Stamats' QuickTakes

Insights into Research, Strategic Planning, and Integrated Marketing for Colleges and Universities by Dr. Robert A. Sevier, Senior Vice President at Stamats (quicktakes@stamats.com)

Vol. 6, no. 3: Prioritize Your Campus Visit Programs

In this issue.

• ON STRATEGY: STAMATS IDEA EXCHANGES
• PRIORITIZE YOUR CAMPUS PROGRAMS
• STAMATS SEMINARS
• JOB OPENINGS

ON STRATEGY: STAMATS IDEA EXCHANGES

In mid-January, I had an opportunity to help host two Idea Exchanges at our new office in Cambridge, Massachusetts with Lorna Whalen, Principal Consultant, from Stamats (lorna.whalen@stamats.com) and John Watts, Client Executive, (john.watts@stamats.com) also from Stamats.

During the course of the two Idea Exchanges, we had in-depth conversations with nearly two dozen college and university presidents, deans, vice presidents, and other administrators on such issues as: marketing, student recruiting, and financial aid.

Based on notes taken by Lorna, John, and myself, here's some of what we heard:

• Application rates:
  • Way up on almost all campuses; some citing 15 to 20 percent increases in applications over last year
  • Three big reasons cited for the increase:
    • Students are shopping for financial aid
    • The Web has made it (too) easy to apply to college and the process is no longer rigorous enough to cull out the faint-hearted. Moreover, the Web can have a dulling—rather than differentiating—effect on the images of colleges and universities. As a result, students seem to congregate and remain in the enrollment funnel longer
    • Guidance counselors are less sure about how to position colleges in their minds as some institutions have moved up dramatically in rankings, changed their message, or simply became different institutions. As a result, counselors encourage students to apply to more institutions; often up to eight or 10. Coincidentally, campus visit rates are also up
• Brand marketing:
  • There is much interest, but still a great deal of confusion about brand marketing
  • Practitioners cited a range of responses from general campus reluctance to antipathy toward the idea of brand marketing. Most called brand marketing the current "M word"
  • Few on campuses understand the difference between brand marketing and direct marketing and faculty, in particular, do not see a link between a mission, vision, and an institution's brand
  • Almost all campus constituencies see strategies to raise visibility as important, but do not necessarily understand how this relates to brand marketing
  • More will need to be done to educate campuses on the importance of practicing both brand and direct marketing—and knowing the difference between the two. Until that occurs, the number of good ideas will far outweigh the number of results
• Retention:
  • Concern that while more students are enrolled in college than ever before, overall retention rates are dropping
  • Feeling that there is so much pressure to recruit that some students are increasingly ill-served. This seems especially true for colleges that place a greater emphasis on the size of the freshman class and are less concerned about freshman to sophomore retention rates
  • Of special interest is the packaging of aid, especially loans, and its impact on retention
  • A number of attendees believe that family contribution and the amount of loans are the best indicators about whether a student will persist
  • General feeling that if a college is spending a lot of institutional dollars on aid for sophomores and upper classmen, it is actually cheaper for the college to recruit new students than to retain current ones
  • This flies in the face of convention and popular wisdom that retaining a student is less expensive than recruiting one
  • While most campuses understand the importance of making good matches up front, it is virtually impossible to "turn away" overly needy students in this climate
  • Few institutions act on the long view of building the donor base at the gate
  • There is concern that costs will continue to rise while the ability to pay for college will erode
• Anxiety about the Web:
  • Almost everyone cited the power of the Web, especially as an "early funnel" filter used by students to select a college
  • Most noted, however, that students are still very interested in publications, especially smaller, more focused publications
  • At the same time, attendees noted a number of serious problems with the Web:
    • The cost of maintaining both Web and print-based message strategies
    • Difficulties integrating Web and print-based message strategies
    • The lack of timely, competent tech support § Issues about who "owns" the Web site
    • The tremendous cost of updating Web information
    • Inability to keep up with the "immediacy" of the Web
    • Inability to truly determine ROI on Web expenditures
• Calendar-based communication is a dinosaur:
  • Today's technology, especially the Web and e-mail, have totally disrupted the idea of a sequential funnel that stressed date-driven messages to prospective students (if it's June, it must be time for a viewbook)
  • Today's funnel must be both date- and response-driven. Some messages are driven by a calendar (announcement of an open house) and others are driven by response (would you send me a viewbook now?)
  • Full and seamless integration of these two types of messages, along with increasing customization, will become the expected standard
• Loss of the human factor:
  • With the advent of the Web, predictive modeling, and other tools, many recruiters seem to have lost touch with their prospective students and no longer see them as individuals
  • This is one reason why some first-year students seem to be over-burdened with loan-based aid because the focus is on their enrolling, not their financial well-being
  • The Web, in particular, is seen as both personal and impersonal as more and more responses become automated as colleges and universities try to keep up with the flow
  • Many are observing that the new enrollment marketing tools i.e., the Web, e-mail, new student information systems make it too easy for recruiters to actually distance themselves from prospective students while thinking they are "keeping in touch"
• Marketers are working blind:
  • Many colleges spend too little money on market research, yet seem willing to spend tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars on Web, publications, and ad campaigns that are based mainly on intuition
  • Most attendees cited this as a serious problem, but did not see it changing as budgets get even tighter
• International recruiting is facing a very uncertain future:
  • The recruiting of international students has been decimated by 9/11 and the federal government's response—especially the INS
  • Little is being done by institutions to counter the trend; no financial support to sustain or build up efforts
  • For international recruitment efforts, respondents recommend multiple world platforms rather than focus on singular sites and counselors to offset political impacts on recruitment investment; also recommend "piggy backing" on faculty efforts

PRIORITIZE YOUR CAMPUS VISIT PROGRAMS
By Anne Parmley, Senior Consultant

Recent Stamats research (TeensTALK Survey, 2002) on college-choice influencers again confirms that the campus visit is king. Surveyed students rate the campus visit as significantly more influential than academic major information, your Web site, and even personal contacts from your faculty and recruiters. Consequently, these are the guiding principles for effective recruitment operations in 2003:

• The single most important contact in the funnel is the campus visit
• It is the job of the recruiting office to get the students to visit
• It is the job of the campus to make sure the visit is a great one

Time and time again, I am struck by admission staff members' comments about their campus visit programs and prospective student visitors. Your visit program is in trouble when you hear staff say:

• "All these walk-in visitors interrupt my day. I can't get anything done."
• "Visiting students expect a campus tour. We don't always have guides in our office."
• "We schedule visitors on Tuesday through Thursday from 10 until 3."

Recognizing the pivotal role of a campus visit is key. Planning high school visits, reviewing applications, and participating on campus committees should be considered interruptions in your valuable time with prospects and their families. Hosting visiting prospective students and their families should be the top priority. Everyday.

In my work, I rent a lot of cars. Enterprise Car Rental provides an outstanding customer service experience. Enterprise's techniques can be applied directly to the campus visit experience.

• Greet visitors with a warm smile and make them feel as though they are your #1 priority
• Ask questions—find out what is important to your visitors
• Your visitors are in an unfamiliar place. So help them overcome their fears
• Spend focused time explaining the visit schedule, as well as the forms, processes, and deadlines they need to know about
• Follow up the visit with a personal contact to evaluate the experience

Finally, go the extra mile and convert campus visits from "interruption" status to your team's #1 priority:

• Make the visit a "unique experience" for every visitor
• Do something surprising that will become a fond memory for your visitors
• Build a visit experience that will address different needs and expectations of different audiences (students, parents, etc.)
• Record the other campuses your visitors plan to see
• Gather information on the visit programs at your top competitors

How do you prioritize the campus visit program on your campus? How do you get the campus community beyond the admission office involved? Send me your thoughts at anne.parmley@stamats.com.

And, if you are interested in receiving information about Stamats' Comprehensive Campus Visit Program Audit, I would be glad to send you one.

NEW CLIENTS

Stamats would like to welcome the following new clients:

• Arizona State University: Marketing Research
• New Jersey Institute of Technology: Integrated Package
• St. Leo University: Web
• Texas Wesleyan University: Marketing Research
• University of Massachusetts, Boston: Marketing Research
• University of Michigan, Flint: Marketing Research
• Whitman College: Marketing Research

STAMATS SEMINAR SCHEDULE FOR 2003

Our tentative 2003 seminar schedule is now available on our Web site. In 2003 we will be offering a mix of one-day seminars and two-day conferences on topics ranging from brand and integrated marketing to interactive media and direct marketing. In particular, you might want to mark the dates of these meetings on your calendar:

• Successful Interactive Media and Direct Marketing Integration to Make Your Job Easier
  April 28 - 30 in Atlanta
  April 2 - 4 in San Francisco

• Successful Recruiting and Marketing Strategies
  March 10 in Orlando
  March 14 in San Francisco
  March 19 in Chicago

Additional conference details can be found at www.stamats.com/seminars. Please check the Web site often for changes in times or locations.

JOB OPENINGS

Assistant Director of Admissions
Ave Maria College
Responsible for recruiting, interviewing, admitting, and enrolling exceptional students to our Michigan and Florida campuses. The successful candidate will embrace our mission and articulate the unique life of academics and faith offered by Ave Maria College. The candidate must be able to market the College to prospective students and to organize an effective admissions operation. Bachelor's degree required, (MA/MBA preferred), with previous experience in admissions, recruiting, or enrollment management preferred. Interested candidates should mail, fax, or e-mail a cover letter and resume to: Richard J. Dittus, Director of Admissions, Ave Maria College, 300 West Forest Avenue, Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197; or fax (734) 337-4140; or e-mail to RichardDittus@avemaria.edu.

Admissions Office Manager
Ave Maria College
Handles the inflow of data and maintains the admissions database by overseeing all data entry, admissions status reports, and mailing lists. Duties include initiating communication with applicants, appropriate follow-up, performing final application evaluations, work with traveling recruiters, coordinate with other departments. Position reports to Director or Assistant Director of Admissions. Bachelor's degree and competency with Microsoft Office applications and generic database functions required. Mail, fax, or e-mail cover letter and resume to: Richard Dittus, Director of Admissions, Ave Maria College, 300 West Forest Avenue, Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197; fax: (734) 337-4140; e-mail: RichardDittus@avemaria.edu.

Admissions Counselor
Ave Maria College
Involves marketing, recruiting, interviewing, admitting, and enrolling students for Ave Maria College's Michigan and Florida campuses; articulating institution's mission and values. Coordinates College's study abroad program. Requires high energy and willingness to travel frequently. Position reports to Director or Assistant Director of Admissions. Bachelor's degree and competency with Microsoft Office applications and generic database functions required; previous admissions experience preferred. Mail, fax, or e-mail cover letter and resume to: Richard J. Dittus, Director of Admissions, Ave Maria College, 300 West Forest Avenue, Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197; fax: (734) 337-4140; e-mail: RichardDittus@avemaria.edu.

Doctoral Teaching Assistants
The United States Sports Academy
The United States Sports Academy, "America's Graduate School of Sport", seeks applicants for doctoral teaching assistants beginning in Fall Semester 2003. Teaching assistants receive a $10,000 annual stipend, waiver of tuition, and work 20 hours per week. Prospective candidates should call Dr. Bill Johnson, (251) 626-3303 ext. 156 for details or e-mail your inquiries to bjohnson@ussa.edu. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2003. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. For more information on USSA, visit our Web site: www.ussa.edu.

If you have a short position description (100 words or less) you would like posted, please forward it on to brandy.huseman@stamats.com. There is no charge for this service. Job listings available online at Higher Educations Careers.

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Stamats QuickTakes is published by Stamats and is distributed to our clients and colleagues in higher education at no charge. Contents (c) 2003 by Stamats. Please feel free to forward copies of Stamats QuickTakes in its entirety to colleagues. Visit QuickTakes for past issues. To subscribe, reply to this e-mail, send your request to quicktakes@stamats.com, or visit QuickTakes.

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