 33%

Traditional postal mail 44% 38% 25% 20%

Visiting your high school 11% 6% 8% 2%

Text messages to your cell phone 2% 1% 0% 0%

Through Facebook or MySpace 2% 3% 0% 0%

Phone calls to you 23% 36% 24% 33%

Phone calls to your parents 5% 12% 5% 2%

Contacting you via instant messenger 2% 2% 0% 2%

Personal visits to your home 8% 10% 4% 0%

Of these items, which would you most prefer a college or university uses to contact you at this stage?


Search stage

Inquiry stage

Applicant stage

Admitted student stage

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

18%

25%

15%

17%

70%

70%

82%

81%

12%

5%

2%

2%

Too little

Just right

Too much

Satisfaction With Communication Levels


How Could Colleges Communicate Better?

• Better ways to communicate in the search stage: (n=116)

– More contact, contact on a regular basis (17%)

– More specific information, more details (15%)– Contact me via mail (13%)– Contact me via phone (10%)– More personalized (10%)– Contact me via e-mail (9%)

• Better ways to communicate in the inquiry stage: (n=116)

– Contact me via mail (16%)– Contact me via phone (16%)– Contact me via e-mail (11%)– More contact, contact on a regular basis

(10%)– More personalized (10%)– Provided more/better information (10%)– More specific information, more details (10%)

• Better ways to communicate in the applicant stage: (n=85)

– More contact, contact on a regular basis (17%)– Contact me via e-mail (15%)– More specific information, more details (12%)– Good customer service, be responsive (8%)– Contact me via mail (7%)

• Better ways to communicate in the admitted student stage: (n=85)

– More contact, contact on a regular basis (9%)– Contact me via mail (8%)– Provide status updates (8%)– More specific information, more details (7%)– Contact me via e-mail (7%)– Good customer service, be responsive (7%)


2006 ParentsTALK


™

26

Parents’ Role in College Choice• Today’s parents are better informed about the

college-choice process and have higher

expectations (especially true for moms)

• Look at themselves as “partners” with their children

• Very interested in issues related to academic quality, access to faculty and facilities, and outcome data

• Safety is of keen, but often undefined, interest

• Concerned about cost, but cost is seldom the “deal breaker”

• Plan to stay highly involved in their child’s college experience

• Expect colleges to keep their promises Source: Stamats’ 2006 ParentsTALK®


27

Source: Stamats 2006 ParentsTALK®

What Parents Want to Know Most About You

• Faculty are good teachers/mentors

• Program of interest to child is available

• Safe campus

• High academic quality

• Graduates get good jobs

• Known for its academics

• Availability of financial aid

• Availability of scholarships

• Value (high quality/good price)

• Reasonable cost tied with good technology resources

Top choices from a list of 26 items


The Message for Parents...Recognize them and the significance of the role they are

playing in their child’s decision

Consider customizing communication specifically for them (or one that at least acknowledges their main concerns):

• Family piece• Outcomes brochure• So you’re sending your kid to college email series• Parent e-newsletters

We can expect parents’ role in decisions on where to go and whether to stay to increase (parents as advocates)


2008 Adult StudentsTALK


™

Methodology

• Web survey of 406 geographically dispersed adults interested in continuing their education

• The sample was intentionally drawn to look at both undergraduate and graduate-degree seekers

• Respondents were members of an online panel. Before beginning, respondents were screened to ensure they were:– Between the ages of 25 and 54– Somewhat or very likely to continue their education within the

next three years

Source: Stamats Adult StudentsTALK 2008®


Respondent DemographicsGender – 66% female; 33% male; 1% don’t wish to reveal

Age – 50% 25 to 34 years old; 29% 35 to 44 years old; 21% 45 to 54 years old

Ethnicity – 77% White or Caucasian; 9% Asian or Pacific Islander; 4% Black or African American; 3% Hispanic or Latino/a; 2% no dominant race; 1% Native American; 4% don’t wish to reveal

Marital status – 53% married; 34% single; 9% divorced; 2% civil union or partnered; 1% widowed; 1% don’t wish to reveal

Presence of children (18 or younger)– 65% no children; 35% have children

Highest level of education – 2% high school diploma or GED; 26% some college or two-year degree; 46% four-year degree; 27% graduate degree

Employment status – 75% employed full-time; 13% part-time; 13% not employed

Annual household income – 6% less than $25,000; 20% $25,000 to $49,999; 27% $50,000 to $74,999; 17% $75,000 to $99,999; 16% $100,000 to $149,999; 6% More than $150,000; 7% don’t wish to reveal



Geographic Distribution of Respondents


Why Pursue Additional Education?

Top motivations for pursuing additional education:

• 97% desire personal enrichment

• 89% want to increase their income

• 78% have always enjoyed education

• 76% want to prove they can do it

• 75% are considering changing their careers

• 73% want to improve their job satisfaction

• 66% hope to advance within their current job or career

• 62% want to be a role model for their family

• 42% need to due to personal circumstances/major life changes


Men Looking for Current Career Advancement

• 86% of men indicate they would pursue additional education for advancement in their current job or career

• This compares to just 58% of women giving this same response


Preferred Course Format

•53% say this is very appealing•Only 16% find these courses unappealing

Courses at night during the week

•38% say this is very appealing•Only 15% find hybrid courses unappealing

Online & on-campus hybrid

•66% say online courses are very appealing•Only 9% say online courses are unappealingCourses entirely online

• 32% say weekend courses are very appealing• Another 37% say weekends are unappealingCourses on the weekend

• Only 18% say daytime courses are very appealing• 47% say daytime courses are unappealing

Daytime courses during the week

Note that online is very appealing to adult undergraduate students, more so than hybrid. Very different than graduate seeking adults


Important College Attributes

AttributeMean

Rating

Percent “Very

Important”

Flexibility of class scheduling/times 4.6 73%


Ability to transfer in credits 4.4 66%

Location is convenient to home or work 4.4 63%

Online learning options 4.3 55%

Faculty are good teachers and mentors 4.3 51%


Academic reputation of the college/university 4.2 41%

The college places a strong focus on educating adult students 4.1 41%


Success of graduates 3.9 35%

The college is known and respected within my community 3.9 30%

Availability of accelerated programs 3.7 34%

Small student/faculty ratio 3.7 24%


Importance Ratings by Age

• Respondents 35 and older place more importance on:

– Flexibility of class scheduling (mean of 4.7)

– Online learning options (mean of 4.4)

– Colleges placing a strong focus on adult education (mean of 4.3)

• More so than 25 to 34 year olds, adults 35 and older need education to fit somewhat conveniently into their current lives

• They want more options in completing courses, faster completion of courses, and an understanding from their college about the difficulties facing adult learners


Importance Ratings by Gender

• Women tended to place more importance on the following attributes:

– Flexibility of class scheduling (mean of 4.7 compared to 4.2 among men)

– Cost to attend (mean of 4.7 compared to 4.2 among men)

– Amount of financial aid available (mean of 4.3 compared to 3.9 among men)


Major Concerns Among Adults

Major concerns among adult undergraduate students:

• Paying for college courses (48% cite as a “major concern”)

• Managing time between family and classes (46%)

– Among respondents with children, this increases to 71%

• Managing time between work and classes (42%)

Despite the concern for balancing family and classes, 71% of respondents say their families are very supportive, and 19% say they are generally supportive


(Primarily) Non-Issues Among Adults

“Major concerns” cited by less than 10% of graduate degree seeking adults:

• I don’t think I’d do well academically (7% cited as a “major concern”)

• What I learn in college will not be useful in my career goals (6%)

• I would feel embarrassed or out of place on campus (6%)

• I am not prepared to succeed on a highly technological campus (5%)


Adult Services to Consider

• 75% much more interestedCollege credits for work/life experience

• 68% much more interestedOnline learning programs

• 61% much more interestedFinancial aid

specifically for adult students

• 60% much more interestedAccelerated programs

• 53% much more interestedExtension site located near

you

• 52% much more interested

Personal advisor to assist with application & financial aid


Central location for admissions,

financial aid, and class

registration

• 46% much more interestedTutorial services

designed for adult students


Researching College Options: Sources of Information

If you wanted to begin gathering information on enrolling in college, would you…

Percent “Yes”

Visit specific colleges’ Web sites 96%

Contact the admissions office at a specific college 89%

Conduct a general Web search for college-related Web sites 78%

Talk with friends or family members 70%

Get advice from someone in a career I’d like to pursue 63%

Get advice from an employer for whom I’d like to work 40%

Talk with my company’s human resources staff 36%

Talk with my supervisor 32%


Graduate Student Subset


Why Pursue Graduate Education?

Top motivations for pursuing additional education:

• 90% desire personal enrichment

• 81% have always enjoyed education

• 79% want to increase their income

• 79% hope to advance within their current job or career

• 75% want to improve their job satisfaction

• 62% want to prove they can do it

• 61% are considering changing their careers

• 39% want to be a role model for their family

• 34% need to due to personal circumstances/major life changes


Converting the “Someday Student”

Timeframe for Returning to School

Within the next year

Two-to-three years (or

more)

For personal enrichment 93% 93%

I have always enjoyed education/learning 84% 82%

To increase my income 87% 74%

To advance within my current job or career 85% 75%

To improve my job satisfaction 83% 70%

To prove I can do it 67% 64%

To change careers or jobs 64% 61%

To be a role model for my family 46% 38%

Personal circumstances/major life changes 38% 34%

Top motivations for pursuing additional education


Preferred Course Format

•49% say this is very appealing•Only 15% find these courses unappealing

Courses at night during the week

•46% say this is very appealing•Only 15% find hybrid courses unappealing

Online & on-campus hybrid

•43% say online courses are very appealing•21% say online courses are unappealingCourses entirely online

• 32% say weekend courses are very appealing• Another 24% say weekends are unappealingCourses on the weekend

• Only 19% say daytime courses are very appealing• 52% say daytime courses are unappealing

Daytime courses during the week



Preferences for Online & Accelerated Programs

• Respondents 35 and older are more open to:

– Online courses

– Accelerated programs

• These same trends exist among respondents with children under the age of 18

• While these may seem counter-intuitive, older students and students with children tend to be more open to anything that will allow them to complete their degree fast and conveniently



Important College Attributes

AttributeMean

Rating

Percent “Very

Important”

Flexibility of class scheduling/times 4.4 60%

Faculty are good teachers and mentors 4.4 56%


Academic reputation of the college/university 4.3 49%

Location is convenient to home or work 4.3 49%


The college is known and respected within my community 3.9 35%

Success of graduates 3.9 31%

The college places a strong focus on educating adult students 3.9 28%

Online learning options 3.8 38%


Availability of accelerated programs 3.7 27%

Small student/faculty ratio 3.6 21%

Ability to transfer in credits 3.6 30%



Major Concerns Among Adults

Major concerns among graduate degree seeking adults:

• Managing time between work and classes (46% cite as a “major concern”)

• Paying for college courses (45%)

• Managing time between family and classes (41%)

Despite the concern for balancing family and classes, 65% of respondents say their families are very supportive, and 27% say they are generally supportive



Adult Services to Consider

• 56% much more interestedCollege credits for work/life experience

• 52% much more interestedFinancial aid

specifically for adult students

• 53% much more interestedAccelerated programs

• 44% much more interestedExtension site located near you


Central location for admissions,

financial aid, and class

registration

• 48% much more interestedOnline learning programs



Researching College Options: Sources of Information

If you wanted to begin gathering information on enrolling in college, would you…

Percent “Yes”

Visit specific colleges’ Web sites 97%

Contact the admissions office at a specific college 86%

Conduct a general Web search for college-related Web sites 83%

Talk with friends or family members 76%

Get advice from someone in a career I’d like to pursue 76%

Get advice from an employer for whom I’d like to work 42%

Talk with my supervisor 39%

Talk with my company’s human resources staff 28%



So what is THE message?

• It will be unique to your institution (tell the truth – always; this is marketing not make-believe!)

• You more than likely don’t know it yet! Ask the experts – your prospective students.

• Streamline your message and THEN determine your delivery.


Discussion/Questions