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Key Metrics for Improving Your Targeted Marketing Strategy
The document outlines key metrics for enhancing a targeted marketing strategy in higher education, highlighting the importance of recruitment, planning, evaluation, and success tips. It discusses the need for specialized marketing plans for different student groups and emphasizes knowing the audience, particularly Generation Z. Additionally, it stresses the importance of collecting and analyzing data to continually improve communication and recruitment strategies.
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Key Metrics for Improving Your Targeted Marketing Strategy
- 2. Key Metrics forImproving Your Targeted Marketing Strategy July 29, 2015 Polly Sipper, Director of Communications Holly Trusiak, Communications Specialist Enrollment Services San Diego State University
- 3. Overview The Four Needs 1.The need to recruit and how that impacts strategy. 2. The need to plan and successfully put the plan in motion. 3. The need to evaluate regularly. 4. The need to provide you with tips for your success.
- 4. The need torecruit? But wait…
- 5. The need torecruit?
- 6. The need torecruit?
- 7. The need torecruit?
- 8. The need torecruit?
- 9. The need torecruit? 81,000
- 10. The need torecruit?
- 11. The need torecruit specialized groups
- 12. Our specialized groups •Out-of-state students • International students • Local high achieving students Each group requires a different marketing plan for specialized recruitment.
- 13. The need torecruit specialized groups
- 14. The communications plan Sohow did we go about creating a plan that will: • Meet their needs? • Meet our needs? • Make them feel special?
- 15. The need toplan
- 16.
- 17. How to buildthe plan (relationship) 1. Use the university dates and deadlines as the foundation. 2. Look for ways to enhance the plan and find a way to relate the content back to the student and your university (the relationship). • Holidays • Worldly Events (e.g. Olympics) • Athletic Events (e.g. Sweet 16) • Awards + Rankings
- 18. How to buildthe plan (relationship) – continued 3. Rather than focusing on quantity, focus on quality. Creative design with clever messaging pays off. Spam does not. 4. Know your audience.
- 19. How to buildthe plan (relationship) - continued Meet Generation Z • Post-Millennial Generation • Born between mid- to late 1990s to present
- 20. How to buildthe plan (relationship) - continued Meet Generation Z - continued • True digital natives • They have never known a world without the Internet, cell phones, or iPods. • Gen Z craves constant and immediate feedback • Globally conscious • Individualistic • Cautious • Seeking more stable and secure professions • More cautious with money than Millennials • Prefer Snapchat to Facebook and Instagram
- 21. How to buildthe plan (relationship) - continued 5. Every piece of communication should have a call to action. Otherwise, what’s the point? 6. Send date, time and frequency are very important (even with professional design).
- 22. How to buildthe plan (relationship) - continued How many times have you heard a friend ask or have you thought, “How can I unsubscribe to these emails? I’m so tired of hearing from this company.”
- 23. HTML Emails -Great design, but too often
- 24. HTML Emails -Great design, great timing
- 25. SDSU communication plans EachSDSU communication plan includes: • Email • Print • Web • Social Media • Telecenter
- 26. Takeaways 1. Know youraudience 2. Create your marketing communication plan foundation 3. Communicate creatively 4. Don’t overdo it
- 27. The need toevaluate – collecting and using data
- 28. Hobsons Email Metrics Availableright now in your CRM: • View rates • Interaction Rates • Click through rates • Email Link Statistics
- 29. Marketing Email: WhySDSU Campaign Goal: Encourage admitted students to submit their Intent to Enroll.
- 30. Why I ChoseSDSU
- 31.
- 32. Interaction and ClickThrough Rates
- 33.
- 34. Next Steps Email viewrate was superb! Unfortunately, the goal was not accomplished. Students did not click on the links to submit their Intent to Enroll or watch videos. Using this information, to improve we will: 1. Repurpose videos for use during events or online. 2. Reformat the graphic to emphasize the call to action differently. 3. Plan ahead! This email was a last-minute addition to the communication plan. We will evaluate when it was sent and consider if students were experiencing SDSU overload.
- 35. Effective Email Campaigns:Happy Holidays 43% view rate
- 36. Effective Email Campaigns:Why I Love SDSU! 39% view rate
- 37. Why I LoveSDSU
- 38. Effective Email Campaigns:Congratulations! 89% view rate
- 39. Takeaways 1. Track yourview and interaction rates. 2. Think critically – what story is the data telling you? 3. Don’t be afraid to admit failure – it is important to revise communication pieces if they don’t work.
- 40. The need toevaluate - augmenting with quantitative and qualitative data
- 41. Survey Research • Simpleplatforms for creating surveys: Hobsons, Survey Monkey, Wufoo.com. • Using surveys can take the guess work out of knowing how the audience feels about your university. • Measure the effectiveness of special events.
- 42. Survey research Feedback helpsimprove: • Communication • Marketing • Recruitment strategies • Events
- 43. SDSU Survey Research WhyNot SDSU? Survey • Administered yearly, it asks students who declined their offers of admission why did they choose not to attend. • We evaluate what we can do better for the next admission cycle to attract highly qualified students. • Helps track trends and students’ interests. Explore SDSU Survey • Administered yearly, it evaluates SDSU’s campus-wide open house. • We want to know what the guest experience was like and if it was a successful recruitment event. • Look for ways to improve the following year.
- 44. SDSU Survey Research SDSUViewbook Survey • Administered once, to evaluate what prospective students are looking for in SDSU’s print publication. • We wanted to know if students prefer a classic design or a more fun, less serious approach to learning about a university.
- 45. Analysis: What toLook For The data has been collected, now what do I do? • Did the survey receive at least a 10% response rate? • Demographics • Look for response trends • Compare responses with demographics • What do males prefer vs. females? • Preferences among different age groups?
- 46. Take Action! Why NotSDSU? Survey • Value is an issue for our students and their parents. • Next year: We must revise our communication and inform our audience how SDSU is a worthy investment. Explore SDSU Survey • Guests felt that the event started too early. • Next year: Consider starting the event one hour later. Getting the committee to agree on this may be difficult.
- 47. Take Action! Viewbook Survey •Students prefer action photos to posed portraits. • When updating viewbook: Use photos that show students and faculty in action, instead of posting for the camera.
- 48. Focus Groups • Focusgroups provide valuable qualitative data to support strategic communication efforts. • During a focus group in-depth answers and group dynamics can give insight into the thoughts and feelings of your audience.
- 49. SDSU Focus Groups LocalHigh Achieving Students • Sought to determine why high achieving students from high schools local to SDSU would choose to attend SDSU instead of other universities with more name recognition. Viewbook Focus Group • Accompanied the Viewbook survey. • Sought to determine prospective students’ thoughts and opinions about our print pieces, especially the viewbook.
- 50. Takeaways - SurveyResearch • Survey as frequently as possible – opinions and trends are constantly changing. • Think holistically – what story does the qualitative and quantitative data tell you? • Base your decisions on your findings – don’t guess or use your opinions.
- 51. Google Analytics • Makeinformed changes during website redesign. • By combining Google Analytics with feedback from admissions staff about the most FAQ, you can design the best user experience.
- 52.
- 53. Google Analytics summary– Sept - Nov
- 54. Google Analytics summary– Jan - Mar
- 55. Comparison of feedbackfrom GA + Staff
- 56. The redesigned Admissionshome page
- 57. Google Analytics –Another use for recruitment
- 58. Takeaways – GoogleAnalytics • Determine the best way to design navigation by looking at the most visited pages • Use different date ranges to determine if there is a variation in most visited pages depending on the admissions cycle • Get in touch with what the public is asking face- to-face by asking staff what are the most frequently asked questions • Look up the location of your visitors on your Admissions website and see how that could enhance your recruitment efforts
- 59. The need toprovide you with tips
- 60. The need toprovide you with tips Tips for Success • Plan and think ahead. • Use data to make informed decisions. • Track metrics as you release a campaign. • Evaluate during and after a campaign.
- 61.
- 62. Contact Us We’d loveto hear from you! Polly Sipper [email protected] Holly Trusiak [email protected]
Editor's Notes
- #6 You guys have palm trees… blue skies…
- #7 Beaches, the ocean…
- #8 You guys are in America’s Finest City!
- #9 And you have a beautiful campus… anyone want to guess how many applications we received fall 2015? We have a prize for the person who has the closest guess.
- #10 We received over 81,000 applications. So… why in the world do we need to recruit?
- #11 The notion of many are greater than one does not necessarily hold true for San Diego State.
- #13 So how does this effect our efforts?
- #14 Students want to feel unique and as though we are marketing our university directly to them, not just one of the 81,000 applicants that SDSU received for fall 2015.
- #15 So how does this effect our efforts?
- #17 Basically it boils down to creating a relationship between the student and your university. You want to establish a relationship, nurture it and let it continue to grow. We plant the seed by getting leads (either through campus tour reservations, college search websites, or mySDSU cards). Once the seed is planted (or the contact is now in our system), we nurture the seed (develop the relationship), by taking good care of it (sending the student communication). Like watering a plant, you don’t want to water it too much or too little. You want to give it just the right amount of attention and that will develop into a healthy relationship.
- #18 So how does this effect our efforts?
- #19 Creative communication pieces that are fun, informative, and engaging motivate students (and parents) to want to nurture the relationship/interact with the university.
- #24 I love Bath and Body Works. We have had a great relationship. But by the way they’ve been treating me (via email), I feel like breaking up. They are constantly contacting me. I don’t need to buy something from them everyday. And even though their emails look nice, I’m still ready to call it quits.
- #25 Southwest has it going on. Just the right frequency (about two weeks or one month apart) and clever. I always look forward to their emails around the holidays just to see what they come up with. Check out this example – notice that it was sent during the month of March when March Madness is going on. What normally happens during March Madness? We are filling out brackets. So what a clever idea to design an email around the concept of the March Madness bracket but tie in their content.
- #52 Since the admissions website, interest form, and VIP page add to your marketing, its important to evaluate these marketing tools as well. Use Google Analytics to access how your visitors are getting to your website and determine if they are able to get the information they need once they are there. If some of your most visited pages are two or three clicks in, consider redesigning the navigation so that visitors have an easier time getting to the information they need.
- #53 Since the admissions website, interest form, and VIP page add to your marketing, its important to evaluate these marketing tools as well. Use Google Analytics to access how your visitors are getting to your website and determine if they are able to get the information they need once they are there. If some of your most visited pages are two or three clicks in, consider redesigning the navigation so that visitors have an easier time getting to the information they need.
- #54 Since the admissions website, interest form, and VIP page add to your marketing, its important to evaluate these marketing tools as well. Use Google Analytics to access how your visitors are getting to your website and determine if they are able to get the information they need once they are there. If some of your most visited pages are two or three clicks in, consider redesigning the navigation so that visitors have an easier time getting to the information they need.
- #55 Since the admissions website, interest form, and VIP page add to your marketing, its important to evaluate these marketing tools as well. Use Google Analytics to access how your visitors are getting to your website and determine if they are able to get the information they need once they are there. If some of your most visited pages are two or three clicks in, consider redesigning the navigation so that visitors have an easier time getting to the information they need.
- #56 Since the admissions website, interest form, and VIP page add to your marketing, its important to evaluate these marketing tools as well. Use Google Analytics to access how your visitors are getting to your website and determine if they are able to get the information they need once they are there. If some of your most visited pages are two or three clicks in, consider redesigning the navigation so that visitors have an easier time getting to the information they need.
- #57 Since the admissions website, interest form, and VIP page add to your marketing, its important to evaluate these marketing tools as well. Use Google Analytics to access how your visitors are getting to your website and determine if they are able to get the information they need once they are there. If some of your most visited pages are two or three clicks in, consider redesigning the navigation so that visitors have an easier time getting to the information they need.
- #58 Another way to use Google Analytics is when you are trying to figure out where to recruit out-of-state, take a look at your analytics and determine where your visitors to your Admissions website are from.