Tag Archive: Communications Strategy

  1. The Power of Video Connection

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    NoahIQ

    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.

  2. What Do We Have to Look Forward to in 2013? Part I: Marketing and the Customer Experience

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    Now that the first month of the New Year is coming to an end, I thought it would be interesting to write a series of blogs that highlight some of the predictions being thrown around out there, and take a look at what those predictions mean for those in education segment. .

    Ovum recently published its 2013 Trends to Watch: Education Technology. One of the key highlights of the report focuses on the following:

    “The adoption of customer experience (CX) strategies will accelerate as institutions seek to differentiate themselves in the market through improved services and more substantive relationships with students across the entire life cycle.”

    So what does this mean for the education segment?

    A higher level of personalized service can and should begin with the first interaction in the student life cycle – in other words, that first marketing communication a prospective student encounters.  From day one, you are building a relationship with that prospective student – one that he or she will likely use to evaluate your school against competitors. Don’t wait until that student is halfway through the recruitment process to get to know them, customize your outreach and form a bond.

    At Datamark, we can help you do this earlier on in the process to positively impact the student experience now and throughout the education life cycle. Some ideas include:

    1. Direct Mail: direct mail is a great way to target the right prospective students with highly personalized messages from the get-go.  Modeling is done before the piece goes out the door so you know exactly who you are targeting and multivariate printing delivers customized images, text and calls to action.

    2. Print on Demand: being able to customize, yet minimize print runs allows you to get event-based or time sensitive pieces out the door quickly and into the hands of the students you want to target at that moment.

    3. Research: having deeper insight into your target market means you know who they are, how they are likely to act, and how to best meet their needs.  The more you know about your audience, the more likely you are to engage them and start building that relationship.

    Personalized messaging should start at the first marketing encounter and continue throughout the decision to enroll process. One of the most under-served CX strategies for schools is the marketing-based interaction that takes place after a person has expressed an interest in your school. There are many new and exciting technologies that make customized, on-demand dynamic messaging possible.

  3. Part Three of Three: Top Three Happenings from the World of CPL and Traditional Media that May Impact Your Business

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    In this final part of our three-part CPL and traditional media series, we outline the importance of video. Videos are coming on the scene and are being used extensively during the evaluation process.

    • Recent Google video usage studies suggest that there has been a significant uptick in use of higher education video assets on the web for active education seekers who are researching institutions.
      • You Tube:  62%
      • Higher education institutional websites:  57%
      • 28% watch education videos on college matching sites (EduPortals).
        • Source:  Compete:  U.S. Education Study Q4 2011

         

    • Video viewing offers varying benefits in their research sequence:
      • Understand specific features of a school:  72%
      • Learn about school’s culture and environment:  66%
      • Watch sample lectures:  52%
      • Learn about degree / program offering:  48%
      • Watch student testimonials:  44%

       

    • Video forms new opinions and perceptions of the institution:
      • “Consideration for,”  “Awareness of” and “Provides” a valuable degree all increased by at least 83% after viewing.
      • “Affinity” and “a school employers respect” and “has a respectable accreditation” all rose by at least 100% following review of video material.
        • Source:  Brand Perception in Higher Education Study – Released Q2 2012 by Google.

         

    • Relevant videos are a great way to improve organic rank listings as well.

    Let us help you evolve your media strategy to more effectively reach students in a manner in which they not only prefer, but also one that drives results. Contact Scott Jager for more information at scott.jager@datamark.com or 801-639-1657 to learn more about partnering with Datamark.

  4. Turn Uncontacted Leads into Inbound Calls

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    Let’s face it, cold calling is awkward.  Your enrollment team can be far more productive, not to mention happy, fielding interested, inbound inquiries.  So how do you drive more inbound calls in a cost-effective way?

    At Datamark, we’ve thought long and hard about this and we’ve come up with a solution that will help you save money, increase the efficiency of your enrollment team, and boost enrollments.  We call it Call Catalyst.

    Call Catalyst drives starts from leads that you have already paid for but not contacted, turning them into high-converting inbound calls.  Through art and science, our systematic communications combine email and direct mail marketing specifically designed to get students to inquire.  We’ve tested our approach in the field, and it works.

    Call Catalyst Benefits:

    • You don’t have to spend money buying new leads, but rather can maximize your marketing ROI with your existing lead base
    • Your enrollment team can focus on what it does best – guiding qualified students through the enrollment process
    • You can see upwards of a 20 to 25 percent contribution to student enrollment annually

    Your existing contact lists are valuable – as my colleague, Dave Mohr, put it, there is GOLD in the OLD.  Don’t discredit your current lists simply because students haven’t yet converted.

    At Datamark, we have a proven track record getting students to respond.  Let us help you turn your uncontacted leads into inbound calls.  To learn more, call Scott Jager at 801.598.5349 or email him at Scott.Jager@Datamark.com.

  5. Trusted Voices in a Changing Environment

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    The winds of change are sweeping through the environment for education marketing.

    Metric and database analytics have brought new levels of efficiency and sophistication to the practice. For–profit and not-for-profit universities now compete for the same students. And, with new communication channels available and an uncertain regulatory future looming on the horizon, we’re poised for even more change.

    We’re all going to have to adapt.

    At Datamark, however, we have a history of not just adapting to change, but in many cases, leading it.

    In this blog, we share our thoughts and insights about the future of enrollment marketing—trends we see emerging, challenges we see looming, opportunities we see surfacing—and what a reasoned response should be.

    Today more than ever, education marketers need a communication strategy that engages potential students across integrated platforms. In all phases of that effort, Datamark is your trusted advisor.

    We look forward to sharing our insights through this blog. And we welcome your thoughts through posts on this page.