Getting Real Recruiting Results with Interactive Technologies

eduWeb Conference 2007

Karlyn MorissetteInteractive Recruitment Manager

Norwich University Admissions

What is an “Interactive Recruitment Manager?”

• Full-time admissions professional• Create and implement a customized and

targeted e-mail campaign to prospective students

• Maintenance of all admissions web pages, senior member of the web team

• Administration of student blogs, message boards, live chats, AIM, MySpace, etc…

• Production and editing of video for the web• “Other duties as assigned”

What is your background?

The How-To Knowledge

• Millennial

• Web geek

The Overall Strategy

• Former admissions counselor

• Recently graduated MBA

There is no one-size-fits-all

• If someone tells you otherwise, they are trying to sell you something.

• Your interactive plan will be most effective when it is aligned with your overall recruitment strategy and philosophy.

• Where does your admissions office fall short?

Traditional Methods are NOT Dead!

• Campus Visit – the ultimate interactive experience

• College Fairs• Recruiting Events• Print• Phone

• E-mail• IM• Website• Blogs• Chats• Boards• Video

How does your audience WANT to be communicated with?

It’s all about strategy

• If you don’t have a written communications plan, start there.– You’ll only see where the holes are by laying it all

out.• Do you know what your prospects want?• Set 3-5 goals you want to achieve through

interactive recruitment.• Don’t communicate just because you can.• Budget your time where you are going to get

the most bang for your buck.

Coordination is Key

• Interactive communications should be supplemental.– Your website needs to be a comprehensive source

of information.– E-mail is the push to the website.

• In the grand scheme of things, what day/time you send out e-mails is not nearly as important as coordination of those e-mails with other marketing strategies.

The Classic Conundrum

Web Manager: “We will use technology only when it helps us tell better stories and communicate more effectively, not because it's trendy or cool. ”

My Philosophy: “We will find a way to use technology that is trendy or cool to help us tell better stories and communicate more effectively.”

The Basics

• Comprehensive website– If you don’t have quality content, don’t worry

about flash.

• Strategic e-mail program – the more customized/targeted/segmented the better– “My death has been greatly exaggerated” – Expectations and outcomes vary by audience

• Student blogs• Message boards

Don’t Be Afraid to be “Unprofessional”

“Younger people try to redefine what professionalism is”

• Consider the “Culture” of the Technology– Text messaging– IM– MySpace

• Be sure to do it on THEIR terms.

Real is Good….Even if its Bad• The true potential of interactive recruitment lies

in its ability to tell a real story. Let go of control.

• Enhances the credibility of your message.

• Students who can’t handle the real “XYZ University” will self-select themselves out of the recruitment process.

• For the love of God, have open comments in your blogs.

The “Kick Ass” Theory

Creating Passionate Users Blog: http://headrush.typepad.com

• Make no mistake – you are selling a product (though it shouldn’t feel like it)

• Give your prospects something to latch onto.

• Show them your school can make them into the people they want to be.

• Make them the cool kid.

The Second Life Syndrome

• 8,000,000 total users.– 1.7 million have been active in the past 2 months.– 95% of teenagers have never heard of it.– Why don’t you just go to the 190,000,000 users on

MySpace and save yourself a lot of time and energy or take the money and use it to fly high-ranking recruits in to see your real campus?

• Don’t use technology just because you can. Use technology because it is what your prospects want.

Do one thing at a time

• Don’t get overwhelmed by the possibilities

• Take the time to do things right – its better to have a few features that function really well then a lot that are only “OK”

• Eventually you’ll get there.

The dirty little secret….

We’re all making it up as we go along.

• Don’t be afraid to try new things or experiment with your use of accepted technologies

• Keep an eye on the numbers – its OK if you try something new and it doesn’t work. Just move on to the next thing.

Questions? Comments? Want to tell me I’m dead wrong?

Karlyn Morissettekmorisse@norwich.eduAIM: NUAdmissKarlynTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/karlynmBlog: http://interactiverecruiting.blogspot.com