DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS

Transcription

1 in collaboration with 2017 HIGHER EDUCATION DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS 2017 EducationDynamics

2 INTRODUCTION Today, the decision to enroll in a college program takes place largely in the digital realm. Students find and evaluate prospective schools through each institution s digital marketing efforts, not the paper brochures or open houses of decades past. And the 82% of colleges that said they have web-based inquiry forms in multiple web locations reflect the diverse ways of reaching students via social media, organic search, and other channels. But that doesn t mean today s students don t crave the personal touch. Schools will be challenged to tell their unique story across multiple channels, in order to reach students wherever they seek information or inspiration. And institutions must master prospect nurturing to make sure no potential student falls through the cracks. In 2017, it won t be enough to stay on top of digital marketing trends. You ll need to find tech-savvy and individualized ways to connect with enrollment prospects. At EducationDynamics, we ve been tracking digital trends in higher education for over a decade. And our experience as a pioneer in online student recruitment and higher education marketing tells us one thing: you need a digital marketing plan tailored to the needs of your school as well as those of your prospective students. And behind that plan, you need good data, competitive strategies, and innovative marketing tactics. In 2017, we surveyed 100 schools to determine where and how they are spending their digital marketing dollars. We ve surfaced five important trends that any higher education institution can learn from EducationDynamics 2

3 A DIGITAL SNAPSHOT OF TODAY S PROSPECTIVE COLLEGE STUDENT: v 92 92% of adults ages 18 to 29 OWN A SMARTPHONE i 86 86% of adults ages 18 to 29 USE SOCIAL MEDIA ii 12% of U.S. adults ACCESS THE INTERNET only through their smartphones iv 82% of students do at least some college research on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. 8% do all their research on mobile. Most students say that seeing listings for a potential program on SEARCH ENGINES like Google, Yahoo, or Bing is effective or very effective. The top TWO SOURCES of info-gathering for students: 1 SCHOOL WEBSITES 14% of students rely on COLLEGE SEARCH SITES like. 2 INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES 2017 EducationDynamics 3

4 DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2017 Colleges and universities vary in how they use digital marketing tools and channels to recruit students. School size, religious affiliation, and attitude toward technology innovations are just a few influential factors. Let s take a look at some of the trends institutions across the country have adopted: TREND #1: CHANNEL DIVERSIFICATION Finding students where they are most likely to seek information means mixing up your digital marketing channels to reflect diverse browsing habits. In fact, most institutions (82%) use more than one digital marketing channel to generate inquiries. i THE NUMBER OF CHANNELS USED VARIES BY SCHOOL AFFILIATION i Independent Nonprofit Religiouslyaffiliated Nonprofit 29.8% 25.5% 44.7% 37% 41.3% 21.7% 3 OR FEWER Catholic Nonprofit 52.6% 10.5% 36.8% Public 46.2% 25.6% 28.2% AND BY SCHOOL SIZE i 4 OR or fewer students 1,001 to 5,000 students 5,000+ students 50% 36.1% 30.6% 38.4% 35.6% 26% 31% 23.8% 45.2% EducationDynamics 4

5 HERE S HOW COLLEGES GENERATE WEB-BASED INQUIRIES: i Facebook ads Organic search (like search optimization) Promotional s that click through to a web form Paid ads on Google Sponsored listings on college directory websites, like elearners.com 40% Affiliate partners who generate inquiries on the school s behalf 38% Ads on other social media 36% Paid ads on other search engines 33% Ads on LinkedIn 16% Other 3% 62% 66% 74% 73% SCHOOLS HOST INQUIRY FORMS IN MULTIPLE PLACES: i 95% 66% 37% 33% COLLEGE S WEBSITE LANDING PAGE SITES HOSTED BY A MARKETING AGENCY MICROSITE 2017 EducationDynamics 5

6 THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF INQUIRIES A COLLEGE RECEIVES EACH MONTH DEPENDS ON SCHOOL SIZE: i SCHOOLS WITH 1000 OR FEWER STUDENTS SCHOOLS WITH 1,001 TO 5,000 STUDENTS SCHOOLS WITH 5,000+ STUDENTS 100 or fewer inquiries per month 101 to 1000 inquiries per month 1,000+ inquiries per month Not sure THE LIKELIHOOD OF A SCHOOL USING A PARTICULAR DIGITAL MARKETING CHANNEL VARIES ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF INQUIRIES THAT INSTITUTION GENERATES PER MONTH: i 83.1% 80% 72.7% 73.2% 73.3% 73.2% 56.4% 58.2% 60% 54.5% 66.2% 60% FACEBOOK ADS ORGANIC SEARCH, E.G. SEARCH OPTIMIZATION PROMOTIONAL S THAT CLICK THROUGH TO A WEB FORM PAID ADS ON GOOGLE 100 or fewer inquiries per month 101 to 1000 inquiries per month 1,000+ inquiries per month KEY TAKEAWAYS: i Facebook ads are the most popular digital marketing channel, used by 74% of institutions. Smaller schools tend to use fewer digital marketing channels and get fewer inquiries per month. A missed opportunity? Schools generating 100 or fewer inquiries per month are only 56.4% likely to use organic search, compared to 83.1% of schools generating inquiries per month! 2017 EducationDynamics 6

7 TREND #2: RAPID RESPONSE TIMES Call it impatience or decisiveness today s students want to make faster enrollment decisions, and they expect their prospective colleges to keep up. Sending a speedy and personal response to the first inquiry may give your institution an edge. COLLEGES RESPONSES TO THE FIRST INQUIRY: i 6.6% The Enrollment Management System or CRM sends an automatic thank-you message by or text. 21.9% A member of the admissions staff sends a personalized response. 65.5% An automated text or provides contact information for a member of the admissions staff. Other STUDENTS WHO ENROLL IN THE FIRST INSTITUTION THAT RESPONDS TO THEIR INQUIRIES: v Undergraduate students 49% 57% 40% 49% Graduate students EducationDynamics 7

8 HOW FAST DO STUDENTS THINK A COLLEGE SHOULD RESPOND TO THE FIRST INQUIRY? v 30% within 24 hours (even on the weekend) 27% by the next business day 10% within an hour of inquiry 94% within two days is sufficient STUDENTS WHO SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATIONS WITHIN FOUR WEEKS OF BEGINNING THE COLLEGE SEARCH: v % of students % of students KEY TAKEAWAYS: v Two thirds of colleges first responses are impersonal: an automated thank-you message! i Students value a rapid response to their first inquiry. Though most thought that receiving a response within 48 hours was sufficient, roughly half of students enrolled in the first college that responded. Today s students make faster decisions! 2016 saw a 28% growth in students who applied within a month of beginning the college search EducationDynamics 8

9 TREND #3: PERSONALIZATION A one-size-fits-all approach won t suit prospective students who value diversity and want to be appealed to personally. In 2017, expect to see more colleges using creative and targeted ways to help enrollment prospects picture themselves on campus or as successful online students. YOUNGER GENERATIONS SAY NO TO IMPERSONAL ADS... vi 41% of Millennials say they d spend more time viewing promotional content if they could CUSTOMIZE IT. 57% of Millennials BLOCK pushy ad content. OVER HALF of Millennials and Gen Z-ers reduce social media use BECAUSE OF ADS. AND YES TO DISCOVERING INFO ON THEIR OWN. vii 85% of Millennials and Gen Z-ers trust USER-GENERATED REVIEWS. 66% trust OFFICIAL websites. of prospects 61%want to discover info INDEPENDENTLY, not through ads. vi MORE SCHOOLS ARE USING STORYTELLING TO APPEAL TO STUDENTS UNIQUE CONCERNS. TRY THESE STRATEGIES: VIDEO STORYTELLING. Schools like Yale, Stanford, and others use video to highlight positive aspects of campus culture (and counter stereotypes like stuffiness.) Think specific and targeted clips, rather than lengthy overviews. LIVE VIDEO ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Are off-the-cuff communications replacing polished marketing materials? Video-sharing and live-streaming tools like Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and Periscope are digital trends to harness in EducationDynamics 9

10 DIRECT MESSAGING. Unlike Millennials, Gen Z may crave private, one-on-one interactions. Among teens, Snapchat was the most popular social media platform. Schools like Princeton and the University of Michigan used the app to answer incoming students questions! SMART SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING. Free social media marketing is a thing of the past, with targeted digital advertising edging out unpaid page updates. Expect personalized smart ads to be pricier, and harder for amateur marketers to tinker with. #NOFILTER. Unlike glossy brochures, Instagram gives students a more candid glimpse of campus life. 66% of teens and young adults use this social media platform. viii KEY TAKEAWAYS: Today s students want personal and customizable content, and they value information they can find by themselves. TREND #4: SMARTER INQUIRY TRACKING Schools using multiple digital marketing channels will need to step up their game in order to track and optimize their many campaigns. As institutions grow savvier about monitoring inquiry sources and personalizing their responses to web-based inquiries, demand will grow for automated inquiry-management tools. HOW SCHOOLS DESCRIBE THEIR PRACTICES FOR ADOPTING NEW MARKETING AND ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY: i We re laggards/technophobes 11.9% 10.6% 2.7% We re innovators We re early adopters We re the late majority 28.5% 19.2% We re fast followers 27.2% We re mainstream adopters 2017 EducationDynamics 10

11 WHAT COLLEGES USE TO MANAGE THEIR DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN DATA: i 56.3% 23.8% 14.6% 5.3% Enrollment management system/crm They track campaign data manually Another system They do not track digital marketing campaigns by source THE STATS ON CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT: i 31.8% say campaign data is imported into their CRM in real time. 27.2% say campaign data is imported into their CRM once a day. 72.2% track inquiry origins using source codes. 19.9% of schools have an inquiry management system. 31.6% of Catholic institutions have manual processes/no CRM, compared to 10.3% of public universities. TOP 10 CRMS USED BY COLLEGES: i Ellucian (Banner or Colleague) Hobsons Salesforce Slate Jenzabar TargetX EMAS Blackbaud Liaison/ Spectrum Liaison Populi COLLEGES INQUIRY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS CURRENTLY CHECK 77.5% 56.7% 56.3% 25.8% Duplicate name and contact info (basic inquiry validation) Same name and contact info, but different program of interest Incomplete information (such as missing ) Mismatched education level (like a high school student applying for Master s) 2017 EducationDynamics 11

12 THE BIGGEST CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES FOR COLLEGES (IN ORDER OF COMMONNESS): i 1 Adding new inquiry sources 4 Changing inquiry form placement 2 Adding more landing pages 5 Changing inquiry form layout/copy 3 Tracking inquiry sources 6 Changing digital marketing messages COLLEGES TOP INQUIRY MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES, IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: i 1 Keeping prospects engaged at each step of the enrollment lifecycle 5 Consolidating data from multiple systems 2 Analyzing/optimizing campaign performance 6 Gaining insight into and control of campaigns 3 Reducing costs and increasing ROI 7 Getting real-time validation of inquiries 4 Managing recurring tasks, like targeted campaigns Number of inquiries 85% INSTITUTIONS TRACK THE FOLLOWING CAMPAIGN METRICS: i Number of prospects 7% Number of applications 54% Number of enrollments Number of 14% starts 2% Prospect Conversion Rate 31% Cost per click 6% Cost per prospect 9% Cost per lead 9% Cost per enrollment 6% KEY TAKEAWAYS: i Over three quarters of schools say their CRMs perform basic inquiry validation. Though less than one third of schools receive real-time campaign data imports into their CRMs, real-time inquiry validation is somewhat or very important for most institutions. Keeping prospects engaged is the most important challenge for institutions. 85% of institutions track the number of inquiries they receive, but only 9% track cost per inquiry EducationDynamics 12

13 TREND #5: SEEKING MARKETING HELP FROM AN AGENCY As digital marketing grows more complex, campaigns call for more frequent fine-tuning and optimization. Schools that use multiple digital marketing channels increasingly turn to marketing agencies to help them manage some or all of their web-based advertising and promotions. WHO MANAGES WEB-BASED ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS? i + College/university 51% One or more marketing agencies 31% College, plus one or more marketing agencies 17% WEB-BASED ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS MANAGEMENT BY SCHOOL SIZE: i 1000 or fewer students 1,001 to 5,000 students 5.6% 25.5% 75% 17.8% 37% 45.2% COLLEGE + AGENCY(IES) 5,000+ students 28.6% 31% 40.5% WEB-BASED ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS MANAGEMENT BY NUMBER OF MARKETING CHANNELS: i ONE OR MORE AGENCIES 3 or less 4 or 5 6 or more 15.3% 20.3% 64.4% 18.6% 23.3% 58.1% 26.1% 39.1% 34.8% COLLEGE MANAGES IT DIRECTLY 2017 EducationDynamics 13

14 HOW OFTEN SCHOOLS UPDATE OR OPTIMIZE THEIR DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS DEPENDS ON WHO MANAGES THEIR WEB-BASED ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS: i 14.8% 11.1% + MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK COLLEGE + AGENCY(IES) 14.8% 2.1% WEEKLY 40.7% 18.5% 10.6% 17% 3.9% 21.3% ONE OR MORE AGENCIES MONTHLY 26% 20.8% COLLEGE MANAGES IT DIRECTLY 9.1% 40.3% 48.9% ONCE EVERY 2-3 MONTHS LESS THAN EVERY 3 MONTHS KEY TAKEAWAYS: i Smaller schools are more likely to manage digital marketing in-house, whereas larger schools tend to seek at least some agency assistance. Institutions that use six or more digital marketing channels are much more likely to hire an agency. Institutions using agencies tend to update and optimize their digital marketing campaigns more frequently EducationDynamics 14

15 CONCLUSION Fast-moving digital trends, new marketing channels, and younger generations focused on personalization and self-directed discovery makes appealing to prospective students more challenging and exciting than ever. Inquiry management tools and CRMs can help institutions track the success of campaigns across diverse channels. Even so, many schools are challenged by adding and optimizing new inquiry sources, and most schools fall behind when it comes to tracking cost metrics for their campaigns. Larger institutions and those using multiple marketing channels increasingly turn to agencies for help managing and optimizing their marketing. While there are no hard and fast rules to achieving digital marketing success in 2017, it s clear that acting quickly to finetune campaigns, add new channels, and respond to interested students will be key to staying on top. i Glass Panel survey ii iii iv v Clinefelter, D. L. & Aslanian, C. B., (2016). Online college students 2016: Comprehensive data on demands and preferences. Louisville, KY: The Learning House, Inc. vi vii viii EducationDynamics 15