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Slow Growth to Major Growth: The Marketing of an Online Degree Program

Slow Growth to Major Growth: The Marketing of an Online Degree Program. Dr. Roger Von Holzen Ms. Darla Runyon Center for Information Technology in Education Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO. The Failure to Thrive. Many online programs feed off traditional student enrollment

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Slow Growth to Major Growth: The Marketing of an Online Degree Program

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  1. Slow Growth to Major Growth: The Marketing of an Online Degree Program Dr. Roger Von HolzenMs. Darla Runyon Center for Information Technology in EducationNorthwest Missouri State UniversityMaryville, MO

  2. The Failure to Thrive • Many online programs feed off traditional student enrollment • Problem has its basis in three major areas: • lack of a strategic plan • lack of fully developed online degree programs • lack of marketing*

  3. NorthwestOnline • Spring of 1998 Northwest focused in on the emerging online Associate in Applied Science business degree programs • Articulated 2+2 programs • Bachelor of Science degree program in Business Management • BS in Accounting program devised later*

  4. The Articulated Program • Unique aspects of these articulated programs: • up to 82-85 credit hours from the community college may be transferred into Northwest • some courses are transferred into Northwest at the junior or senior course level* Example

  5. Signed Agreements • Colorado Electronic Community College • Kansas City Kansas Community College • Metropolitan Community Colleges of Kansas City, MO • Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA • Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, NE • North Central Missouri College, Trenton, MO • Tulsa Community College, Tulsa, OK*

  6. In the beginning... • Northwest Online virtual campus web site launched--August 1999 • No one came--at least, very few • Few students signed up for the courses simply because few students knew about them! • We had forgotten to market*

  7. Devising a Marketing Plan • Fall 2000 semester • Organized effort undertaken to market the online courses both internally and externally*

  8. Internal Marketing • Focus on academic and administrative groups and departments • Goal was to streamline the bureaucratic processes for online students • Significant challenge: Getting personnel to forgo past procedures and to devise new and innovative means of tackling problems • For example, campus network account usernames and passwords*

  9. The Virtual Web Site • Facilitated and organized the internal marketing process • Developed in cooperation with eCollege.com • Areas involved: • admissions • registration • course catalog • student services • financial aid • academic information* Web Site

  10. The Virtual Web Site • Virtual campus services were up and running over a three month period • Helped move the campus bureaucracy very quickly into the digital, web-based era*

  11. External Marketing • Encompassed both current Northwest students and other potential customers both regionally and nationally*

  12. On-Campus Marketing • Focused primarily on four tracks • Track One: Need for a separate listing of the online courses in the student course offerings publication • This was in addition to the departmental listing of the courses • Helped to focus student attention on the variety of courses that were available online • Encouraged some students to sign up for more than one online course*

  13. On-Campus Marketing • Track 2: Informing Northwest faculty advisors of online options • Get faculty to advise students to sign up for online courses to get around scheduling conflicts*

  14. On-Campus Marketing • Track 3: Campus-wide student spam • Announced the availability of the online courses • Web address pointing to further information • Proved to be a very effective marketing technique • Option has been curtailed by the administration due to the spamming abuse* Spam

  15. On-Campus Marketing • Track Four: Print advertising • Ads in the student campus newspaper • Large ads, often humorous, were placed on a weekly basis in the newspaper running up to and through the student registration period • Advertising tent cards in the Union and library* Ad 1 Ad 2 Tent Card

  16. Regional and National Marketing • Goal: to tap into the huge population that has not been traditionally serviced by the university*

  17. Regional and National Marketing • One targeted group were high school students who were interested in taking college courses beyond the dual credit option • Posters and fliers were sent out to high schools in the University's 19 county service region • Enables students to get a head start on their college careers by enrolling in online general education courses* Poster

  18. Regional and National Marketing • A second target group were Northwest alumni • Articles and announcements were placed in the alumni publication • Emphasized the option for Northwest graduates to "return to school" through the online programs in order to enhance their backgrounds or to change careers*

  19. Regional and National Marketing • Posters and fliers geared to adult learners were sent out to 500 regional businesses • These businesses have direct links as employers of Northwest graduates • Ads were also placed in regional training publications* Poster Ad

  20. Regional and National Marketing • Ads were placed in the Army's Stars and Stripes newspaper • Information about the online degree programs was uploaded to the major online search engines and online education portal web sites • Requires periodic monitoring and updating*

  21. Co-Marketing • KC REACHE Consortium--8 members • Target 1,500 largest businesses in Kansas City • Spot advertisements on public TV • The co-marketing of online degree programs to AAS graduates with our articulated community college partners • Get students to return to the community colleges to take more general education courses and then transfer to Northwest to complete their BS degrees* Poster ePostcard

  22. Effectiveness of Marketing Effort • Followed a comprehensive, integrated approach to both the internal and external marketing • Targeted students who had not been traditionally serviced by the university • Led to both a steady increase in the number of courses offered online and in the number of students enrolled*

  23. Number of online courses offered through Northwest Online

  24. Students enrolled in Northwest Online courses

  25. Dr. Roger Von Holzenrvh@mail.nwmissouri.eduMs. Darla Runyondrunyon@mail.nwmissouri.edu www.NorthwestOnline.org www.nwmissouri.edu www.nwmissouri.edu/~cite/

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