Trends in Higher Education Marketing, Recruitment, and ...

Trends in Higher Education Marketing, Recruitment, and Technology

March 2014

In the following report, Hanover Research explores a variety of trends that have developed within higher education marketing, enrollment, branding, and recruitment. A close consideration of how technology is impacting higher education is also discussed, including emerging trends in the use of technology to both attract prospective students and boost overall student engagement.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary and Key Findings ................................................................................ 3 KEY FINDINGS.............................................................................................................................3

Section I: Branding and Marketing ..................................................................................... 5 OVERALL TRENDS ........................................................................................................................5 BRANDING AND MARKETING STRATEGY ...........................................................................................7 SOCIAL AND DIGITAL ....................................................................................................................9

Section II: Recruitment and Enrollment............................................................................ 12 RECRUITMENT EFFORTS: COMMON AND EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES .........................................................13 INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT ....................................................................................................15 ADULT LEARNERS ......................................................................................................................16 CHANGING ADMISSIONS STANDARDS ............................................................................................17

Section III: Technology and Higher Education................................................................... 20 ONLINE LEARNING.....................................................................................................................20 CHANGING METHODS OF DELIVERY...............................................................................................22 Gamification ..................................................................................................................... 23 Flipped Classrooms ..........................................................................................................23 Adaptive Learning ............................................................................................................25

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND KEY FINDINGS

In the following report, Hanover Research examines recent trends and developments in higher education related to branding and marketing, recruiting and enrollment, and technology.

KEY FINDINGS

One of the most notable trends in higher education branding and marketing is that

institutions are dedicating far more attention to these functions than in previous years. Many universities have hired marketing professionals from the corporate world, including CMOs, and have invested significant time and money to create strong institutional brands.

Perhaps the largest area of innovation and growth in higher education marketing

and branding, as well as in recruitment, is in the online and digital space. Although there is still some doubt that institutions are using technology to its full potential, particularly with social media and other emerging platforms, a recent survey by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth indicated that nearly 100 percent of institutions polled use some form of social media as part of their marketing and overall operations.

Among the most important tools for social and online marketing is an effective

and intuitive website, which should be considered the "ultimate brand statement" for an institution. Websites often feature elements and layouts so as to streamline and highlight content, including navigation bars, engaging visuals such as slideshows, and prominent "call to action" buttons that encourage students to apply, for example.

Despite increased digital activity, a recent survey found that the most effective

marketing strategies for universities are nevertheless events-based and involve direct interaction with potential students. Radio ads, asking current students or alumni for applicant referrals, and online college fairs were deemed least effective, while the most effective methods of outreach were open houses and campus visit days for high school students.

Recruitment strategies in higher education increasingly focus on international

students and non-traditional and adult learners. Colleges and universities in both Canada and the U.S. are competing for international students on a growing scale, with Canada increasing its international enrollments by 94 percent over the last decade, and the U.S. increasing international enrollments by nearly ten percent over last year.

Despite the increase in popularity of online education, few top-tier universities

have robust online education offerings outside of continuing education programs and MOOC courses. A random sampling of ten institutions in the top 100 Academic

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Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) showed that only two out of ten offer traditional online courses (non-MOOC and non-continuing education).

Newer methods of online and technology-enhanced course delivery, including

"flipped classrooms" and gamification, are showing promising student outcomes. "Flipped" and gamified instruction models in particular have resulted in greater student engagement. Adaptive learning technology has also enjoyed significant interest, and new technologies are currently under development by Fujitsu, MIT, and the Apollo Group.

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SECTION I: BRANDING AND MARKETING

As universities find the need to appeal to an ever-increasing and diverse student base, successful branding and marketing have become increasingly important activities for institutions. Universities must now go to greater lengths to differentiate themselves from competitor institutions. Successful branding can help with increasing enrollment, expanding fundraising capabilities, and other outcomes. A recent Perkins+Will white paper summarized the multi-faced nature of branding, and its significance, as follows:1

Today, effective strategic planning and brand management require more than traditional advertising, marketing or identity development. Institutions that craft, present and manage a unified brand message, experience and environment achieve a competitive advantage in recruiting, retaining and building loyalty amongst their students, parents, staff, faculty, alumnae and donors.

Communicating a brand successfully to students, both current and prospective, requires strategic planning and effective tools. This section will explore some of the recent ways branding and marketing has been used in the higher education industry.

OVERALL TRENDS

As indicated above, institutions are focusing on branding and marketing far more than in previous years. Many have hired marketing professionals from the corporate world and invested significant time and money to create strong institutional brands.2 In some cases such as at Northwestern University in the U.S., this has meant creating Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) positions and making brand creation and marketing campaigns a core function of the institution.3

For some institutions, this sort of re-trained perspective and corporate mentality has drawn praise as well as rebuke. Purdue University, for example, spent a half million dollars in 2010 on its "Makers, All" branding campaign which was poorly received by students and alumni.4

However, there is evidence that universities do not have to spend significant amounts of money to be effective. Elliance and other industry experts identify several top trends from

1 "Harnessing the Power of the University Brand: Five Steps to an Effective Branded Facility." Perkins+Will.

2 Kiley, K. "A New Brand." Inside Higher Ed, October 4, 2011. _on_university_campuses; Armini, M. "Beware Higher Ed's 'Mad Men'." Inside Higher Ed, May 27, 2010.

3 Morrison, M. "Why Higher Education Needs Marketing More Than Ever." Advertising Age, October 22, 2013.

4 "Purdue Spent $500K on Controversial Branding Campaign." Inside Higher Ed, June 27, 2011.

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2013, and many of these branding and marketing approaches are feasible for most colleges and universities. Unsurprisingly, they are heavily centered on the use of technology:5

Responsive website design: Institutions are placing more emphasis on responsive

web design to create intuitive and easy to navigate websites that can be viewed on multiple devices and platforms.

Search engine optimization: Administrators want their institutions to receive a

prominent spot in search engine results, particularly Google. Especially for institutions that offer niche programs, it is increasingly important to ensure that search results include these programs at the top.

Use of web analytics: Colleges and universities are relying on data-driven analytics

to determine who, how, and where they are reaching their audiences. The use of analytics software is increasing as the higher education web ecosystem is becoming increasingly complex, and the amount of material institutions have online is expanding (domains, subdomains, etc.). Getting a better handle of this data is a new area of concentration for colleges and universities.

Strategic social media: While recent polls indicate nearly every institution of higher

education use some form of social media, it is unclear that many are realizing any ROI on simply establishing Facebook or Twitter accounts. These trends are explored further in this section.

Mobile development: Alongside the rise of mobile technology and connected

devices, colleges and universities are making greater investments in having a mobile presence. This includes not only mobile versions of websites and other content, but also making a greater amount of course content mobile-friendly.

CMS and CRM systems: Alongside the use of web analytics and other methods of

harnessing "big data" in higher education, colleges and universities are relying more heavily on content management and customer relations systems. CRM systems are especially important tools for admissions professionals engaged in outreach to prospective students.

Beyond the changes brought by technology, marketing and branding trends have shown a progressive reliance on more creative outreach efforts, as well as design and advertising campaigns.6 Some are more artistically-oriented than others, but most attempts are to appeal more personally to students that may be interested in higher education. Examples include placing QR codes (to interact with smartphones) in public places, crowdsourcing

5 Noaman, A. "Higher education marketing trends for 2012-2013." Elliance, August 9, 2012. ; Joly, K. "One Design to Rule them All? Responsive Website Design in Higher Education." University Business, February, 2012. ; Dixon, C. "Finding the Right One: Mobile Technology in Higher Education." Educause, November 1, 2012. right-one-mobile-technology-higher-education

6 Carey, K. "The Brave New World of College Branding." The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 25, 2013.

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photos and videos to share campus events, making creative advertising videos (with the intent to go viral), and upgrading housing and other facilities to attract students.7

More traditional marketing and branding strategies, such as open house events and sponsored visits for students are also still extremely popular, as the next section will discuss in more detail.

BRANDING AND MARKETING STRATEGY

According to a recent report by communications agency Noir sur Blanc, "93% of administrators in higher education already considered their institution to be a brand." However, that same report notes that "in many cases, this is really more wishful thinking than objective truth. In reality, only the larger institutions have adapted their communications policies to include the brand angle and integrated it into their strategies."8

As institutions turn more to guidance from corporate CMOs or otherwise pursue a fundamental revamp of their marketing and branding strategies, several successful guidelines have emerged for higher education. The same Noir sur Blanc report emphasizes four main elements to branding strategy for higher education:9

Branding requires "patient and rigorous effort," and relies heavily on timing. A

university brand can be damaged much more quickly than it can be successfully built, so consistency in purpose and messaging is necessary. For instance, "a mediocre ranking is not catastrophic, but a series of low rankings can do long-term damage to the image."

According to Noir sur Blanc, "it is very important to keep promises, particularly

when it comes to the quality of the education provided." Institutions must be committed to maintaining and improving quality. In turn, their "communications must constantly be underpinned by facts, data, and irrefutable evidence: rankings, accreditations, applicant data (number and quality), recruitment of professors, placement of graduates, agreements with prestigious partners, media presence [...] anything that demonstrates the quality, as the excellence of the institution helps craft and strengthens its brand."

"It is essential to ensure consistency among positioning, identity, strategy, stated

goals, and communications. [...] It is also important to carefully monitor the consistency not only of the messages expressed by the communications department, but also those of the professors, students, [and] governing authorities [...] They must all speak with the same voice." Institutions should ensure that their

7 "20 Cool Trends in College Marketing." Best Colleges Online, November 30, 2011.

8 "Higher Education and the Challenges of Communication." Noir sur Blanc White Paper. p. 26.

9 Ibid., p. 27-29.

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brand is not diluted by attempting to "cover every market at once and meet everyone's expectations."

Institutions should leverage multiple angles in order to maximize growth of a

brand. This includes mobilizing alumni networks and current students to be brand ambassadors; maximizing merchandising potential (e.g., branded clothing and apparel, gifts, and other items, particularly related to athletics); and taking advantage of event organization in order to attract greater public attention (e.g., conferences, galas, or forums for students and businesses).

Canadian institutions have employed these types of branding and marketing strategies, but the country as a whole has also prioritized "increasing its market share of international students."10 This is likely the most significant trend of note in Canada over recent years, and its impact on enrollment in Canada is discussed in greater detail in the next section. In terms of branding and marketing, Canada has attempted to redefine its national education system as wholly different from others in the global marketplace.11

A 2012 government report entitled "International Education: A Key Driver of Canada's Future Prosperity" outlines strategies for marketing and recruiting, including:12

Prioritizing specific markets - The provinces identified Southeast Asia, the

Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa as priorities beyond "the more established markets";

Extending the Canada brand ? Because international students often select their

country of choice first and then select the institution, universities should ensure to develop comprehensive communications strategies for prospective students from priority countries that promote the Canada brand "in all areas of marketing, media relations, event promotion, and digital communications."

Employing a sophisticated digital communication system, including a website that

is easy to navigate, highlights the advantages of studying in Canada, and may include video testimonials of current international students, for example. Social media resources such as China's version of Twitter, called Weibo, can also be very valuable marketing tools.

Some of the digital efforts endorsed by Canada and that are being used by institutions to promote their brand are discussed below. Nevertheless, a 2013 survey of international students revealed that "direct email or phone conversation was more than twice as

10 Kizilbash, Z. "Branding Canadian Higher Education." Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2011.

11 Ibid. 12 "International Education: A Key Driver of Canada's Future Prosperity." Advisory Panel on Canada's International

Education Strategy, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, August 2012. p. 45-55.

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