MissouriACT Incorporating E-communications: Noel-Levitz

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Incorporating E-Communications and the Latest Enrollment Technologies and Initiatives to

Build and Shape the Student Body

Presented by Stephanie GeyerVice President for Web Strategy and Interactive Marketing Services

March 27, 2013

Finding answers since 2005

Visit any partner site to find the latest studies, including the 2013 E-expectations of Juniors and Seniors white paper and trend reports for our recent Net Price Calculator and International Student studies.

E-Expectations Research

E-expectations 2013: Focal Points

Mobile Users and Your Web Resources

E-communications Resources and Preferences

Social Media Trends and Opportunities

Telephone survey of 2,018 high school students

• Facilitated in March and April 2013

• List source: National Research Center for College and University Admissions (NRCCUA)

• 95% confidence interval

• +/- 3% margin of error

Methodology

About the 2,018 Respondents

*1 percent of respondents reported a grade average below C-level.

©2013 Noel-Levitz, LLC. 2013 E-Expectations Report: The Impact of Mobile Browsing on the Online Behavior of College-Bound High School Students.

Public schools still most popular choice



Mobile Users and Your Web Resources

Access to mobile devices on the rise

Corresponds to findings of the Pew

Internet and American life study

reporting that 78 percent of teens

aged 14-17 own a cell phone.

Up from 67% as reported in the

2012 E-expectations of

High School Juniors and

Seniors


Pew Internet and American Life Project, Teens and Technology, 2013http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-and-Tech/Main-Findings/Teens-and-Technology.aspx

47% of this group reported looking at

a college or university site

within a week of the date they were

polled


Recommendation:

Mobile users visiting your site will only increase. Consider adaptive/responsive approaches to enhancing their experience and mobile apps that can target specificuser needs.

See The 2013 State of Mobile & Responsive Web in Higher Ed at higheredexperts.com:• 68% of 174 campuses have a mobile strategy in place

o 51% adaptiveo 45% mobileo 31% app


What content do they first seek on a college site via mobile device?

Juniors % of first content sought

Seniors % of first content sought

Academic programs/majors listing 73% Orientation details 67%

Academic programs/major details 46% Academic programs/majors listing

61%

Directory/contact list 46% Applications 48%

Enrollment or admissions information

38% Enrollment or admissions information

43%

Orientation details 38% Academic programs/major details 39%

Links to social media 33% Cost 39%

Financial aid 32% Financial aid 38%

Cost 31% Course catalogs 31%

Scholarships 29% Scholarships 30%

Search 30% Athletic program 24%


Recommendation:

Users are accessing your site throughout each stage of the enrollment process. Be sure they can find the right content at the right moment, even when they’re using a mobile device.

There’s more interest than actual experience in completing forms on mobile devices

Form type (mobile) Have completed

Would complete

Would NOT complete

Request information 49% 59% 41%

Calculate scholarships 46% 62% 38%

Schedule visit 44% 67% 33%

Calculate cost 41% 67% 33%

Open house registration -- 67% 33%

Register for class -- 62% 38%

Apply online -- 50% 50%

Register for live chat -- 43% 57%


Recommendation:

Effective form completion and engagement opportunities for mobile users can help keep the flow of research and exploration moving forward.

Follow a mobile user’s potential journey through your site and see where friction points might drive them away.


E-communications Resources and Preferences

Recommendation:

E-communications can make a difference in the connections students develop with your institution. Layers of online resources and experiences help them connect with you on their own terms and in their own time.

Recommendation:

Experimenting with paid interactive marketing? Be sure you are using unique landing pages for each campaign, and that you’ve taken time to integrate each with your Web analytics system to maximize your ability to track users all the way through the engagement process.

Recommendations:

Students checking e-mail on a smartphone are not going to read the same way they will on a full-size PC or laptop screen. Your e-mail messages need to adapt to this reality.

• Economize your e-mail copy as much as possible so mobile users won’t have to scroll through long lines of text.

• Create designs that, while attractive, maximize the screen space of smaller displays.

• Move calls to action up so they display before the fold or on the first scroll of a mobile display, and repeat the request at the end.

• Test all of your messages on a variety of mobile platforms before deploying.

Up from 60% in 2012


Recommendations:

Begin integrating text messages in your overalle-communications flow:• From individual counselors to individual or small

groups of students• Blast messages to larger market segments, especially

later in the funnel.• Be certain that you have opt-in records for all whom

you include in these programs.


Social Media Trends and Opportunities

Recommendation:

• Twitter was the only social media asset to gain users.• Though Facebook appears to be losing some traction

with traditional college-bound students, it is still worthwhile as a social media asset. Continue developing engaging content resources that link into inquiry forms, event registration, and other online assets that can help build your inquiry pool and engagement opportunities.

• Build an editorial calendar to coordinate your social media posts with e-mail and print campaigns.

• Use tools like Storify to aggregate posts and tweets and then repackage on your site.

Questions?

Recommendation Summary:

• Optimize the mobile experience through adaptive design or through mobile sites.

• Design with smaller displays in mind so that your Web pages, e-mails, and other electronic content look appealing on smartphones.

• Add forms for mobile users beyond simplecontact forms.

• Get students to opt into as many communication streams as they want.

• Put your best institutional face on your Web site. • Never stop researching your visitors.

MissouriACT Incorporating E-communications: Noel-Levitz

Education

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