Tina Brooks Senior Assistant Dean (SAD) of Admissions Pomona College Tina.brooks@pomona.edu
Print is Dead Long Live Print!
Most of the data was drawn from Mythbusting Admissions White Paper* (Gil Rogers & Michael Stoner) 2015 Social Admissions Report *Studies conducted October/November, 2014 1,611 high school seniors (42% male/58% female) 218 AOs (39% male/60% female) From private universities (45%), public universities (21%), liberal arts colleges (19%), community colleges (11%) and other (4%).
Marketing Tool Kit Videos: YouTube, embedded videos ● Phone calls ● Posters ● Websites, blogs ● Mobile apps, texting ● Chat rooms ● Social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, ● Periscope, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Vimeo, etc. Mailed letters, postcards, brochures, viewbooks ● Emails ●
Social media is an awesome channel for colleges to engage their teen audience.
Only 4 percent say it’s a good way to contact them initially.
The President of Russia meets with Internet community representatives
“Teens use Facebook like a P.O. Box” (Jen Doak-Matthewson, Associate Director of Digital Engagement at the University of Connecticut Foundation) “[W]hile they are adept at using their smartphones and social media to communicate with their friends, they don’t necessarily want those who aren’t friends communicating with them through these channels and devices.” (Mythbusting Admissions)
What’s the most effective form of communication . . .
What’s the most effective form of communication . . .
What resources do teens use in college search process? What resources do Admission Officers assume they use?
Non-digital resources teens use in college search process
Non-digital resources teens use in college search process II
Most popular digital resources used by teens before applying
Misperceptions about the digital resources teens consult
How impactful is print in influencing students to apply to a college?
Definitely made me NOT apply Responses ranged from 7% (a college I was planning to apply to) ● to 15% (a college I hadn’t heard of before) Had no effect Responses were 64% and 65% (a college I hadn’t heard of before ● or I’d heard of but hadn’t planned to apply to) and 41% (a college I was planning to apply to)
Definitely made me apply ● To a college I’d heard of but hadn’t planned to apply to: 24% ● To a college I was planning to apply to: 52% ● To a college I hadn’t heard of before: 21%
How often do teens want to be contacted via mail or email?
Email TEENS SAY: Often 57% AOs SAY: Often 30% Sometimes 20% Sometimes 57% Rarely 4% Rarely 12% Teens want more email than AOs suspect. ● Mail TEENS SAY: Often 56% AOs SAY: Often 16% Sometimes 33% Sometimes 54% Rarely 7% Rarely 23% Teens want more mail than AOs suspect. ●
Sample bag o’ college mailings of a rising senior in late July. Weight = 18.2 # Estimate of 20 emails/week.
“[ T]eens do use, and value, ‘legacy’ media. The fact that they often don’t open direct mail or pay attention to print doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not important to them--just that they’re being overwhelmed by the #CollegeMail they’re receiving, especially if they’ re good students.” (Mythbusting Admissions)
Pomona’s Search ● piece Mailed to 28,525 ● students (juniors) in March, 2015 as their initial contact with Pomona Folds out to ● 30” x 11”
Fold it out ...
Of the 28,525, 3,205 (11%) became inquires, and 942 (3%) became applicants.
Long live print!
Questions? Reactions?
Discussion Which audiences does print reach? ❖ Which segments might respond best? ❖ Timing of mailings? ❖ What is best communicated via print? ❖ What can you accomplish with print that you can’t via ❖ other channels?
Discussion Examples of highly successful mailings? ❖ Examples of mailings you admire? ❖ Cost benefit analysis? ❖
Discussion How about email? Email is Dead / Long Live Email? ❖ How does email fit into your communications plan? ❖ Finally, thoughts about social media? ❖
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