Electronic Communication vs. Traditional Print Media: Which is More Effective? Presenters: Christopher Small – GDAIS Jonathan Steele – GDAIS Jim Slavin – College Board

Introductions Who are these guys, and why are they here??? Christopher Small Jonathan Steele Jim Slavin

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So which is better, print or electronic communication? Answer: Both Thanks for coming!

How Do Students Communicate with Colleges? GDAIS conducted an extensive survey of college- bound high school students from the applicant and search pools of six different institutions. We asked them how they approach the college search process. This is some of what we learned…

When do students begin their college search? Before their senior year: 95% Before their junior year: 55% Before their sophomore year: 20% Before entering high school: 2% How have students received most of their information about colleges? Information mailed to their homes: 53% Internet: 46% College fair/night: 12% Visit to campus: 9% High school guidance counselor: 6% College guide book: 6%

Which format do they find most useful in their college search? Paper: 57% Electronic: 32% Both equally: 9% Which format do they prefer to use in their communication with the admissions office? Paper: 48% Electronic: 45% Both equally: 5%

Students described how they were most likely to contact a college in which they became interested: Very likely LikelyNot likely A college's Website42%47%11% A college search Website39%40%21% An to the college28%46%26% A letter or postcard to the college 25%41%34% A telephone call to the college6%29%65%

Interpreting the Research Students are starting the college search earlier More students are using the Web for research Students still like to read print publications Colleges need to develop an integrated print and electronic communications plan is an excellent follow-up device

Most Students are not reading your mail Don’t be afraid to promote the distinctiveness of your institution Timing is everything Investment benefits Consumption benefits Getting MORE from Your Communication Flow

Keep messages clear and concise Limit messages to one at a time Always have a response mechanism to see who is paying attention Respond quickly to those who respond to you Develop ways to measure the effectiveness of every communication device Getting EVEN MORE from Your Communication Flow

Encourage them to respond: Call to action – in print and online Have them log in Pay attention to what they say Follow up Develop one-to-one relationships: Don’t smother them with automation Make it personal Chat with them Call them Send them personal notes Communicating with Students: What Works

Search mail is still critical Search names are still the best qualified Search bad returns and future problems Letters still work best Clearly define your institution Only encourage responses from interested prospects Search

They aren’t reading everything (anything?) you send them Repeat your messages, but put them in fresh context Mix official and unofficial sources Coordinate print with electronic Focus on single messages, and use timing to tell the story Always include a Bounceback mechanism Publications

Too many audience constituencies Internal vs. External Navigation Anonymity No follow-through Solutions: Single-Message Mini-websites Capturing Data Problems with College Websites

Average person receives 308 messages/week 62% of this is Spam in % was considered Spam in 2003 What makes a message Spam? Frequency 58% Irrelevancy 57% Only 28% try to unsubscribe 8% is permission based 67% open at least 6 out of every 10 permission-based e- mails in the U.S.

Message Format: Multi-part (HTML) vs. Plain Text From and Subject lines Target Your Pool: Personalize and Customize Test and refine Content Single messages Investment then Consumption Benefits Build an schedule that fits with your print communication plan Communicating with Students:

Segment your audience constituencies Drive them to your Website with – the Bounceback Principle Guide them to the messages YOU want them to hear Develop a series of single-message communications that you spool out over time Track their progress and get feedback Measure your results and adapt Communicating with Students:

is cheap – too cheap, and colleges have begun bombarding their Search lists Students will lose patience Colleges will get reported and blacklisted CAN-SPAM – are our Search files still compliant? Sender ID and SPF – Doesn’t that have something to do with sunscreen? G-mail: Google enters the scene- Are you ready? Instant Messaging is growing exponentially as a communication medium The Pitfalls of and What’s Next

By the end of 2003, 20 million people worldwide were using IM in businesses This will reach 300 million by the end of % of online Americans use instant messaging 24% of instant messengers use IM more frequently than AOL's instant-messenger (includes ICQ) had 59.2 million users in April MSN had 23.6 million Yahoo had 19.1 million Instant Messaging

Keep an eye on these trends Students will adopt new technology fastest They expect and demand colleges to keep up Don’t lose focus: the old rules still apply Build a communication flow Make your case over time Use a mix of print and electronic communication Repeat messages until it hurts! Get feedback from students and tailor your appeal It’s still about people Great, now I have a headache…

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