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1 November 2006 Just back from presenting a website marketing communications review yesterday, where I was struck once again by how little people know about what’s out-of-date on their own website. I often recommend a rewrite of existing web content as the most important thing you can do to improve marketing impact. But maybe that’s the second thing. The first thing is to either update out of date content or get it off the site. Actually, no reason not to get started on rewrites and updates at the same time. Before that happens in earnest, more colleges will turn to “web content editors” or similar positions. For the current list of 27 schools that have already done that, visit the original August 8 posting on my blog at bobjohnsonconsulting.com/blog1/ that is updated as often as I learn of a new position to include. If you have a spot that’s like anything you see here, let me know and I’ll add it to the list. And of course, use the list to get leverage for change on your campus. On another note, I’m very pleased to be doing the keynote presentation at the 2007 eduWeb Conference next July. Visit eduwebconference.com to sign up for ongoing email notices as the program develops. I’ll be posting an initial listing of my other 2007 conference and workshop presentations in December. And now, here are October’s marketing news and notes. Tuition Pricing Report from College Board The 2006 report on “Trends in College Pricing” is just out from the College Board. Tuition discounting is alive and well, as the report notes average sticker price at private colleges is $22,218 for “tuition and fees” while the average net price paid was $13,200. Overall, tuition in the private sector is rising faster than tuition among publics, but both are rising faster than the normal inflation rate. Visit www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/150634.html for the press release and links to a 28-page PDF and 15.2 MB PowerPoint version. Unless you plan to print the PDF first, take the extra time for the PowerPoint to download and give your eyes a treat. Yahoo Launches New Web Ad Capabilities If you’re already advertising online or thinking about how you can do it in the future, then you want to read Mona Elesseily’s initial comments about the marketing enhancements in Yahoo’s new Panama system. A potential major benefit for colleges and universities with local marketing goals is improved geographic targeting. Now, you’re less likely to have to pay for exposure and clicks outside the specific areas where you want to recruit students. You can also split test ads before you launch a full campaign. If you’re the impatient type, Mona reports that ads are up and visible less than five minutes after you launch. Her report is at www.traffick.com/2006/10/yahoo-panama-is-finally-live.asp Vote for Marketing Excellence and Review Top Websites From now until November 8 you can visit www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3623677 to cast a vote for a large number of marketing-oriented websites nominated by online marketers for this contest. You’ll find two or three entries in each of 19 categories. If you want a convenient place to refresh yourself on what online marketing people see as best practice features, this is worth a visit. Email, blogs, web ads and more are included. New Admissions Message Board at Ohio University Do message boards seem like something out of the online past? They shouldn’t. In the few I’ve seen during various competitive web review projects, message boards have high participation. Don’t just pay attention to the number of questions asked, but pay even more attention to the number of people reading about various topics. That’s an inexpensive form of marketing research that can be used as a guide to developing future web content areas. Ohio University has just started a new message board for future students. Visit www.ohio.edu/admissions/messageboard.cfm and start tracking the interest in various topics as the recruitment cycle continues to unfold. Root Out Your “Gobbledygook” Words and Phrases That’s the important reminder coming from David Scott, based on an analysis of keywords most often used in press releases announcing new products. No, this isn’t an analysis that focuses specifically on higher education but after reading this you just might take out your proverbial pencil and eliminate “academic excellence” from anywhere in your website or print communications. The bottom line is simple and not new but always needs repeating: write based on knowledge of what your audience values and understands. And you’ll only know that by talking to the audience. Gear up for Gobbledygook Reduction at www.marketingprofs.com/6/scottDM3.asp Keep Pushing for Storytelling in Branding Efforts If you’re having trouble convincing people on your campus that “old style” content on your website (who we are, what we do, why we’re great, contact us) isn’t an effective marketing approach anymore, then Martin Lindstrom’s column on “Brand Marketer, Storyteller” may help you along. The key change that scares everyone is the increasing emphasis on new content. For Lindstrom, that means “Brands need fresh content, preferably daily” or people won’t pay attention to you. Read his rationale at www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3623749 How are you going to do that? If not by producing new videos every day, then you may really have to get students, faculty, and alumni blogging. Even presidents, after all, are getting into the act. Perhaps your most important future goal as a marketer is finding people who tell stories that repeat and reinforce the brand image you want to project. Yes, this is more work. But it is also essential work to maintain marketing effectiveness. Harcum College on MySpace If you haven’t already visited an early venture to test the Web 2.0 marketing benefits of active participation on social networking websites, go along to www.myspace.com/harcumcollege You’ll see photos from 215 friends, a basketball schedule and the college’s mission presented under “About Me.” What is the marketing value of MySpace participation like this? Too early to say but only the foolish would dismiss it out of hand. If you don’t do anything else, put this on your list of things to check about new marketing moves from your competition. Warning: this isn’t for the faint of heart. You can’t exercise control over what your “friends” post and you’ll certainly read language and see photos that won’t appear in a viewbook. You do regularly review MySpace and similar websites to monitor what people are saying about you, do you not? The Value of “Old Words” for Website Visibility Jakob Nielsen continues to help everyone who values the use of “real world” words on websites, rather than words and phrases known only to those inside the organization building the website. That’s especially important, Nielsen notes, as people continue to increase their use of search engines to locate desired websites. When people do that, they use everyday words, not anything remotely resembling the jargon of higher education. Read Nielsen’s comments at www.useit.com/alertbox/search-keywords.html before you start writing content for the next version of your website. If you don’t use words on your site that people use in searches, they aren’t likely to find you. Remember, “Experiential learning” and “prospective students” don’t mean much outside academe. “Learning by experience” is much better. And “Admissions” is more likely to get people where you want them to go. (With special thanks to the Writing for the Web audience at University of Waterloo last week for this example of what works better than “Experiential learning.”) Audio, Video, and Podcasts in Your Email Newsletter Scan the contents of the October Michigan Today News and you’ll quickly see the next generation of evolving email communications. Four of the nine articles let you do more than read about the topic. After all, if you’re writing about a new musical group you might as well let people hear what they sound like. Visit www.umich.edu/news/MT/NewsE/10_06/ to read and hear for yourself. 3 Conversion Measures to Monitor for Internet Marketing Tracy Gill explains three important metrics to judge the value of your email and online advertising efforts beyond simple “clicks” to your website at www.targetmarketingmag.com/story/story.bsp?sid=39781&var=story My favorite is “drop offs,” or what happens when you get people to your inquiry or registration form and are then disappointed by how many actually complete the form. If you are not getting the response you want, be sure to review the form carefully and eliminate requests for anything but the most essential information to get your visitors what they want to know. Remember a good rule of thumb: the longer the form, the fewer the responses. Other metrics are in the article are “Time spent” on your various pages and “click stream analysis” to see where people travel on your website. Analysis of all three likely will let you make changes to increase marketing results at your website. 22 Top Undergrad Business Professors Business Week’s top faculty list is the result of voting by students at the magazine’s top 50 business schools. So 22 of those schools get an extra marketing hit from faculty who are presented here, along with articles on each person the focus on teaching style and include many quote from the students. Schools in Indiana start and close the list but you’ll find lots many more from around the country in between Notre Dame and Indiana University. See who made the list at www.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate/profs/index.html My Upcoming Presentations in 2006 Register now for an event. Share questions and answers with people like yourself who are building a competitive edge in higher education marketing. Hope to meet you soon! November 2, Web Seminar: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Fall Marketing and Communications Conference, “Writing Right for the Web.” November 9-10, Chicago, IL: The Aslanian Group, Internet Marketing: New Techniques for Reaching Adult and Graduate Students. Program details at www.aslaniangroup.com. November 12-15, New Orleans, LA: AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. Sunday afternoon tutorial on web writing and Monday Advanced Marketing session with Carol Aslanian on adult student recruiting. Program and registration details are at www.marketingpower.com/aevent_event24813.php. November 29-30, Orlando, FL: The Aslanian Group, Internet Marketing: New Techniques for Reaching Adult and Graduate Students. Register at www.aslaniangroup.com . Expand professional growth opportunities right on your campus. Select from the topics here. Or ask about creating a seminar just for you. Schedule your presentation soon for 2007. Contact me at bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com. That’s All for Now Be a marketing champion on your campus.
Bob Johnson, Ph.D. (bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com) Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC I offer consulting services personally to colleges and universities and together with the marketing experts at these partner firms: Aslanian Group offers market research and enrollment management services to colleges and universities to increase their market share of adult students. Learn more at www.aslaniangroup.com. Creative Communication Associates is a 22-year leader in the design and implementation of marketing communication strategies for colleges and universities. Learn more about CCA at www.ccanewyork.com. mStoner helps colleges and universities with Internet strategies and website development to meet changing audience expectations, technologies, market pressures, and institutional positioning. For the details, visit www.mstoner.com. TargetX brings the power of the Internet to recruit students and communicate with alumni through higher education’s only integrated suite of online tools. Explore what’s possible at www.targetx.com. Newsletter Archive
30 September 2008 |