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Stat of the Day:
MySpace Visitors: Older than we thought?
U.S. Visitors to MySpace
by Age, September 2006
(% unique visitors)
| Age |
% |
 |
12-17 |
20.0% |
|
18-24 |
12.8% |
|
25-34 |
17.4% |
|
35-49 |
29.4% |
|
35+ |
46.0% |
|
45+ |
26.7% |
|
55+ |
8.6% |
- Source: Nielsen/Netratings, Oct. '06
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The Path of the Prospect
No eSearch is an Island
By Kelly Nicklas, Director of Marketing, Student Horizons, Inc.
It can be a bumpy road for the college-bound 17-year old. Colleges and universities bombard high school students with direct mail, email, view books, etc., all claiming their institution is the right one. Teens are probably more confused than ever about which college is in fact the right college.
Schools that get through the clutter and make a lasting impact on students are those that understand that no campaign is an island. Each piece of the puzzle fits into a larger whole, resulting in one thing: building ongoing relationships.
The path of a prospective student is long. It might start with a Web search sophomore or junior year. A student searches for a few schools that come to mind – ones he's heard of from older siblings, friends, or that mom or dad have mentioned. He signs up on a school website to receive more information. He starts receiving general information about programs and activities there. Life is good.
Then he takes the SAT or ACT. He is overwhelmed suddenly. Letters, brochures, view books, and open house invitations pile up on his floor. Emails go unread. A daunting task waits: to sift through it all and narrow it down to a list of schools he'll visit and then to which he'll apply.
Finally, he has come up with a short list mid-senior year. A few schools in his preferred area of the country, a few that friends are thinking about, and a few that just look interesting. It's this last category that concerns most institutions. How does a school make it into the consideration set of its target market, especially if it wants to attract more diverse prospects? And how do they keep them?
The usual answers still apply:
- Make every message relevant and to the point.
- Make every communication actionable – what one thing do you want a prospect to do as a result of reading your letter or email?
- Segment your lists in order to target messaging by demographics or interests.
- Highlight your institution's competitive differences, etc.
Above all, however, don't drop the ball. Value every inquiry and nurture every relationship. And always consider where your prospect is in the prospect path.
Colleges and universities that understand the path a prospect takes – from an initial eSearch, to campus visits and applying, to accepting – stand the best chance of remaining on the prospect’s final list. These schools create pertinent communications for each step in the prospect path, no matter what the delivery medium.
Perhaps junior year eSearches are applicable to a wider audience, as less information is known about each prospect. Senior year, however, messages should be more targeted. Schools have collected more information for each inquiry. They are able to easily personalize content (with email – dynamically) that is relevant, whether it’s course and program information, athletic news, or student life pieces.
Each communication must be fresh and pertinent to the student at each point in the search path. Colleges that do this well keep prospective students coming back for more information.
Email Kelly Nicklas at knicklas@studenthorizons.com.
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Questions? Things you would like to see in Email Marketing Best Practices newsletters? Please email Kristin Carpenter, editor of Email Marketing Best Practices, at kcarpenter@studenthorizons.com.
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