So we are here at Nafsa 2018 and it is the usual exhilarating whirlwind. We will present later today with power hitters Jon Stauff (Monmouth University) and Martyn Miller (Temple University). We’ll share our slides soon. And we have something really exciting to share right now, with this post. Keep reading…
Many great conversations, the frenzy is always invigorating and exhausting at the same time. Soon the Intead team will be back at it in the office. Cranking out some of the best, most creative marketing approaches for our favorite clients.
Now I’m sure you’ve been to these industry conferences yourself. There is so much chatter. Plenty of gossip. And a whole lot of promises about what one recruiting service or another can do for your institution. A truth in business: many promises are made, few are kept.
The hard truth about marketing in any industry: if you could guarantee success, everyone (absolutely everyone) would succeed. So, all those promises from the many, many service providers? How do you know who is reliable, has integrity, puts their best effort into every initiative?
Here is the promise we, as Intead, make to you. We work hard every day. We do everything we can to put the best work out there, creating the best strategy we can devise given the resources, limited budgets and industry pressures at play. We promise to give it our all and put integrity first with every effort. And we promise to communicate clearly throughout the process.
Results hinge on having a great team
You’ve built teams to achieve goals before. You know the qualities you really want are smart thinking, industry experience, clear communication, reliable follow through, and total commitment. These are the ingredients that give you the best shot at success.
The hard truth is that not every plan works. Outside factors, especially in global initiatives, thwart progress. The big question: do you have the right folks on your team to navigate despite the challenges? Clutch victory from the jaws of defeat when the plan inevitably has to change?
Marketing is about differentiating
So many different factors make every university and every marketing campaign unique. From geographic location to academic program to global political events make the approaches we recommend to clients different every time.
When a vendor comes along and tells you that they achieved X results for a university just like yours and “promise” those recruitment and enrollment results will be yours too…well, I hope they bought you a drink while they gabbed, because that is likely all you will get in the end.
There are no guarantees in marketing and you can double that when you are talking about global marketing. So many factors.
Announcing Intead Plus
So, with a nod to those of us who have been around the block a few times, Intead has launched a new member service, Intead Plus, available to those in the industry who want to stay on top of the latest trends, access the best tools, receive discounts from the trusted partners we admire most in this industry, and join a network that will provide consistent, reliable intel.
Annual memberships for this new service are $795 (discounted to $595 to celebrate the launch). With every membership, the Intead team will produce a customized review of your institution’s Google Analytics data giving you instant insight into your global web traffic.
You will also have member exclusive access to a webinar on June 26 when Karin Fischer and Ben Waxman will reveal the latest research and perspective on the two largest sending markets, China and India. We will specifically address the concerns around student and parent political and safety concerns and the visa challenges students coming to the US are experiencing.
This will be the first “members only” webinar in a series of exclusive Intead.Plus presentations with leading global sources on the topics that matter most to your recruitment plans.
There are many other benefits of membership and the hits will keep coming as the Intead team continues to produce research, toolkits, step-by-step guides, and other support to Intead.Plus members.
We all need reliable partners
No one wears a “Charlatan” badge.
Those of you who have been in this industry with us for a while now already know. And those of you who are new to it need to know. Check those credentials and the reputation before you go down the road with any vendor in this field. And check your gut. One of our rules to live by here at Intead: align yourself with talent, always. The alternative will leave you with regrets every time.
Integrity shines through. Generosity shines through.
Intead has been feeding this industry with some of the best marketing guidance and data to craft your global marketing strategy and content decisions for the better part of a decade. It is all there on our website.
A simple truth: If you establish your intelligence and integrity, the quality of your work ethic and your industry expertise, if you do that, those with the same qualities will gravitate toward you.
We’re here when you are ready.
Next week’s post: our perspective on the latest SEVIS data and a link to our Nafsa slides (assuming we can still stand up after a week of Nafsa ;-)
