Recruiting Intelligence

The vast majority of companies still treat social media as a fad and social phenomena. Their use of social media tools for marketing is rudimentary and the equivalent of marketing by billboard. Not to say that billboards are ineffective. It's just that digital marketing and social media offer a different marketing opportunity and by and large, folks simply don't know how to use it effectively.

And so, because social media marketing is free, more and more companies are putting up their billboards (first it was websites back in the 1990s and now it is social media accounts). So here's the thing: digital marketing is a waste of time given the number of billboards now posted, UNLESS you have the infrastructure to create and disseminate compelling content and track the online activity.

And so, the answer is "yes" that will require more investment in digital tools, staff or vendors. Effective marketing is not free afterall. Even when using social media. Sorry to be the ones breaking the news.

Today we want to highlight data from a report from Sprout, a company providing social media management tools.  

As institutions attempt to distinguish themselves from competitors, university marketers and recruiters seek additional means of highlighting institutional strengths. One of the previously overlooked, yet easily highlightable, assets is post-graduation career placement. As we've mentioned in the past on this blog, we strongly encourage our clients and colleagues to highlight post-graduation employment. Students and especially parents are increasingly interested in learning about how your graduates fare in the job market. Though international students have a unique set of circumstances regarding post-graduation employment, understanding the career prospects of graduates is frequently listed as an important factor for higher education selection.

Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. Abbott and Costello. And the most recent dynamic duo: teenager and internet. Since the iPhone became a regular at the family dinner table, the landscape of teenage life has changed—including how they search for, and ultimately choose, an institution of higher education.

You already know this, and so do today’s wide range of digital lead generation services. These digital services can provide a more student-driven, personal search process that suits today’s independent and tech-savvy teens—a far leap from the mass mailings (or even e-mailings) from student search service contact lists. See our recent blog-- Digital Direct Marketing to International Students: Are You on Target? Several of these services even offer international expertise. Want to know where to start? Here are some key considerations.

In a world of fast-paced activity and seemengly never ending responsibilities, it isn't always easy to find the time to listen. It's important to take a break from charting progress, developing novel programs and tools, and talking through brochures, websites, social media and face-to-face. Listening is critical. With that in mind we recently conducted a focus group with international students, many of whom are college freshmen, to take the time to listen to what was important to them in the recruitment process. We learned four key takeaway messages which are outlined below.

In late 2013 we unveiled STOURY, a unique app designed to tell your university's story anywhere, in any language. STOURY allows you to deliver dynamic, vibrant and informative conversations.

We've been in the fields of higher education, international student recruitment and digital marketing for quite a while and we've found there is ONE QUESTION EVERYONE ASKS.

This year, we have been asked to recruit 10% more international students to internationalize our campus and to raise the necessary tuition revenue. Yes, we understand the financial pressures that we are under as a college and greater international student enrollment can be part of our long-term viability as we have been tracking a trend of weaker demographics in our typical domestic recruitment region. In talking to prospective domestic students and their parents, I know the pressure our higher tuition bills put on families.

I love what we accomplish as a college. We may not belong to the elite group of colleges, but I know we do change lives. More precisely, our professors, academic and other advisors, counselors, and fellow students change lives.

Student enrollment requires a personal interaction with prospective students and their parents. At the same time, admissions departments are faced with many demands and limited budgets. Marketing technology is part of the solution to establish efficient processes in order to reach more students more efficiently but also since prospective students are researching their university choices via digital channels.