PowerPoint Presentation

NYSACAC 2015Recruit with Culture and Community 2015

1

HELLO!

Christopher DownsDirector of Product Development, Quadlyfe

Lindsay Lafortune Executive Senior Advertising Manager, MediaMate

Chris and Lindsay

MediaMate we work for advertisers to help recruit students from college campuses through student newspapers. We do a lot of work for colleges who advertise in other college newspapers 4 year and 2 year colleges trying to recruit grad and transfer students. If this is something you might be interested in please take one of my cards. We can help out now for the upcoming school year. Ill leave a stack on the desk2

ChrisTeens Today Slide

Culture of the next generation3

Chris4

Chris5

School Culture

Lindsay Slide

Every institution has a distinctive character and culture- history, size, geographic location, academic focus, religious or state affiliation, and residential life are a few of the areas that help to define it, but ultimately your culture is the kind of place your college is, and everyone at the college, from students and faculty to dining staff, facilities and administration, participates in it.

Student Body (enrollment size)GeographySchool PersonalityAcademic FocusesDifferentiators (what makes you unqiue)

Example of Fitchburg State University 4,000 students out in Western MA. Biggest programs of Nursing, Communications, and Teaching. Everyone was involved in clubs and organizations had over 60 clubs, volunteer opportunities. Sports also played a part in the culture football game during Freshman Orientation. Students tend to find campuses they connect with which also helps define the culture.

When we talk about defining a college or university brand, what we really are trying to do is to encapsulate the culture of your school- the brand comes from the reality of the experience of being on your campus- your culture.

7

Connect

Chris slide

In order for a prospective student to visualize him/herself as a student at any institution we have to translate culture visually and textually through communication channels that are reaching these kids.We have to present content that represents academic, residential and social life on campus, as well as the character of the college, in an authentic, relatable way voice and image.We have to tell individual stories that make students say I could be friends with that person or I want to be like that person

The emphasis is not on what WE can offer, but on what YOU will experience- will you fit in here? Does this look like a fun, happy environment to you? Do you like her dress? Do you like what he just said? Does it resonate?

And ultimately: Is this a culture you like and want to be part of? THAT is your value proposition, and thats what you have to connect students to- not the facts and figures about the benefits of a college education. Those are important, but secondary to the emotional connection formed by experiential stories. When a high school student decides to attend one institution over another, they are deciding to live and learn in one environment, to have one experience, to be part of one culture over another.

Its all about fit, but if you DONT communicate your culture in these ways, you run the risk of prospective students not discovering it until its too late.In the age of global media, the rate of stealth applicants- applicants that you first find out about when they send in their applications, who get ALL their information about the college online- is increasing at an alarming rate.

That means that if what you have out in the digital space about your schools culture is not there or not compelling, you have lost the opportunity to communicate that culture to a prospective student and likely lost that student. Stealth applicants dont visit campus and you dont have the opportunity to show them in the physical space, what being a student is like. All they see is what is online, so your digital presence is more important than ever. It seems odd, because in higher ed, we have tended to think of technology as the enemy of culture, that culture cant be conveyed digitally, that being on campus is the best and only way. But in the 21st century, showcasing your culture online is the most important use you can make of technology.

ExperiencesMomentsFirst Person Views8

Mediums

Technology slide (Chris)

Show of hands: websites, mobile websites, virtual tour , social media

Channels and Activity does not equate to results

Transition into content

9

Delivery teens want

Delivery slide (Chris)

Marshall McLuhan, the father of media theory, known for predicting the World Wide Web almost thirty years before it was invented, coined the phrase:The medium is the messageHe meant that the way content is delivered matters to how it is perceived- today, its important that content be delivered in dynamic formats that demonstrate an experience to teenagers that they want to have and can see themselves having- which means via web, social media, streaming and video. We have to take the message to the mediums that appeal to this generation.

* First Person*The Selfie photo and video!

Touch design icons as languageMobile first (Google new SEO rankings)Peer to peerUser generated contentStudents as best content creators10

*Experiences*Moments*Multiple senses

11

Content Generators

Transition to Lindsay

How do we capture and share these moments?

Folks who are already part of your schools culture are your best brand ambassadors- they are living it every day. Student profiles should form a significant part of your outreach- they are examples to prospective students. The more dynamic and accessible the content, the better. A profile with a photo is good- a profile with a video is better. A fully interactive profile that can be accessed via mobile device is best.Additionally, 18-22 year olds are probably sharing lots of their lives at your school online. So, user generated content is your friend in trying to show your schools experience in the digital space- its authentic, immediate, and pithy.Social media has created a sharing network that means that your culture can reach exponentially more prospects if its out there by and for current students.

*SCHOOL NEWSPAPER as a great way to showcase campus culture12

Campus Newspaper

Lindsay slideSchool papers a lot of the time are written by students, for students, so they portray what life is like on campusCould report on events on campus, sporting events/athletics, faculty members, possibly students, happenings in the community both at and around the schoolThese students are living on campus every day, so they are living the schools culture.Because its being written by and for the students, students trust the source students are sharing their experiences in the newspapers and on the newspaper websitesPut some examples up In March, basketball is a huge sport for a lot of campuses (March Madness). Example of the Pipe Dream at SUNY Binghamton. In April in Boston, the Marathon is a huge event. Boston University is right along the route, so students line the streets on Commonwealth Ave. to support runners. Paper covered the Marathon and student partcipation

13

Advertising with Culture

Lindsay slide

***SCHOOL NEWSPAPER as a great way to showcase campus cultureWith the students showcasing their campus culture with the newspaper, it opens the doors for advertisers to promote to a more targeted audienceOpportunities open up with the student newspapers and their websites, and a combination of the two generally work bestDepending on the campus, advertisers can target by the culture - majors, geographic location, type of student theyre trying to reach i.e. grad students, transfer students Example Nike advertisement in the Uconn Daily Campus. This is the 10th championship theyve won under Head Coach Geno. Coach Geno is tied with another coach as one of the only coaches to ever win 10 championships. Nike took that opportunity to reach students with the student newspaper since basketball is a huge part of Uconns cultureAnother example - Colleges, a lot of colleges recruit transfer and graduate students from other schools using the newspapers. 2 year college populations might be targeted by 4 year colleges that are geographically close so students can continue their education and obtain their Bachelors degree if they are interested. 14

ChrisStory telling slideMy StoryCollege searchChose from non authentic campus experienceExperienced Saint Anselm Culture first hand and I transferred So my frustration led to changing virtual tours a medium where culture is voidTo put videos, audio imagesBut this is only 1 channel there are many more15

5. Actionable Steps1. Identify Culture

2. Identify Channels

3. Evaluate Channels for capability

4. Pick One Channel

5. COMMIT TO IT!!!!

6. Use Analytics

Chris and Lindsay

Bring stake holders in to the roomIdentify ChannelEvaluate channels based on what you can execute on consistently Pick channel and commit to it : never leave a dead feed, follow through dont be afraid to failCommit to it and executeUse analytics to measure success, gain insights, adapt messaging and content

16