Key Metrics for Improving Your Targeted Marketing Strategy
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Transcript of Key Metrics for Improving Your Targeted Marketing Strategy
Key Metrics for Improving Your Targeted Marketing Strategy
July 29, 2015
Polly Sipper, Director of Communications
Holly Trusiak, Communications Specialist
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
Overview
The Four Needs
1. The need to recruit and how that impacts strategy.
2. The need to plan and successfully put the plan in motion.
3. The need to evaluate regularly.4. The need to provide you with tips for
your success.
The need to recruit? But wait…
The need to recruit?
The need to recruit?
The need to recruit?
The need to recruit?
The need to recruit?
81,000
The need to recruit?
The need to recruit specialized groups
Our specialized groups
• Out-of-state students
• International students
• Local high achieving students
Each group requires a different marketingplan for specialized recruitment.
The need to recruit specialized groups
The communications plan
So how did we go about creating a plan that will:
• Meet their needs?• Meet our needs?• Make them feel special?
The need to plan
Developing a relationship
How to build the plan (relationship)
1. Use the university dates and deadlines as the foundation.
2. Look for ways to enhance the plan and finda way to relate the content back to the studentand your university (the relationship).
• Holidays• Worldly Events (e.g. Olympics)• Athletic Events (e.g. Sweet 16)• Awards + Rankings
How to build the plan (relationship) – continued
3. Rather than focusing on quantity, focus on quality.
Creative design with clever messagingpays off. Spam does not.
4. Know your audience.
How to build the plan (relationship) - continued
Meet Generation Z• Post-Millennial Generation• Born between mid- to late 1990s to present
How to build the plan (relationship) - continued
Meet Generation Z - continued• True digital natives
• They have never known a world without the Internet, cell phones, or iPods.
• Gen Z craves constant and immediate feedback
• Globally conscious• Individualistic• Cautious
• Seeking more stable and secure professions• More cautious with money than Millennials• Prefer Snapchat to Facebook and Instagram
How to build the plan (relationship) - continued
5. Every piece of communication should have a call to action. Otherwise, what’s the point?
6. Send date, time and frequency are very important (even with professional design).
How to build the plan (relationship) - continued
How many times have you heard a friend askor have you thought,
“How can I unsubscribe to these emails? I’m so tired of hearing from this company.”
HTML Emails - Great design, but too often
HTML Emails - Great design, great timing
SDSU communication plans
Each SDSU communication plan includes:• Email• Print• Web• Social Media• Telecenter
Takeaways
1. Know your audience
2. Create your marketing communication plan foundation
3. Communicate creatively
4. Don’t overdo it
The need to evaluate – collecting and using data
Hobsons Email Metrics
Available right now in your CRM:• View rates• Interaction Rates• Click through rates• Email Link Statistics
Marketing Email: Why SDSU
Campaign Goal:
Encourage admitted students to submit their Intent to Enroll.
Why I Chose SDSU
View Rates
Interaction and Click Through Rates
Email Link Statistics
Next Steps
Email view rate was superb! Unfortunately, the goal was not accomplished. Students did not click on the links to submit their Intent to Enroll or watch videos.
Using this information, to improve we will:1. Repurpose videos for use during events or online.
2. Reformat the graphic to emphasize the call to action differently.
3. Plan ahead! This email was a last-minute addition to the communication plan. We will evaluate when it was sent and consider if students were experiencing SDSU overload.
Effective Email Campaigns: Happy Holidays
43% view rate
Effective Email Campaigns: Why I Love SDSU!
39% view rate
Why I Love SDSU
Effective Email Campaigns: Congratulations!
89% view rate
Takeaways
1. Track your view and interaction rates.
2. Think critically – what story is the data telling you?
3. Don’t be afraid to admit failure – it is important to revise communication pieces if they don’t work.
The need to evaluate - augmenting with quantitative and qualitative data
Survey Research
• Simple platforms for creating surveys: Hobsons, Survey Monkey, Wufoo.com.
• Using surveys can take the guess work out of knowing how the audience feels about your university.
• Measure the effectiveness of special events.
Survey research
Feedback helps improve: • Communication• Marketing• Recruitment strategies• Events
SDSU Survey Research
Why Not SDSU? Survey • Administered yearly, it asks students who declined their
offers of admission why did they choose not to attend. • We evaluate what we can do better for the next
admission cycle to attract highly qualified students.• Helps track trends and students’ interests.
Explore SDSU Survey• Administered yearly, it evaluates SDSU’s campus-wide
open house. • We want to know what the guest experience was like
and if it was a successful recruitment event.• Look for ways to improve the following year.
SDSU Survey Research
SDSU Viewbook Survey• Administered once, to evaluate what prospective
students are looking for in SDSU’s print publication.• We wanted to know if students prefer a classic
design or a more fun, less serious approach to learning about a university.
Analysis: What to Look For
The data has been collected, now what do I do?• Did the survey receive at least a 10% response
rate?• Demographics• Look for response trends• Compare responses with demographics
• What do males prefer vs. females?• Preferences among different age groups?
Take Action!
Why Not SDSU? Survey• Value is an issue for our students and their parents.• Next year: We must revise our communication and
inform our audience how SDSU is a worthy investment.
Explore SDSU Survey• Guests felt that the event started too early.• Next year: Consider starting the event one hour later.
Getting the committee to agree on this may be difficult.
Take Action!
Viewbook Survey• Students prefer action photos to posed portraits. • When updating viewbook: Use photos that show
students and faculty in action, instead of posting for the camera.
Focus Groups
• Focus groups provide valuable qualitative data to support strategic communication efforts.
• During a focus group in-depth answers and group dynamics can give insight into the thoughts and feelings of your audience.
SDSU Focus Groups
Local High Achieving Students• Sought to determine why high achieving students from
high schools local to SDSU would choose to attend SDSU instead of other universities with more name recognition.
Viewbook Focus Group• Accompanied the Viewbook survey.• Sought to determine prospective students’ thoughts and
opinions about our print pieces, especially the viewbook.
Takeaways - Survey Research
• Survey as frequently as possible – opinions and trends are constantly changing.
• Think holistically – what story does the qualitative and quantitative data tell you?
• Base your decisions on your findings – don’t guess or use your opinions.
Google Analytics
• Make informed changes during website redesign.
• By combining Google Analytics with feedback from admissions staff about themost FAQ, you can design the best user experience.
Websites before redesign
Google Analytics summary – Sept - Nov
Google Analytics summary – Jan - Mar
Comparison of feedback from GA + Staff
The redesigned Admissions home page
Google Analytics – Another use for recruitment
Takeaways – Google Analytics
• Determine the best way to design navigation by looking at the most visited pages
• Use different date ranges to determine if there is a variation in most visited pages depending on the admissions cycle
• Get in touch with what the public is asking face-to-face by asking staff what are the most frequently asked questions
• Look up the location of your visitors on your Admissions website and see how that could enhance your recruitment efforts
The need to provide you with tips
The need to provide you with tips
Tips for Success
• Plan and think ahead.• Use data to make informed decisions.• Track metrics as you release a campaign.• Evaluate during and after a campaign.
Questions?
