The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of International Communications Plans How, What & When to Do It
PRESENTERS Jennifer Frankel Don Sears Marketing Director Director of Sales jfrankel@internationalstudentinsurance.com dsears@envisageinternational.com
AGENDA ‣ Filling the admissions funnel ‣ Best methods of communications - How, what and when ‣ Social media and messaging app platforms ‣ Open Discussion – What is your communications plan??
Take Aways What do you need in a successful communications plan? A plan to contact prospective Students quickly 1. An ongoing communications strategy. 2. Use the right method to reach students 3. Always deliver a relevant message 4.
Prospects Inquiries THE ADMISSIONS Applicants FUNNEL Admits Enrolled
FILLING THE FUNNEL How: • Prospects ● In country reps Inquiries ● Education fairs ● School’s website Applicants ● Agents Admits ● Portal sites ● List buys Enrolled ● Advertising ● Social media ● Students & Alumni
EMAIL COMMUNICATION Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled
SDSMT Prospect Email Dear «firstname», If you think that you might want to be an engineer or a scientist, the School of Mines is a great choice for undergraduate studies. Our 16 degree programs give you the opportunity to explore the full range of possibilities for building a successful career in engineering and science. Click here to learn about the exciting programs waiting for you at the School of Mines! To learn more about how you can prepare for a successful future and have fun by becoming a School of Mines Hardrocker, click here to visit our website or contact us at international@sdsmt.edu. We hope to hear from you soon! SD Mines Ivanhoe International Center Staff Mailing address is: Ivanhoe International Center South Dakota School of Mines & Technology 501 E Saint Joseph Street Rapid City, SD 57701 Unsubscribe
INQUIRIES How: Prospects • Emails • Calls Inquiries What: Applicants • How to apply • Gather more information about your school Admits • Your chance to begin to develop relationship Enrolled When: • Initial contact ASAP - No more than 24 hours • Ongoing communication weekly moving to monthly
Communication Plan for Inquiries Office of International Relations
Sample Email to Inquiries Looking for a TRUE American college experience? MSU offers over 80 different majors and many undergraduate research opportunities. Our student employment rate is 90% after graduation. To learn more about the affordable education at our top-ranked research university, visit our website at http://www.admissions.msstate.edu/. If you would like to learn more about finding your true self at Mississippi State, contact us! Take care, Your Friends at Mississippi State Apply Now Office of International Relations
APPLICANTS How: Prospects • Email • Phone Inquiries • Social • Messaging Apps • Video Conference Applicants What: Admits • Feeling welcomed • Next steps • Housing options Enrolled • Campus life When: • As needed for deadlines • Personal and campus based touch points
ADMITS & ENROLLED How: Prospects • Email • Calls • Social (invite to class of 2021 FB group) Inquiries • Video conferencing • Mail (Swag!) Applicants What: • Congrats and welcome Admits • Deadlines • What to expect when get to campus Enrolled • Housing When: • As needed for deadlines • Personal and campus based touch points
Sample Email to Admits Dear (Student Name), (Translated into native language) You are about to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime experience! We would love to be a part of that journey and we look forward to have you here with us at Mississippi State University. Hearty congratulations on getting admitted to Mississippi State University! A remarkable accomplishment, you should definitely be proud of. Moving into a new country for education can be both mindboggling and challenging. An absolutely novel society, culture, administration and economy, people, and above all, a completely new education system. But the moment you step on the MSU campus, you will feel at home. Mississippi, a state with a picturesque natural environment and a pleasant climate, is known as the “hospitality” state; anywhere you go, you will be greeted with smiles and politeness. Along with its warmth and kindness, the university will provide you with a plethora of facilities and opportunities to grow academically and personally. All said, the state of Mississippi in general and MSU in particular is a wonderful opportunity which will cherish. I have transitioned into a much more confident person and the credit goes to the kind people here who have a helped and supported me. You will not regret making the decision to come to MSU. You can email me if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing you on campus very soon! Hail State! (can’t use that unless you explain it) Take care, (Recruitment Team member signature) Office of International Relations
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Ugly
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Ugly
USING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Why do we use it? 1. Create awareness to start filling funnel 2. To help students evaluate your program 3. To communicate with students 4. To align application deadlines with marketing
CREATING AWARENESS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Weibo 1. Social media platforms are targeted to current students but gives awareness to potential students ■ Up-to-date contact information ■ Overview of school and International program ■ Have a variety of post 2. Follow students that have requested to follow you ■ Good indicator of quality leads
Using Social Media in Recruiting Like us on Facebook Mississippi State University International Admissions MSU International Undergrads Follow us on Twitter @msstateintl and Instagram @msstateintl Check out our blog on Tumblr WeChat ID: Office of International Relations
MESSAGING APPS Boost conversations with inquiries by using a mix of marketing Messenger Apps – Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber and LINE • Free to use internationally • Can create groups or rooms based off where students are in the application funnel or degree interest • Take advantage of sharing links, documents and personalization According to GlobalWebIndex, 75% of internet users today use some sort of a messaging app . “For more than 500 million users in China, [WeChat is] essentially The Everything App.” – David Pierce at Wired
MOST POPULAR MESSAGING APPS IN EVERY COUNTRY April 2016
VIDEO CHATS How: • Email • Calls • Social (invite to class of 2021 FB group) • Messaging What: • Prospect • Applicant • Enrollee When: • Often • As needed for deadlines • Personal and campus based touch points
FINAL TIPS What do you need in a successful communications plan? 1) A plan to contact prospective Students quickly • According to the Harvard Business review, responding to leads within an hour generates 7x the meaningful conversations than those that wait even an hour later. 2. An ongoing communications strategy • Cannot stop at one email. A continual lead nurturing plan needs to be developed. 3. Use the right method to reach students • Email, social, chat, phone….. and more emails…. 4. Always deliver a relevant message • Based on where they are in the funnel
Alejandro submitted at 12:50 pm
Alejandro submitted at 12:50 pm
PRESENTERS Jennifer Frankel Don Sears Marketing Director Director of Sales jfrankel@internationalstudentinsurance.com dsears@envisageinternational.com
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