Research: Traditional Outreach Still Has Impact in
College Recruiting
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By Dian Schaffhauser
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01/17/13
Money talk and institutional reputation dominates student
choice in deciding which colleges and universities would make a good fit for
them. According to recent research done by two companies that offer marketing
and recruiting services to institutions, the top three characteristics students
think about are schools that have "good scholarship and financial aid
packages," solid academic reputations behind the majors they're interested
in, and affordable tuition and fees.
"The
Super Investigator: Understanding Today's 'Always On' Prospective Student,"
available for download with registration, also examines the impact of online
marketing channels on school-related decision-making. While mechanisms that
might be referred to as "traditional"--direct marketing through email
and mail, guidance counselor advice, friends, college Web sites, campus tours,
and search engines--still dominate the college search process, social media is
playing an evolving role as well. For example, 40 percent of students reported
that they use Facebook to learn more about college choices, 21 percent use
YouTube, 17 percent use Google+, and nine percent use Twitter. Just over a
third of respondents (37 percent) said they have used social media to
"engage" with a college.
According to one teen respondent, "We are constantly
on the computer and nosing around in other people's business, so maybe we could
add nosing into the college's business. I would give the quick facts about the
school online with easy access. A lot of time you have to search through a
college's Web site to find that information and if it is not easy to find, I
give up." Another student suggested that the reverse should not be
true--that schools shouldn't use social media to learn more about prospects:
"We have a new tradition at our high school. When we hit senior year, we
all change our Facebook names so colleges can't spy on us."
Mobile access to information is coming to the forefront
too. Forty-five percent of students reported visiting a college Web site on a
mobile device. One in 10 had downloaded an app from a college to their device.
The research was performed by Lipman Hearne,
a marketing and communications company that focuses on higher education, and Cappex.com, which runs a Web
site to introduce students to prospective colleges based on their interests and
profiles. The companies collected responses from 11,244 students who had
previously registered on Cappex. Those included college-bound sophomores,
juniors, and seniors from the United States and other countries, as well as a
small number of enrolled college students thinking about transferring and adult
learners.
One interesting finding in the research was the sizable
number of "stealth applicants," students who research schools and
even visit campuses, but without revealing who they are until they submit an
application. Nearly a quarter of respondents fall into this category. Said
Lipman Hearne Chairman Tom Abrahamson, "Stealth applicants apply to colleges
under the radar of admissions teams. Their behavior is important because their
unexpected applications can complicate schools' admissions planning and
projections."
Another group of students were classified as "super
investigators," digital natives who are quite aggressive in their
self-directed research. Fifty-five percent of graduating seniors belong to this
camp, doing daily research using a multitude of resources, both online and
print.
Noted Lipman Hearne Senior Vice President Mark Nelson,
"The truly social aspect of the search--word of mouth and advice from
friends, parents, and other influencers--is...incredibly effective at driving
students to explore a college further. Parents represent an untapped marketing
opportunity for colleges. And while social media doesn't seem to drive students
to action, it can't be overlooked. More than half the students use it to learn
about colleges, and it's where they are talking to their friends. Schools need
to monitor comments made online and make sure the buzz is positive."
Those informational efforts need to include shifting from
"providing basic information about colleges to more personalized offerings
and engagement opportunities for students," added Chris Long, Cappex
president.
Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and
business for a number of publications. Contact her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.
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