What, Me Worry?: Keys to Taking Advantage Of These Uncertain Times (Through a Marketing Prism)

1. What, Me Worry?: Keys to Taking Advantage Of These Uncertain Times(Through a Marketing Prism) George Dehne Christopher Small GDA Integrated Services www.gdais.com

2. Carpe Diem • In our experience, major change in colleges only happens under duress • In good times, people are less apt to try new things • In bad times, they have to start to do things better • So strike while the iron is hot • Get trustees signed on first • Turn to your “best” faculty members for support

3. Rethink Strategic Plan • Most college strategic plans are neither strategic nor plans • Make sure there is little light between your college’s strategic plan and your college’s marketing plan. • Do an Environmental Scan • Do a competitor analysis – majors, long range plans, financials • Rethink your enrollment targets – down or up

4. The Two QuestionsFrom StudentsYour College Must Answer Can you help me become significant? Investment benefits Can you help me belong? Consumption benefits

5. Consider AlternativeIncome Sources • Summer conferences – high school age • Energy – solar, wind power, recycle • Dual Enrollments • Online programs

6. Communicate Most important thing colleges can do to weather an economic downturn is to keep talking to their… • Current students • Alumni • Employees …while reaching out to prospective students

7. Leadership in this Crisis Focus On Product And Services [Expenditures] In Cost-cutting Process, Not Just Overhead Cost. • Do you need all those majors? • Are you cutting your student recruitment budget, just to be fair? • How much does your General Education program cost you?

8. Leadership in this Crisis • Be Vigilant To Protect Growth Initiatives • Don’t slash an interdisciplinary major with promise • Feed a growing program, don’t starve it

9. Leadership in this Crisis Exploit Risk Opportunities: Embrace, Don’t Eradicate, "The Right" Risk Exposures • The “right” risk can turn enrollment around • GDAIS “Big Idea” program has risks • Market research is less expensive than being wrong

10. Leadership in this Crisis Make Critical “Talent” Plays • Keep best recruiters • Reward financial aid director • Hire faculty with private college backgrounds

11. Don’t Sacrifice Your Facilities

12. Most Important Facilities During Visit

13. Did you rule out a college or university because a facility that you viewed as important was inadequate? 25% Yes 75% No 47% Strongly agree or agree: When I first saw the campus, I knew this was the right college for me

14. Outsource • Nurture your in-house core competencies • Carefully offload other functions to vendors • Outsourcing can often reduce near-terms costs • Vendors can create lower, variable costs • More variable costs give your institution more freedom to respond to shifting economic conditions

15. The Nitti Gritty • Marketing Issues • Recruitment Issues • Financial Aid Issues

16. Don’t Reduce Marketing or Admissions Budgets • Make sure it is used wisely • Measure Everything • It’s no time for more of the same • Integrated Communication • Advertising • Recruitment travel • Outsourcing

17. Integrated Communications • Probably not a good time to re-do your website • Spruce up the home page • Do single message mini-sites • Can you get another year or two out of your print publications? • Develop an arsenal

18. The Need to be Known • Brand wariness. Presumed safer to choose well known institution. • Prestige. Seven of ten students and parents define “prestige” as nationally known or well-known in region. • Direct mail. Eight of ten college-bound students say they are far more likely to open mail from an institution of which they had heard. • Self-initiated inquirers. They are seven times more likely to apply and ten times more likely to enroll than other contacts.

19. Impact of Advertising, if any • Fewer than 1% of the college-bound students inquired because of newspaper, television, radio, billboard or magazine ad • About 75% of the students first learned of their enrolling college through sources the college could not control • Public relations is more credible than advertising to parents and students

20. Guaranteed Visibility • Word-of-Mouth Marketing • Educational Materials as Promotion • Be Known for Something • Position the College with Other High Profile Organizations • Target Cities • Op-eds and Advertorials

21. Student Recruitment • Less focus on mail • More focus on people • Work smarter • More accountability • Make the case for value

22. Work From CAMPUS • Use Prospect Management to build first choice applicants • Start early • Focus on those who are interested • Customization • Use Telephone • Make the campus visit an event • Virtual interviews • Involve the whole campus • Outsource to increase flexibility

23. Financial AidWhere the action probably will be! Uncertainty rules the day • Availability and cost of private loans • Home equity lines of credit • Emaciated 529s • Outside scholarships decline • People feeling less flush

24. Warm “Fuzzies” Are Important • Make sure Financial Aid Office is up to the task • Work on customer relations skills • Answer the phone • Respond to messages • Talk to anyone who asks • Be flexible and offer to work with people • Don’t get hung up on old rules • Manage fear

25. What else can you do? • Freeze or reduce tuition ??? • Make need a bigger part of your award matrix • Aggressively pursue FAFSA • Do not try to buy the highest quality • Use money on the middle of the pool • Use fellowships – not just scholarships • Increase work-study program • Increase pay rate • Develop a work-study career path

26. Then What? • Check to see how you are doing • Develop stronger aid programs for transfers • Don’t try to save money on current students • Have a system to catch the unhappy campers • When all else fails call a consultant!!

27. Faith Popcorn, chief executive of marketing firm BrainReserve, says “people are looking for warm, cozy places to curl up in” in the current economic climate. “We are in a period of shock right now, and we are looking for respite and revival and restoration.”

28. THANK YOU GDA Integrated Services George Dehne Christopher Small www.gdais.com george@dehne.com