My grandma always used to say to me: "You never want to upset the applecart." As an eight year old this never made sense to me but as I have gotten older, I have come to understand what she meant. For many online marketers, rather than placing each "apple" on the cart as it becomes possible to do so without disrupting the other "apples," many marketers throw five and six apples on at a time, not noticing the apples falling off the other side. You might be wondering, what on earth is he talking about - come along a little further and I think you will see how I go about putting this strange metaphor into action.
Taylor has a strong tradition and a conservative heritage and it is vital that the web site be a reflection of this delicate balance. If the site looks too modern, you have lost the heartbeat of the University, but if you can implement the right building blocks with the correct design and feel, you can create a beautiful marriage and strategically move the site to the next level.
For example, in my current role, we have continuously added new pieces to the site, while other pieces of the site continued to function. For effective web design to work, you can't take pieces out and replace them with another, this simply dilute the user interface. With a focused dedication to creating the best Christian University site period, you can add apples, without upsetting the whole order of the web site. By building behind the scenes and improving on the fly, the site will become more dynamic and offer a more meaningful experience. In other words, your idea of what Taylor is should be effectively communicated on the web, in print pieces, and with an in-person experience. Attract, engage, target and convert should be the game plan and if its not, I would seek to change this in my first 90 days.
God commands us to put forth the truth plainly, and for this position at Taylor we should put our best foot forward and offer students a meaningful web experience that seeks to improve their life in even a small way.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
What do we know about teens anyway?
God's amazing understanding of us
Philippians 4:4-7 says: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
God understands us more deeply than we can possibly imagine. Have you ever truly thought about how much Christ loves us? I don't think our human brains can even come close to understanding the true awesomeness of Jesus Christ. He gets us, knows our hearts and knows how to reach us on a meaningful level. So how does this relate to the way we should approach our much maligned and often misunderstood audience - teens?
Tuning in
Attracting students to Taylor via online communications requires a focus on the needs of the audience and a deep understanding of their needs. Let's face it, most of us don't truly understand the exact best route to reach out to teens. We need to tune into their needs, understand them, and try to anticipate their needs. There is some compelling research out there that gives us a close idea of where teens prefer to get their information and how they perceive to receive it.
Recently, I was involved in a white paper study performed by Ball State University on this specific topic. The study discussed where are teens getting their information and how can we best reach them?
The key findings about teens
1. Teens are into all things digital: despite the waning popularity of email for personal communication, the vast majority of Teens do use email.
2. Their use of IM, text messaging, and participation in social networking is significantly more than any other group.
3. The research shows that 77% use IM (64% more than other groups), 76% participate in social networking sites (more than twice the average), and 70% text message (67% higher than average).
4. 42% of Teens prefer text messaging for personal communication, 27% still prefer email for personal communication, 16% prefer IM, and 8% communicate through social networking sites.
5. A small pilot study of teen media exposure by the Center for Media Design suggested some of these preferences are gender-based, with female teens spending more time on email and males spending more time with IM.
6. Teens are also the only group where personal blogs are commonly used as a preferred mode of personal communication. Preferences for text messaging and social networking are more common among females, while preferences for email and IM are more common among males.
Marketing Preferences from the study
1. Teens are 25% less likely than other groups to have made a purchase online (which makes sense since they are less likely to have disposable income).
2. Today, we often hear that Teens are less likely to be influenced by email to make a purchase and more likely to be influenced by text messaging.
What Taylor should do with this information
First things first, this does not mean Taylor should launch a campaign over IM and every social network to get teens to interact, rather all of this needs to be placed into proper perspective.
6 thoughts to consider:
1. Taylor should have social sharing easily seen on the site.
2. Instant messaging live chat should be a part of the Taylor perspective student experience.
3. The blogs should be clearly visible and be conversational in nature.
4. The site should be "i-pod" friendly - usability and ease of use is huge with this audience and single-click interaction is a required philosophy.
5. Offer multiple channels of communication for perspective students.
6. Email is still a very strong strategy - these other strategies should not replace this fact, rather offer additional avenues of communication and interaction.
Philippians 4:4-7 says: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
God understands us more deeply than we can possibly imagine. Have you ever truly thought about how much Christ loves us? I don't think our human brains can even come close to understanding the true awesomeness of Jesus Christ. He gets us, knows our hearts and knows how to reach us on a meaningful level. So how does this relate to the way we should approach our much maligned and often misunderstood audience - teens?
Tuning in
Attracting students to Taylor via online communications requires a focus on the needs of the audience and a deep understanding of their needs. Let's face it, most of us don't truly understand the exact best route to reach out to teens. We need to tune into their needs, understand them, and try to anticipate their needs. There is some compelling research out there that gives us a close idea of where teens prefer to get their information and how they perceive to receive it.
Recently, I was involved in a white paper study performed by Ball State University on this specific topic. The study discussed where are teens getting their information and how can we best reach them?
The key findings about teens
1. Teens are into all things digital: despite the waning popularity of email for personal communication, the vast majority of Teens do use email.
2. Their use of IM, text messaging, and participation in social networking is significantly more than any other group.
3. The research shows that 77% use IM (64% more than other groups), 76% participate in social networking sites (more than twice the average), and 70% text message (67% higher than average).
4. 42% of Teens prefer text messaging for personal communication, 27% still prefer email for personal communication, 16% prefer IM, and 8% communicate through social networking sites.
5. A small pilot study of teen media exposure by the Center for Media Design suggested some of these preferences are gender-based, with female teens spending more time on email and males spending more time with IM.
6. Teens are also the only group where personal blogs are commonly used as a preferred mode of personal communication. Preferences for text messaging and social networking are more common among females, while preferences for email and IM are more common among males.
Marketing Preferences from the study
1. Teens are 25% less likely than other groups to have made a purchase online (which makes sense since they are less likely to have disposable income).
2. Today, we often hear that Teens are less likely to be influenced by email to make a purchase and more likely to be influenced by text messaging.
What Taylor should do with this information
First things first, this does not mean Taylor should launch a campaign over IM and every social network to get teens to interact, rather all of this needs to be placed into proper perspective.
6 thoughts to consider:
1. Taylor should have social sharing easily seen on the site.
2. Instant messaging live chat should be a part of the Taylor perspective student experience.
3. The blogs should be clearly visible and be conversational in nature.
4. The site should be "i-pod" friendly - usability and ease of use is huge with this audience and single-click interaction is a required philosophy.
5. Offer multiple channels of communication for perspective students.
6. Email is still a very strong strategy - these other strategies should not replace this fact, rather offer additional avenues of communication and interaction.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Plan your work, work your plan
Project management and setting policies is often times the most feared piece of online communications but this is one of those things that if not done effectively, you will end up spinning your wheels with little results. What's interesting is that project management is actually biblical in nature. It requires patience, diligence and a directed mind towards an end goal. Proverbs 16:3 tell us to commit to the Lord in whatever we do and our plans will succeed.
Keeping in mind that they are God's plans and not my own, as Director of Online Communications I would seek to develop a project planning system based on delivering results in a timely, and relevant fashion. Here is the way I would deliver projects and the way I would implement policies:
1. Roll with it: A deliverable schedule, followed by a rolling comprehensive plan will allow the team to stay flexible, while meeting specific goals. The online communications plan must be able to adapt to the changing paces of social networks, high school schedules and other considerations such as usability trends.
2. SMART: This cute acronym is actually a very good way to set goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. I would drive these into the deliverable process to develop a keen sense of meeting deadlines and expectations.
3. Consistent, over-communication: Team meetings followed by a comprehensive traffic and deliverable schedule will develop the purpose for the online strategy. Updates will be sent via email to convey progress on reaching the specific goals.
4. Policies, not rules: I would seek to set specific online communication policies as protecting the brand and protecting His kingdom come first. There should be checks in place to ensure the content on the site best reflects God's plan for Taylor University. Content management, posting requirements, and standards will be put in place to help cultivate the most Godly site possible.
5. A/C priorities: I learned in the MBA program at Indiana Wesleyan that you only have two categories in terms of managing projects. A priorities- these are right now, must do's. And then you have C priorities - those that can wait or have to wait. BY placing the online communications strategy into one of these two buckets and not having any B priorities, we can maximize efficiency.
Keeping in mind that they are God's plans and not my own, as Director of Online Communications I would seek to develop a project planning system based on delivering results in a timely, and relevant fashion. Here is the way I would deliver projects and the way I would implement policies:
1. Roll with it: A deliverable schedule, followed by a rolling comprehensive plan will allow the team to stay flexible, while meeting specific goals. The online communications plan must be able to adapt to the changing paces of social networks, high school schedules and other considerations such as usability trends.
2. SMART: This cute acronym is actually a very good way to set goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. I would drive these into the deliverable process to develop a keen sense of meeting deadlines and expectations.
3. Consistent, over-communication: Team meetings followed by a comprehensive traffic and deliverable schedule will develop the purpose for the online strategy. Updates will be sent via email to convey progress on reaching the specific goals.
4. Policies, not rules: I would seek to set specific online communication policies as protecting the brand and protecting His kingdom come first. There should be checks in place to ensure the content on the site best reflects God's plan for Taylor University. Content management, posting requirements, and standards will be put in place to help cultivate the most Godly site possible.
5. A/C priorities: I learned in the MBA program at Indiana Wesleyan that you only have two categories in terms of managing projects. A priorities- these are right now, must do's. And then you have C priorities - those that can wait or have to wait. BY placing the online communications strategy into one of these two buckets and not having any B priorities, we can maximize efficiency.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Would the Apostle Paul have been on Facebook?
While my catchy headline may seem funny, I think it really is a legitimate question. I think the answer is yes, except of course it would be done in Paul fashion. Imagine with me for a second if Paul would have had a computer and wireless connection while in prison. What would his facebook look like? I am certain that he would have had the facebook of all facebooks to glorify Christ and to teach new churches how to be more Godly.
I listened to a recent Taylor Chapel sermon and it discussed how teens are simply on these sites and are on them a lot and we need to meet them there in a Christ-centered manner. Recently, this pastor was able to save a teen from committing suicide through IM’s and clues that led them to find him and keep him from harming himself. On a smaller level, facebook or other social media sites have been leveraged to promote Christian concerts, or say a Christmas concert put on by a local church.
Can God’s work be done on facebook? I think the answer is yes, but you must be careful not to invade the space.
In terms of Online Communication, Taylor should think about how to engage their prospective students in a hands-off, yet engaging way. The answer is to let them decide how and when. The social media space is being inundated with ads left and right. According to MediaPost, when Microsoft bought a small stake in facebook last year which valued the social network at $15 billion, all eyes immediately turned to advertisers, who are expected to populate social networks in droves with more ads. This is supposed to be a space where you can own what happens and it is clear that advertisers are all ready in the space in droves and in most cases in the wrong way. So if the answer isn’t ads on the social networks, what is?
The answer is actually pretty simple – start a conversation or allow them to start one.
Three conversation starters:
1. Share This: A simple tool like Share This! can prove to be one small thing that could be done today to increase engagement and conversation. Adding this social media sharing feature to most Taylor pages will help spread the word and allow the prospective students to engage the site the way they want to and they may know of a friend who might like what Taylor has to offer. This is almost a free solution, simply the time and energy to populate the site is all that is required.
2. Instant chat: Prospective students should have the option to instantly chat with a student on the site. This generation simply expects instant access. We could gather a group of students and train them on how to do this….perhaps even offering an incentive. Talisma is a good solution out there for this.
3. Blog: your online strategy and blogging strategy should be closely aligned. I would develop a blogging plan to drive key words and regular content to a defined blogging center. If possible, you blogs should also be comepended, which essentially means you get more key words driven per post. Compendium is a company which specializes in this. I would also work with the team to identify regular bloggers and develop a hard blogging calendar.
I listened to a recent Taylor Chapel sermon and it discussed how teens are simply on these sites and are on them a lot and we need to meet them there in a Christ-centered manner. Recently, this pastor was able to save a teen from committing suicide through IM’s and clues that led them to find him and keep him from harming himself. On a smaller level, facebook or other social media sites have been leveraged to promote Christian concerts, or say a Christmas concert put on by a local church.
Can God’s work be done on facebook? I think the answer is yes, but you must be careful not to invade the space.
In terms of Online Communication, Taylor should think about how to engage their prospective students in a hands-off, yet engaging way. The answer is to let them decide how and when. The social media space is being inundated with ads left and right. According to MediaPost, when Microsoft bought a small stake in facebook last year which valued the social network at $15 billion, all eyes immediately turned to advertisers, who are expected to populate social networks in droves with more ads. This is supposed to be a space where you can own what happens and it is clear that advertisers are all ready in the space in droves and in most cases in the wrong way. So if the answer isn’t ads on the social networks, what is?
The answer is actually pretty simple – start a conversation or allow them to start one.
Three conversation starters:
1. Share This: A simple tool like Share This! can prove to be one small thing that could be done today to increase engagement and conversation. Adding this social media sharing feature to most Taylor pages will help spread the word and allow the prospective students to engage the site the way they want to and they may know of a friend who might like what Taylor has to offer. This is almost a free solution, simply the time and energy to populate the site is all that is required.
2. Instant chat: Prospective students should have the option to instantly chat with a student on the site. This generation simply expects instant access. We could gather a group of students and train them on how to do this….perhaps even offering an incentive. Talisma is a good solution out there for this.
3. Blog: your online strategy and blogging strategy should be closely aligned. I would develop a blogging plan to drive key words and regular content to a defined blogging center. If possible, you blogs should also be comepended, which essentially means you get more key words driven per post. Compendium is a company which specializes in this. I would also work with the team to identify regular bloggers and develop a hard blogging calendar.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
John 1:1-3 Strategy
John 1: 1-3:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
When I hear this verse and think about applying it to both my walk and the way I approach business, it is clear that God had a plan. He is so amazing, that He has a plan that was set in motion from Day 1. Jesus was with Him and God knew we would send His son to free us from our sins.
Thinking about this from a business standpoint, the art of being able to look forward and plan projects around a larger strategy is very biblically based. God gives us many tools to help understand His plan and how we fit into His strategy.
1. The Bible
2. The Holy Spirit
3. Church
4. Other Godly people
5. Gift of a spouse
6. Gift of children
7. Gift of His armor – Ephesians 6
8. Gift of His love – mentioned over 600 times in the bible
The list could probably go on and on and on forever. When you apply this to higher education and Taylor University, your online strategy should wrap around the tools and the resources at our disposal. A good online strategy will speak directly to the staff’s skills and overall goals of the organization. If attracting the best class of students to Taylor University is the goal, then how can we leverage the student body to drive the online message? If becoming the best Christian University in the country is the goal, how can we leverage and promote this message in the best way possible on the web site? Or if the goal is to have the world’s best Christian University web site, how can this be accomplished in a way that glorifies Christ and promotes the University in a way that will speak directly to the student audience?
While it is hard to answer these questions without really immersing myself in the everyday workings of Taylor, I will say that the web site should be a direct reflection of the heart beat of your ministry. The strategy should be obvious to anyone who visits the web site. Students base a huge portion of their decision simply by googling ‘Christian Universities Indiana’ and seeing what pops up.
Your web site is now your first point of contact and by both maximizing and optimizing every single page and click, Taylor will be positioned to be the leader in the space.
Picture the web site as if you are sitting in a living room discussing the benefits of attending Taylor to a prospective student. How should this conversation go?
As Director of Online Communications, I would implement a formal rolling strategy that would change with the industry and also allow prospective students to leave the site and say, “Wow, that place looks like a place where I can develop under Christ and get an awesome education, a place where I can rise above with Christ.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
When I hear this verse and think about applying it to both my walk and the way I approach business, it is clear that God had a plan. He is so amazing, that He has a plan that was set in motion from Day 1. Jesus was with Him and God knew we would send His son to free us from our sins.
Thinking about this from a business standpoint, the art of being able to look forward and plan projects around a larger strategy is very biblically based. God gives us many tools to help understand His plan and how we fit into His strategy.
1. The Bible
2. The Holy Spirit
3. Church
4. Other Godly people
5. Gift of a spouse
6. Gift of children
7. Gift of His armor – Ephesians 6
8. Gift of His love – mentioned over 600 times in the bible
The list could probably go on and on and on forever. When you apply this to higher education and Taylor University, your online strategy should wrap around the tools and the resources at our disposal. A good online strategy will speak directly to the staff’s skills and overall goals of the organization. If attracting the best class of students to Taylor University is the goal, then how can we leverage the student body to drive the online message? If becoming the best Christian University in the country is the goal, how can we leverage and promote this message in the best way possible on the web site? Or if the goal is to have the world’s best Christian University web site, how can this be accomplished in a way that glorifies Christ and promotes the University in a way that will speak directly to the student audience?
While it is hard to answer these questions without really immersing myself in the everyday workings of Taylor, I will say that the web site should be a direct reflection of the heart beat of your ministry. The strategy should be obvious to anyone who visits the web site. Students base a huge portion of their decision simply by googling ‘Christian Universities Indiana’ and seeing what pops up.
Your web site is now your first point of contact and by both maximizing and optimizing every single page and click, Taylor will be positioned to be the leader in the space.
Picture the web site as if you are sitting in a living room discussing the benefits of attending Taylor to a prospective student. How should this conversation go?
As Director of Online Communications, I would implement a formal rolling strategy that would change with the industry and also allow prospective students to leave the site and say, “Wow, that place looks like a place where I can develop under Christ and get an awesome education, a place where I can rise above with Christ.”
Monday, December 8, 2008
A defined message, a defined purpose
The ultimate messenger is God and the book He breathes into can also serve as a guide for branding. His book is clear, it has no contradictions, represents truth, provides a blueprint, and has zero flaws. And while Taylor can never reach a flawless strategy it can apply these principles to its own strategy. Taylor can give students a clear idea of who they are and what they stand for by providing prospective students with a view into the heartbeat of Taylor University. What does Taylor know to be true and what do they stand for? So how can Taylor deliver this idea in a simple phrase or way of thinking?
Most digital marketers synch up with the marcom team and ask them what the message is, but online and marcom should work hand-in-hand defining the message on an on-going basis. Your messaging strategy should speak to the heartbeat of the brand and determine the course of action for all marketing materials.
In the online space, utilizing a consistent messaging strategy is vital not only from an awareness standpoint but also from an organic and targeted keyword search perspective.
Five steps for improving the messaging strategy:
1. Ask lots of questions: Messaging requires primary and secondary research to determine what the top pain point is for perspective students. In working across multiple departments, you can get a feel for where everyone wants to take the brand, but most can't agree on one message. I also would suggest using a messaging questionnaire I use at this stage to focus the thoughts.
2. Listen and organize: Once you have collected a large body of thoughts, it is important to sift through them and pull out the key words needed for the message.
3. Don't over-complicate it: This could be the most important step of all and many online marketers miss the boat here.
4. Stick with it: There is no turning back once you have developed your message. The market cannot handle changes because it immediately alters their course of thinking. For example, if the tag line and message is: Taylor University - Rise Above," and then six months later it is, Taylor University - Oneness with Christ....it simply waters down the message. Sticking with it is as important as the idea itself.
5. Blog about it: Search engines love blogs plain and simple. Understanding what your keywords are and how best to leverage those is vital to message development and success. Your blogs should be organized, conversational, and there should be many contributors. The more key words used in the blogs, the better results in the organic search. I would work closely with the entire department to ensure we have the right key words identified.
Most digital marketers synch up with the marcom team and ask them what the message is, but online and marcom should work hand-in-hand defining the message on an on-going basis. Your messaging strategy should speak to the heartbeat of the brand and determine the course of action for all marketing materials.
In the online space, utilizing a consistent messaging strategy is vital not only from an awareness standpoint but also from an organic and targeted keyword search perspective.
Five steps for improving the messaging strategy:
1. Ask lots of questions: Messaging requires primary and secondary research to determine what the top pain point is for perspective students. In working across multiple departments, you can get a feel for where everyone wants to take the brand, but most can't agree on one message. I also would suggest using a messaging questionnaire I use at this stage to focus the thoughts.
2. Listen and organize: Once you have collected a large body of thoughts, it is important to sift through them and pull out the key words needed for the message.
3. Don't over-complicate it: This could be the most important step of all and many online marketers miss the boat here.
4. Stick with it: There is no turning back once you have developed your message. The market cannot handle changes because it immediately alters their course of thinking. For example, if the tag line and message is: Taylor University - Rise Above," and then six months later it is, Taylor University - Oneness with Christ....it simply waters down the message. Sticking with it is as important as the idea itself.
5. Blog about it: Search engines love blogs plain and simple. Understanding what your keywords are and how best to leverage those is vital to message development and success. Your blogs should be organized, conversational, and there should be many contributors. The more key words used in the blogs, the better results in the organic search. I would work closely with the entire department to ensure we have the right key words identified.
Content for Our King
Content is one of the most misunderstood communications concepts out there. Do I mean newsletters? Do I mean blogs? Do I mean video blogs? Actually, you might be surprised to learn that content is all about lead generation. For Taylor University to continue to position themselves as a leader in a Christ-centered college experience, the content must match the needs of the prospective students and fit neatly into the lead process.
Your lead generation process and online communications program should be designed to specifically engage, attract, and convert prospective students from shopper to student.
Six steps to help with the conversion of prospective students:
1. Prayer: Too often we forget to pray about business related situations. Before establishing a formal content and engagement strategy, we should ask God for His direction and that the Holy Spirit would guide the decisions made for His kingdom. After all, the University exists for His Glory.
2. Give them a reason to stay on the site beyond a digital brochure: The web site should have a prominent and lasting call to action that gives them a reason to stay on the site and opt-in to receive on-going information. For example, many organizations have found success by publishing a white paper or resource guide. Taylor may want to consider putting together a digital Christian college resource guide offering students tools and resources to help in their decision. For example an engaging banner that says: "Choosing the right college isn't easy - download this free resource guide to choose the right path for your future with Christ."
Who does this well? Familylife.com: http://www.familylife.com/
3. Stay in touch the way they want to be communicated with: After you have your call to action nailed down and in action, you will also want to think through the whole lead process. They have filled out their information and we know that they are interested but now what? How do we continue to stay in touch? One approach is to offer alerts anytime new information is available related to the preferences they specified in the opt-in form (here is what a really good one looks like). Another option might be to offer an instant chat option where a prospective student can ask their questions on the fly to real students who are living and studying there each day.
Who does this well? Worldvision.org: http://www.worldvision.org/
4. Nurture them throughout the decision-making process: High School students are inundated with mail from colleges usually beginning junior year. Taylor University should have a defined lead nurturing program. These are students who are interested but are on the fence. Obviously, not all students will choose Taylor and attracting the right kind of student is very important. Nurture this relationship with a follow-up communication addressing their specific needs and determining what else they might need to help in their decision. Some colleges are beginning to use a landing pages solution to personalize the experience which is a solid outreach option for this stage.
Who does this well? Christianity Today: http://www.christianitytoday.com/free/features/newsletters.html
5. Ensure timely and relevant communication: When we get email or a communication that is at the wrong time and about the wrong topic, we delete it - plain and simple. Our inbox is a personal space and so is the inbox of prospective students. It is vital to respect their preferences and listen to what their needs are in regard to when they want to hear from Taylor and what they want to hear about.
Who does this well? Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: https://www.billygraham.org/default.asp
6. Close the loop: Once a student has made a decision to enter Taylor University, ensure that the back-end experience aligns with the front-end. Once that is secured, the online content should still be driven based on their preferences that they set-forth at the beginning of the relationship. Following up with a survey on their experience and determining how we could have better helped them reach a decision is vital to understanding the needs of prospective students.
Who does this well? Pepperdine University: http://www.pepperdine.edu/
These tips sound great but implementing them around a larger strategy must become the next step. Deploying this lead generation process requires a full "think-through" so that any holes in the process can be identified and other departments can be pulled into the loop.
In Christ,
Todd
Your lead generation process and online communications program should be designed to specifically engage, attract, and convert prospective students from shopper to student.
Six steps to help with the conversion of prospective students:
1. Prayer: Too often we forget to pray about business related situations. Before establishing a formal content and engagement strategy, we should ask God for His direction and that the Holy Spirit would guide the decisions made for His kingdom. After all, the University exists for His Glory.
2. Give them a reason to stay on the site beyond a digital brochure: The web site should have a prominent and lasting call to action that gives them a reason to stay on the site and opt-in to receive on-going information. For example, many organizations have found success by publishing a white paper or resource guide. Taylor may want to consider putting together a digital Christian college resource guide offering students tools and resources to help in their decision. For example an engaging banner that says: "Choosing the right college isn't easy - download this free resource guide to choose the right path for your future with Christ."
Who does this well? Familylife.com: http://www.familylife.com/
3. Stay in touch the way they want to be communicated with: After you have your call to action nailed down and in action, you will also want to think through the whole lead process. They have filled out their information and we know that they are interested but now what? How do we continue to stay in touch? One approach is to offer alerts anytime new information is available related to the preferences they specified in the opt-in form (here is what a really good one looks like). Another option might be to offer an instant chat option where a prospective student can ask their questions on the fly to real students who are living and studying there each day.
Who does this well? Worldvision.org: http://www.worldvision.org/
4. Nurture them throughout the decision-making process: High School students are inundated with mail from colleges usually beginning junior year. Taylor University should have a defined lead nurturing program. These are students who are interested but are on the fence. Obviously, not all students will choose Taylor and attracting the right kind of student is very important. Nurture this relationship with a follow-up communication addressing their specific needs and determining what else they might need to help in their decision. Some colleges are beginning to use a landing pages solution to personalize the experience which is a solid outreach option for this stage.
Who does this well? Christianity Today: http://www.christianitytoday.com/free/features/newsletters.html
5. Ensure timely and relevant communication: When we get email or a communication that is at the wrong time and about the wrong topic, we delete it - plain and simple. Our inbox is a personal space and so is the inbox of prospective students. It is vital to respect their preferences and listen to what their needs are in regard to when they want to hear from Taylor and what they want to hear about.
Who does this well? Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: https://www.billygraham.org/default.asp
6. Close the loop: Once a student has made a decision to enter Taylor University, ensure that the back-end experience aligns with the front-end. Once that is secured, the online content should still be driven based on their preferences that they set-forth at the beginning of the relationship. Following up with a survey on their experience and determining how we could have better helped them reach a decision is vital to understanding the needs of prospective students.
Who does this well? Pepperdine University: http://www.pepperdine.edu/
These tips sound great but implementing them around a larger strategy must become the next step. Deploying this lead generation process requires a full "think-through" so that any holes in the process can be identified and other departments can be pulled into the loop.
In Christ,
Todd
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
