IN THIS ISSUE

• Stamats Integrated Marketing Conference – WOW!
• Another Fantastic SIM Tech!
• Farewell 2009
• Developing an Effective Transfer Student Recruiting Strategy: Part II, Article by Bob Sevier

Stamats Integrated Marketing Conference – WOW!
By Brenda Harms, Principal Consultant

What a week! Graduate school professionals from across the country gathered last week in Boston to join Stamats and other higher education experts for a great conference. I feel fortunate to have participated in a great couple of days of conversation. While we were all impressed with some excellent presentations, great data, and goals to aspire to, the best part of the conference for me was the extraordinarily impressive audience of people who attended the conference and engaged in discussions. They truly brought terrific depth to our time together.

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Another Fantastic SIM Tech!
By Fritz McDonald, Vice President, Creative Strategy

Has it already been a week since the Stamats SIM Tech conference in Boston? It feels like it just ended. Although we’ve had several good conferences in past years, this year was truly amazing. First, I believe we had a tremendous audience—an interesting, articulate, and smart group of people from colleges and universities across the country. They listened well, and more importantly, they actively participated in the sessions, challenging us at times—and we always need to be challenged—and contributing substantive insights and knowledge. Everyone who participated on the Stamats end learned a great deal about how all things interactive are actually happening on college campuses.

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In the main, 2009 is behind. As we look to 2010, I wanted to offer three observations/predictions related to student recruiting.

First, I agree wholeheartedly with my friends at Scannell & Kurz when they say that one of the primary recruiting messages must be affordability. As you think about affordability, don’t overlook two key issues that will help make the case for affordability: time to a degree and outcomes. If your school graduates students in four years, make sure your prospects and parents know this.  And if your students get the jobs and get into the grad schools they desire, then you have demonstrated affordability.

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In the last issue of QuickTakes we addressed some strategic issues that must be considered before you launch your strategy.

In this article we will look at some more tactical aspects of recruiting this important student cohort.

• Identify best practices at other institutions. One of the greatest qualities of colleges and universities is their willingness to share. There is seldom the need to invent (though there may be the need to customize). Read, attend conferences, browse the Web, participate in listserves and blogs, and learn what is already working. Prioritize these practices based on ROI and difficulty in implementation.

• Identify feeder schools. Identify the top-10 feeder schools from which your transfer students come. Make sure you have articulation agreements in place with these school and then work to build brand awareness at those institutions. Next, identify 10 schools from which you would like to receive more transfers. Build relationships with them as well.

• Front-load critical information. Many transfer students are reluctant to apply until they are sure. However, some of the information they need most (financial aid, for instance), is only available after the application step.

Colleges that successfully recruit transfer students, however, front-load their communication flow. They give as much specific information as early as possible in the flow. In addition, they quickly respond to the specific information needs of prospective transfer students.

• Allocate aid, especially non-loan. Surprisingly, many schools do not reserve financial aid dollars for transfer students. Even worse, the few dollars they do reserve are often loan-based. It is important to remember that many transfers have proven academic abilities. Your commitment to transfers must include legitimate financial aid.

• Map your transfer communication flow. One of the routine recommendations we make for all of our clients is to map their communication flow. When you map your flow, you get a much better picture of how information and channels dovetail, where there are gaps, and when duplicate information is presented. You also get a much better sense of the timing of your information. A communication map is particularly important if you are trying to improve how your print (postal mail, publications) electronic (e-mail, Web, social media) and brand-building (advertising, special events) strategies shake hands.

• Social media strategy. As part of your larger communication flow, I suggest the creation of a social media strategy for transfer students who have made a significant overture of interest to your institution. Creating opportunities for these students to participate in a community of other prospective transfer students, currently enrolled transfer students, faculty, alumni, and others will pay vast dividends.  

• Develop a formal written transfer recruiting plan. One of the most important of all transfer recruiting tools is a simple written plan that coordinates, and perhaps prioritizes, all your activities. This plan should include:

• Transfer recruiting goals
• Clear detail on who is responsible for what aspects of transfer recruiting
• Profile of persisting transfer students
• Articulation strategy for feeder and prospective feeder schools
• Brand-building strategy for feeder schools
• Transfer application process, including timetable for transcript review, scheduling classes, and applying for financial aid
• Ongoing training
• Transfer communication flow map
• Transfer financial aid plan
• Comprehensive calendar
• Budget  

• Show success stories. Gather and aggressively disseminate information on how transfer students of all backgrounds have been successful at your school and after graduation.

As you have seen, the recruiting of transfer students─like the recruiting of first-time students─is a fairly straightforward process. The key is to commit the necessary staff and resources so that your efforts will be successful.