Marketing Plan 2016-2017 Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Adam M. Aurand, Director of Marketing and Public Relations Executive Summary This marketing plan was developed to guide the College to meet its Strategic Goal #7. The plan should not be considered a static document but, rather, a draft of strategies and tactics to set the College on a new marketing direction. It can and should be revised, expanded and improved, based on the evaluation of data and evidence, throughout the year. The marketing plan can be summarized into three key priorities: (1) an emphasis on data-driven decisions, direct marketing and digital advertising, (2) a strategic branding process to evaluate and refine the College s identity and resonant messages, and (3) the development of a modern, mobile-first website that appeals to digital natives and represents the College well. Table of Contents Executive Summary...1 Key Messages for 2016-2017...2 Marketing Goals...2 Situation Analysis...2 GOAL # I: Increase enrollment...4 GOAL #2: Maximize student engagement and retention...5 GOAL #3: Integrate Strategic Communications...6 Appendix A: Marketing/Admissions Data Needs...7 Appendix B: Projected Advertising Budget... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Key Messages for 2016-2017 TSCT is Pennsylvania s best technical college TSCT graduates are in high demand locally and statewide TSCT degrees are attainable with little to no student debt TSCT provides unsurpassed financial assistance to economically disadvantaged students Marketing Goals 1. Increase enrollment 2. Maximize student engagement and retention 3. Integrate strategic communications Possible revised Strategic Goal 7: Utilize a mix of marketing and communications strategies to increase student enrollment and maximize retention Situation Analysis Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology has established itself as the top technical college in Pennsylvania. Its Middle States-accredited associate s degree programs produce graduates in high demand locally, across the Commonwealth and beyond. Nearly all of its graduates receive offers of full-time employment at familysustaining wages prior to graduation. TSCT accomplishes this with tuition rates that are less than similar two-year colleges and a fraction of the average cost of four-year colleges and universities, including public institutions. Graduates of TSCT have average student debt loads less than 25 percent of the national average. The College also fulfills its mission of serving socio-economically disadvantaged Pennsylvanians by providing free tuition to approximately half of its student body at any time. Therefore, a key message of College leadership to lawmakers, donors and others is: The Thaddeus Stevens model is scalable. With additional resources, the College can expand its facilities, serve additional students and better meet the demand of the 21 st century workforce. It is the primary goal of the College marketing initiatives to increase student enrollment commensurate to the growth of the College s offerings. Given the urgency of this goal, it is essential that the College establish the necessary foundation and infrastructure on which to build a comprehensive, strategic, modern marketing program. The plan that follows is a hybrid of traditional marketing tactics and strategic planning that aims to serve dual purposes: (1) maintain visibility and support current recruiting; while also (2) conducing the strategic planning and infrastructure development necessary to move the College forward. This plan calls for building a foundation based on hard data, benchmarked against comparable institutions and proposes addressing two key deficiencies in the College s marketing infrastructure. They are, in order of importance, discussed below.
1. Web Development: The College s current website and digital communications is inadequate to fulfill the vision of the marketing department. Similarly, the website does not represent the College well, particularly given its reputation as a leading College of Technology. In the 2014-2015 academic year, 80 percent of applicants said they heard about the College on the internet and social media. Yet two-thirds of all College advertising dollars were spent on television, print and radio which, combined, were cited by only 20 percent of applicants. However, it is not enough to simply change the ratio of ad spending. Indeed, it is more prudent to invest in elevating web platforms and improve the student s experience as she interacts with the College online, and then leverage this new platform and content in online (and some traditional) advertising. Advertising should work in concert with online communications. 2. Brand Development: Given the above, the College must clearly define what does represent it well in all of its communications the look, feel and tone of all College messaging. This process is necessary to ensure the web development priority is most effective. Branding is often reduced to the design of a flashy logo. This is unfortunate. A College s marks should, as clearly as possible, represent what the college is what experiences it offers to students, how it improves students lives, the quality of its education and the productive work its graduates can do. But logos cannot be everything. And they need to be adaptable in various communications channels. What a logo looks like its artistic value, subjectively defined is the least of its concerns. However, an organization s marks should be unique to it, and, over time, instantly associated. Unfortunately, there is nothing consistent or proprietary about the College s current marks. A simple Google search for open source bulldog clipart will return images that are being used as TSCT logos. Before a logo package can be developed, however, it is necessary to research the College s market, what drives the College s brand and what messages resonate with its audiences. From this research, the College will draft a positing statement, which expresses how the College meets the needs of its students in ways its competitors do not and cannot, and define the College s personality and voice. These characteristics will be evident in all future college communications and will be represented graphically by the College s logo package. Ultimately, organizations can consciously define their own brands, or the public will do it for them.
GOAL # I: Increase enrollment Discussion: Given the transitional nature of this year, the strategies and tactics under this goal are narrowly tailored to support recruiting and lay the groundwork for robust direct marketing in the local area. Eventually, the goal is to invest in advertising in areas other than the local core. This plan emphasizes CTAs for evaluation. GOAL STRATEGY TACTICS 1.1 Establish reporting and review processes for marketing and admissions data 1.2 Publish valuable online content for students and parents on the College s digital platforms 1.3 Increase attendance at fall and spring open houses 1.4 Enhance connections between the College and the 22 public school districts in Lancaster-Lebanon IU 13 1.5 Develop and implement unique communication plans for College-hosted events and programs Benchmark 3-year trend in admissions funnel: Prospects Inquiry Contact Application (start) Application Complete Test Accept Yield Benchmark 3-year trend in ZIP code sources of applications Benchmark 3-year trend in household income data from FAFSA forms Build framework for additional conversion rates Hire and acclimate web and social media coordinator Develop content publishing calendar Create and publish regular content that expresses key messages regularly on all college media Place ad in Clipper Magazine (Greater Lancaster edition) with CTA Send direct-mail piece to HH that meet key demographics (ZIP code, HHI and children ages 13-18) with CTA Mobile in-app targeting at key sites in Aug/Sept Direct email campaign (3) to addresses that meet key demongraphics ((ZIP code, HHI and children ages 13-18) utilizing My Future Career content Internet retargeting campaign for those who receive/ engage with email Pandora ads among key demographics (county and age) with CTA WGAL.com video preroll (Spring only) Increase exposure of and participation in key K-12 STEM programs (STEM-in-Gear, summer camps, adopt-akindergarten) Ensure representation of trades by IAC members in all MS and HS career day/career fairs Increase number of early enrollment students (inclusive of developing a specific marketing plan for students, parents and school districts) PA STEM Competition create unique landing page to promote College and collect student and teacher info Girl Scout event March 2017 Stevens Experience Summer Camps Tech Gyrls Science Camp
1.6 Promote key messages to wide audiences through media that can reliably deliver impressions 1.7 Expand district media contact list to include key media outlets statewide and solicit at least (1) media placement in all recruiting regions during 2016-2017 academic year Penn Cinema video advertising Reading Fightin Phils sponsorship PIAA sponsorship Comcast Spotlight NFL package + online tools Adspace Park City digital signage Lamar outdoor billboard campaign Contact home newspapers for all Dean s List students and determine primary contact Pitch stories involving non-local students to home media Create an experts list of faculty and administration including topics on which they can speak GOAL #2: Maximize student engagement and retention Discussion: Today s high school and college student are digital natives they have been communicating electronically for their entire lives. Therefore, online engagement is essential to converse with prospective and current students. GOAL STRATEGY TACTICS Goal 2 Goal 2 Goal 2 2.1 Establish a social media strategy that emphasizes engagement among prospective and current student populations 2.2 Encourage use of social media tagging among prospective students 2.3 Drive traffic to College web content Hire and acclimate web and social media coordinator Conduct comprehensive review of existing engagement data Develop unique metrics for each platform to judge efficacy of content Invest in social media advertising (primarily Facebook/Instagram and YouTube) to reach non-followers with engaging content that include CTA Conduct campus tour contents and award t-shirt prize to student whose selfie generates the most likes by the end of the session Develop and suggest lighthearted hashtags to group positive prospect interactions together online Google Sponsored Promotions (GSPs) Google AdWords and other paid search CPM display and retargeting Targeted email campaigns SEO strategy implementation (see Strategy 3.3) Social media advertising
GOAL #3: Integrate Strategic Communications Discussion: Strategies below relate to the strategic initiatives requested during the budget process. The umbrella goal for these initiatives is to integrate all College communications to ensure alignment with the strategic direction and maximize investments. GOAL STRATEGY TACTICS Goal 3 Goal 3 Goal 3 3.1 Form a standing College Communications Committee to review marketing and enrollment data and discuss upcoming tactics 3.2 Engage a private firm to evaluate the College s market, brand drivers and resonant messages and make strategic recommendations 3.3 Redesign the College website with an emphasis on mobile capability (responsive design) and SEO Invite members (recommended: marketing director, chair, VP of finance and administration, enrollment director, development director, alumni & foundation executive director and web & social media coordinator) Audit all College communications for audience and message Meet monthly to evaluate current tactics and establish new tactics Form a small College task force of key campus leaders (recommended: president, VP of finance and administration, marketing director, enrollment director, alumni & foundation executive director) Assist the firm in research Evaluate the firm s recommendations and adopt a longterm brand strategy Inclusive of: positioning statement, College personality/voice, image package, desired marketing and PR tactics Establish quantifiable metrics for evaluating implementation of the brand strategy Conduct comprehensive audit of existing web content Research traffic trends Engage a private web design firm (possibly the same firm conducting Strategy 3.2 or an affiliate) Launch a dual site and promote to faculty, staff, current and accepted students and families Conduct brief survey on new site s strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations to design firm Launch the new site
Appendix A: Marketing/Admissions Data Needs Working Document 1. Recruitment Funnel + conversion rates vs. conversion benchmarks a. Prospects (need to define!) b. Inquiry c. Started Application d. Completed Application e. Tested f. Offered/Accepted (?) g. Yield 2. Open House conversion rates a. Overall b. By attendee grade (i.e. HS sophomores, juniors, seniors) 3. Campus Tour conversion rates a. Overall b. By attendee grade (i.e. HS sophomores, juniors, seniors) c. Group tours vs. individual tours 4. Conversion rates by radius from College 5. Recruiters close rates 6. Monthly application benchmarks what percentage of total applications are complete by EOM a. Project totals 7. Outside web traffic conversion rates a. To inquiry b. To application