NoahIQ allows you to use live video to talk with your website inquiries

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  So then what’s a video worth?

We are really excited about our new partnership with NoahIQ whereby our customer institutions will be able to connect in real-time with prospects and students via live video, as well as audio or text.  NoahIQ will help our clients more effectively communicate and collaborate on the spot with their target market.

Here’s how it works. When someone submits an online inquiry or visits your site, your admission reps can immediately create a face-to-face dialog.  You can share custom content, like videos or web links, and also pull others into the conversation, such as faculty, financial aid staff or other institutional representatives.

Here’s why it works.  There is something to be said for being the first. In fact, being the first one to contact a prospect can increase your chances of enrolling that student by 238 percent, according to a recent MIT study. Because NoahIQ enables you to communicate in real-time, you can likely be first to connect with prospects while enrollment is top of mind, rather than waiting minutes, hours or even days to call them after inquiry submission.

There is also something to be said for gaining greater insight into your prospective students.  NoahIQ provides important data so you can deliver a more personalized experience.

Video communication can create a level of mutual trust and confidence that you can’t always get with verbal or written communication channels.  It can help you create a friendly first impression, and a supportive, lasting professional one.  That, we believe, is worth more than a thousand words.

Look for this hat at APSCU booth #921

The 2013 APSCU Annual Convention is right around the corner – the premier industry event for us to meet with private sector colleges and universities, network with our partners, and present to an eager crowd. We have two insightful sessions planned for this year, and are lucky enough to have a great line up of school and partner co-presenters.

In our first session, we are joining forces with Martin Lind, Director of the Education Vertical at Leads360, and Jeff Greenfield, COO and co-founder at C3 Metrics, to help schools improve marketing productivity with less money.  In fact, this is the second year we have presented with Martin. “New Technologies and Tips to Help Enrollment Marketers Be More Efficient with Less Money” will take place on Thursday, June 6^th at 3:45 p.m.

We are also equally excited to team up with Joeri Weyenberg, Vice President of Marketing and Student Acquisition at Kaplan University, for our second session, “What Motivates Prospective Students? Examining the Decision-to-Enroll Process.” Joining Joeri is our very own Joel Borgmeier, Vice President of Business Intelligence. The two will dive into the research we did with a panel of private sector school prospects, applicants and enrollees to better understand their thought processes, considerations and priorities when deciding to enroll.  This session will take place on Friday, June 7^th at 10:00 a.m.

And what would an impactful APSCU convention be without a dynamic booth presence?  Join us in booth #921 for some great conversations, networking, game changing ideas, and more!

Be sure to stop by booth #921. We look forward to seeing you in Orlando!

With challenges to increase enrollments, institutions continue to improve and streamline their admissions processes. In this guest blog post, I’ve asked Martin Lind at Leads360 to share the dynamics and differences he sees between traditional and private sector schools’ admissions departments.

Traditional schools and private sector schools: Two very different admissions processes

Understanding these differences is fundamental to having an effective and successful admissions process. Both types of schools need to be diligent in cultivating their prospective student populations and can benefit from a strategic enrollment planning process.  But the inquiry/applicant pools are typically very different. Traditional schools typically have large inquiry or applicant pools.

While students compete with each other to get into traditional schools, the opposite is true for private sector schools, which compete with each other for students. This necessitates two distinct selection processes and different outreach approaches.  Traditional schools tend to do what their peers do: send mail, email and use social media.  Proprietary schools use those channels as well, but they are more focused on rapid outreach. Because proprietary schools are competing with other proprietary schools to get the attention of the prospective student first, they are heavily focused on phone outreach.

Proprietary schools have acknowledged for years that an efficient, quick outreach program is essential.  To some, that process seems like “sales” and they turn their noses up at the concept.  Smart admissions department in every type of school, however, realize that their admissions and marketing teams are selling their school.  Yes, some are easier sales than others: the top 1% of schools don’t have to expend much effort to get America’s best and brightest to apply.  But 99% of schools are — by definition — not in the top 1% of schools.  Once you come to grips with the fact that you’re selling your school, you will be more open to technologies, processes and techniques that make you more competitive in admissions.

Adult and continuing education: Competition is high  

Non-traditional programs at traditional schools, in general, have a lot in common with proprietary schools programs.  Whether traditional schools like it or not, their non-traditional programs are competing with similar programs at the for-profits.  They can keep denying it and win on price for as long as they can, but they can’t fill all the spots and they won’t always be that price competitive.  Ultimately, I don’t think many people care if their C++ programming certificate comes from Big State University Extension School where adjuncts teach the classes or from the local IT-focused career school where adjuncts teach the class.  If the price is right, the classes are taught at convenient times and places, and the resulting education is similar, why wouldn’t someone go to a proprietary school?

Lessons learned: Traditional schools can learn a lot from proprietary schools

According to Inside Higher Ed, college enrollments declined by 1.8 percent in fall 2012, driven by larger drops for for-profit colleges (-7.2 percent) and community colleges (-3.1 percent). Enrollment fell by 0.6 percent at four-year public colleges and universities, and rose by half a percentage point at four-year private nonprofit colleges.

Shrinking enrollment means increased competition among schools – both proprietary and traditional -  to meet enrollment goals. In addition, more traditional schools are moving online and adding more adult/continuing education programs, putting them squarely in competition with the proprietary schools. At the same time, recent regulations and lawsuits have made proprietary schools act more like traditional schools.  This nexus will surely bring about more collisions where schools that didn’t used to compete find themselves going after the same pool of students.  While there are differentiators (e.g., job placement, cost), each type of school will have to learn from the other to succeed.

Here’s what it comes down to: knowing your competition makes it easier to understand how to effectively compete against them. Look for a related blog post on how understanding these different types of admissions processes is essential for knowing how to fill the funnel with the best-fit prospective students.  Just as admission processes necessarily differ, so will the marketing tactics to support enrollment objectives.

Learn more about admissions and enrollment marketing success in my Leads360 Q&A guest blog post, How Schools Can be Successful, Independent of Market Conditions.

About Martin: Martin Lind oversees the business development, product marketing and thought leadership for Leads360’s enrollment management solution. Martin holds a Masters of Public Administration from University of Southern California and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Yes, and understanding these differences is fundamental to having an effective and successful admissions process. Both types of schools need to be diligent in cultivating their prospective student populations and can benefit from a strategic enrollment planning process.  But the inquiry/applicant pools are typically very different. Traditional schools typically have large inquiry or applicant pools.

While students compete with each other to get into traditional schools, the opposite is true for private sector schools, which compete with each other for students. This necessitates two distinct selection processes and different outreach approaches.  Traditional schools tend to do what their peers do: send mail, email and use social media.  Proprietary schools use those channels as well, but they are more focused on rapid outreach. Because proprietary schools are competing with other proprietary schools to get the attention of the prospective student first, they are heavily focused on phone outreach.

Proprietary schools have acknowledged for years that an efficient, quick outreach program is essential.  To some, that process seems like “sales” and they turn their noses up at the concept.  Smart admissions department in every type of school, however, realize that their admissions and marketing teams are selling their school.  Yes, some are easier sales than others: the top 1% of schools don’t have to expend much effort to get America’s best and brightest to apply.  But 99% of schools are — by definition — not in the top 1% of schools.  Once you come to grips with the fact that you’re selling your school, you will be more open to technologies, processes and techniques that make you more competitive in admissions.

Where do adult and continuing education fall along this spectrum? Are their admissions just like their undergrad counterparts or do their non-traditional student bodies make them more like a private sector school?

Non-traditional programs at traditional schools, in general, have a lot in common with proprietary schools programs.  Whether traditional schools like it or not, their non-traditional programs are competing with similar programs at the for-profits.  They can keep denying it and win on price for as long as they can, but they can’t fill all the spots and they won’t always be that price competitive.  Ultimately, I don’t think many people care if their C++ programming certificate comes from Big State University Extension School where adjuncts teach the classes or from the local IT-focused career school where adjuncts teach the class.  If the price is right, the classes are taught at convenient times and places, and the resulting education is similar, why wouldn’t someone go to a proprietary school?

What can traditional schools admissions learn from proprietary schools?

According to Inside Higher Ed, college enrollments declined by 1.8 percent in fall 2012, driven by larger drops for for-profit colleges (-7.2 percent) and community colleges (-3.1 percent). Enrollment fell by 0.6 percent at four-year public colleges and universities, and rose by half a percentage point at four-year private nonprofit colleges.

Shrinking enrollment means increased competition among schools – both proprietary and traditional –  to meet enrollment goals. In addition, more traditional schools are moving online and adding more adult/continuing education programs, putting them squarely in competition with the proprietary schools. At the same time, recent regulations and lawsuits have made proprietary schools act more like traditional schools.  This nexus will surely bring about more collisions where schools that didn’t used to compete find themselves going after the same pool of students.  While there are differentiators (e.g., job placement, cost), each type of school will have to learn from the other to succeed.

Here’s what it comes down to: knowing your competition makes it easier to understand how to effectively compete against them. Look for a related blog post on how understanding these different types of admissions processes is essential for knowing how to fill the funnel with the best-fit prospective students.  Just as admission processes necessarily differ, so will the marketing tactics to support enrollment objectives.

• Through access to a library of objective research, lead metrics, statistics, market share findings, case studies, white papers and secret shopping studies, we’ll be able to help our customers better navigate lead gen challenges and opportunities
• We’ll have more opportunities to connect and network with other players and partners so we can collectively move the industry forward
• Our team will be able to participate in continuing education, making sure they are always in the know

For those of you who don’t know about LeadsCouncil, it is a fully-independent alliance of lead generation experts founded by those who do not run any lead generation offers of their own. The goal of the organization is to promote best practices and foster trust in lead generation.

As a LeadsCouncil member, we have a responsibility to contribute to the group, as well as to the growth and improvement of the lead generation industry; uphold high ethical standards; and be in good standings with the industry.

We look at our membership as a win-win-win. LeadsCouncil members can apply our 25+ years of insight, our customer institutions can rely on industry best practices and recommendations, and we can leverage the lessons learned from our colleagues in a number of verticals. We are looking forward to a productive relationship with LeadsCouncil and its members.

Rick Bentz, SVP of Business Intelligence at Datamark

We are thrilled to be part of that line-up.  Our very own Rick Bentz, Senior Vice President of Business Intelligence, is teaming up with Greg Schibler, Vice President of Analytics at Neustar, to present Marketing with Reach: Increase Engagement Both Online and Offline with Segmentation,” which will take place on Tuesday, April 30^th at 2:00 p.m.

Our session will empower education marketers to put data to work.  By understanding student trends, demographics, behaviors, and more, they can better manage inquiries, determine whether or not students are a good fit with their school and vice-versa, and identify the best channels and messages to engage them. Audience members will learn how they can transform data into actionable content so they can segment audiences, market more effectively, and measure the results.

According to Neustar, who is hosting this can’t miss event, you can look forward to:

1. An intimate, executive-level audience allowing unique topics and candid conversation
2. Actionable content that solves the problems of today’s marketer
3. Impressive networking events with ample time for mingling
4. No distracting tradeshow floor frenzy
5. Authentic New Orleans venues, cuisine and events in the heart of the French Quarter

We hope to see you in New Orleans!

The Print Store is our answer to the question, “How do schools develop and deliver small run print materials that reflect their brand and standards at a fraction of the price of big runs?”

The Print Store allows schools to print the exact number of pieces they need on-demand – there is no minimum quantity, the pricing is cost-effective, and the quality is representative of Datamark’s 25+ years in the industry.

Here is how it works…

The Print Store is fast, customizable and easy-to-use.  We assist you in the process of uploading your creative templates, you can customize each template as needed, place orders 24x7x365, and have them shipped anywhere in a matter of days.  We also provide in-depth creative review and recommendations on your templates.

Here is what else is new…

The best part is that we aren’t done evolving The Print Store – feedback has been great since our initial launch in January, and we’ve recently added new printing services.  Schools can now order tri-fold and bi-fold brochures, postcards, self-mailers, flyers, letters, newsletters, greeting cards, invitations, and posters.

Thanks to UB for the write-up!

“When Inquiries Go Cold” outlines how the most successful post-inquiry nurturing programs:

1. Start the moment an inquiry is submitted with continued outreach for an agreed upon amount of time, typically two years and up to as many as five years, depending upon the program type.
2. Ensure the information provided is and remains accurate and contactable
3. Are simple but customizable
4. Are consistent and methodical
5. Are automatic and don’t require admissions staff to remember who should be contacted

Inquiry nurturing programs are all about consistency – knowing when and how frequently to leverage the right tools, channels and messaging can make or break your campaign.  The key is to manage it well and stick with it.

When inquiry nurturing programs are done right, the results are impressive.  We saw one school achieve a cost per lead (CPL) under $100, a start rate over 6%, and a $1,500 cost per start (CPS) when it added inquiry remarketing direct mail to its channel mix.  We saw another school achieve a 25% enrollment rate and a 400% ROI gain when it reached out to its uncontacted inquiries.

While it is true that inquiry nurturing programs take time and dedication, the relationship you build with prospective students throughout the process, not to mention the money you save, makes that commitment worthwhile.

Want more information?  Download our joint, in-depth white paper, “Inclined But Inactive: Strategies to Win Over Past Prospects.”

Media Trend #1: The Age of Attribution

The education industry could borrow a few tips from the Brand Marketer’s Guide to Successful Campaigns in taking under consideration the value of the entire media channel mix —- education marketers continue to give ALL credit to the media channel that drove the “last click”.

There are many benefits to implementing an attribution strategy:

• Online education continues to be a highly considered purchase that may take a consumer months of research and discovery.   Each element of the media mix can impact our target audiences differently — some channels demand immediate attention and a strong call to action, while others lend credibility and build awareness to make your brand stand out.  It is important to know the role each of your marketing channels play in impacting the final decision of your leads.
• In this prolonged evaluation process there will be numerous communication touch points that impact the outcome of the consumer decision.   There is brand and awareness value in having your logo and other brand assets repeatedly served up across many channels, including education portals, even though they may not be selected, and attribution tracking technology will help education marketers measure this value
• Display advertising is often overlooked because click-through rates are often less than 1% of impressions delivered. However, display advertising might make a significant contribution to the school’s website traffic and lead volume growth over the next year.   Without attribution tracking software it is hard to measure the true impact of display, thus it is overlooked as a very powerful support medium.

Media Trend #2: Gain Insight into your Leads with LeadiD

Adoption of LeadiD in the education community is gaining momentum.    We observe many positive opportunities and improvements in education marketing as a result of LeadiD implementation:

• Reduced Risk: Provides a way to collectively and quickly detect and filter out fraudulent leads.
• Holistic Understanding: Gives lead purchasers a better understanding and overall picture of leads, and the ability to adjust buying strategies based upon increased visibility
• Improved Optimization: Determine conversion trends and scrub leads that don’t meet rule parameters to develop more effective CPL campaigns

Learn more about LeadiD and Datamark’s Lead Audit solution. Check back tomorrow for #1 in our countdown of the Top 10 Emerging Media Trends.