Seth Godin coined the phrase "interruption marketing" many years ago to describe the way traditional marketers interrupt the consumer to draw attention for their products and services. His message was that consumers will find more and more ways to avoid interruptions. He was right. At the 2014 INTEAD Global Marketing Workshop for Academic Leaders in New York City, Hubspot's Matt Fradette showed the process and the successes of moving from interruption marketing to contextually relevant inbound marketing for universities.
Prospective students are a diverse group with different motivations, timeframes, budgets and so forth.
Matt Fradette focused on the methods and processes that will give your academic programs the flexibility and agility to distribute your digital content and measure what is working. You can download or see the entire presentation on slideshare.
#1 The Old Marketing Techniques Are Not Working
Users are seeking relevant information via on-demand digital services. 44% of direct mail is never opened. That seems low if my observations during my son's college application process are any indication. Do not call lists are growing. Users are using search, social media and the web to obtain information from any type of device, including a growing share of users using their mobile phones to research and receive content.
You can see the entire presentation, with university marketing examples, on how to use an integrated marketing software such as Hubspot. If you are interested in building a comprehensive digital plan or learning how to deploy such a system, contact me directly.
#2 Context and Relevance Matter
Prospective students research relevant information in digital channels ranging from your website and video channels to all types of social media. How do you develop your digital relationship before the prospective student is ready to talk with you? The group of traditional students completing high school, meeting with you at high school college fairs and working with the high school counselors to select their future college is only one of the student groups you are trying to recruit for your programs.
# 3 Nurture Through the Enrollment Process
You cannot stop. Student decision-making on where to matriculate does not end until the student is sitting in your orientation room or has entered your online classroom. Here are examples for continued nurturing communication:
- Highlight academic programs
- Showcase student success stories
- Provide information on campus
- Elaborate financial aid policies
- Connect students with counselors, alumni, current students
- Assist with application questions
- Continue to communicate to improve your yield
While the admisson department phases out its role upon students entering the college, retaining the student and ensuring student success is one of the most critical functions of all stakeholders, but that's a discussion for a different time.
#4 Stop Managing Too Many Systems Without Connection
- Multiple media accounts have no connection to the website publishing tools.
- There is a need for measurement tools that reach across different digital channels (e.g. website and social media accounts).
- There is a need for a continous communication plan across different digital platforms and channels.
