Abstracts - Tuesday

Tuesday, July 27th

8:30 - 9:30 am:
Marketing Communications:  Getting Ink and Pixels: Media Relations Tactics to Make News About Your Students in Print & on the Web, Amy Mengel, ReadMedia

More than 80 percent of colleges send out hometown news announcements in some form, but many of them haven’t optimized this process for the Web 2.0 era. Sending information about students back to their hometown newspapers is an effective way to engage with parents, alumni and prospective students. Getting this news online where it can be shared across social networks is even better. Smart schools have moved beyond simple dean’s list and commencement announcements and are now making news about a multitude of student accomplishments: students who study abroad, participate in volunteer projects, land a research grant, break an athletic record. Students’ activities are newsworthy items in their hometowns. Local newspapers love (and print!) this information about students away at college who achieve and excel. In a survey of more than 1,000 suburban newspaper editors and publishers, 90 percent have printed hometown news about local residents in the last 60 days. However, many of these publications are print-only and don’t have an online component. It’s up to schools to make sure hometown news about its students is also published on the Web and easily accessible for people to share across social networks. New technologies make it easy to create and distribute student news across old and new media channels without making any extra work for the school’s PR or Web team. Through case studies and examples, attendees will learn about schools that have made effective use of a hometown news strategy to create hundreds of media hits about students in local newspapers across the country, and to get student news online where it’s being pushed onto Facebook and Twitter by parents and students. The presentation will share examples of creative hometown news campaigns from various colleges and the results of a survey of hometown newspaper publishers on what kind of hometown news they like to publish. Additionally, the session will briefly touch upon simple ways to build online newsrooms (both for student-specific news and “regular” news releases about the school).

Design & Development: Building a Foundation for Integrating Rich-Media on a Web 2.0 Campus, John Drevs, Loyola University Chicago

Web 2.0 technologies have created new channels for university communities to collaborate and connect. User generated content from diverse populations presented an opportunity to extend the voice of the university to all students, faculty and staff. Academic Affairs, University Marketing and Communication, and IT partnered to provide a centralized system of self-managed services. This session will highlight how Loyola utilized third-party and home-grown solutions at the University. Technologies highlighted will include Flashvideo, iTunesU, Blackboard, blogs, and wikis. The solution produced efficient administration, improved functionality and a consistent user experience. The speakers will identify the process and experience of creating “igNation,” a home-grown system for facilitating the production and publication of rich-media at the University. This system assembles our video-on-demand, live streams, blogs, wikis and the learning management system content. This six month process to develop igNation presented challenges such as merging disparate systems and addressing the needs of audiences with different goals and perspectives. The speakers will identify the partnerships involved, a rationale for selecting the technologies utilized and the new processes developed. In addition to identifying the methods and challenges, the speakers will address the future of igNation, including the next steps and recommendations for successful implementation at other institutions.

Guest Track: The Best (and the Worst!) of Both Worlds— Across the Great Divide-Building a Campus Web Team Using a CMS, Nathan Gerber, Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University (UVU) has been through several web CMS implementations over the past nine years.  Open source, commercial, and home-grown products were all tried, but failed to keep up with the ever-expanding web system. Eventually, each was abandoned as a campus solution for a mixed-bag of reasons, such as maintenance difficulties, functionality deficiencies, hardware costs, training issues, and team issues across the campus.  Through this journey, UVU has learned that in the world of web CMS, SaaS is a very beneficial and cost effective option.  The Web Development Services, Web Resource Services, and the campus wide Web Advisory Council of UVU have worked tirelessly to implement what we feel is a long-term solution to our enterprise web CMS needs and built our team structure to overcome political barriers.

We understand that during these difficult economic times, each budget dollar must be stretched as far as it can.  This stretch can take its toll on web systems and human resources.  UVU has found that building a campus wide web team and implementing a web CMS SaaS solution allows our institution to achieve its website goals within budget and without significant burden on users and staff members. We would like the opportunity to share our findings and lessons learned with other institutions.

Guest Track: Beyond the Buzz Terms: Defining Your College Brand— Solving the Mystery: Translating Your Brand into a Living Online Presence, Fritz MacDonald, Stamats

What is the magic and mystery of building a brand on the web? How do you take a carefully crafted brand promise and integrate into a medium that is both message-driven and conversational? Why is it so difficult to adapt your cool new look onto your home page and deeper? How do you convey your institutional character in a medium that is intensely measurable, intensely interactive, and constantly changing? This presentation will help answer those questions. With experience in both developing institutional brands and institutional web sites—and marrying the two—Stamats experts Fritz McDonald and Matt Arnold will zero in on the what and the how of building an effective online brand. They’ll discuss what marketing strategies and tactics still apply, what has changed, and how to replace them. They’ll also talk about how to make your web site the hub of your brand, how to drive traffic to it and make effective use of all of your online channels, from social media platforms to email. Finally, Fritz and Matt will show you how to measure the effectiveness of your online branding efforts with a special focus on using Google Analytics. You’ll walk away with a better sense of how integrated marketing and digital media can work together and how to move your institution from traditional marketing to online brand building in an era dominated by quickly emerging technologies.

9:45 - 10:45 am:
Marketing Communications:  Masters Thesis Presentation: Social Media in Undergraduate University Admissions, Abe Gruber, Bloomfield University

This presentation/paper explores the impact of social media (social networking, blogs, etc.) on university enrollment and the disconnect that exists between the social media-related expectations of prospective students and the actions of university admission offices. Through the national distribution of two surveys sampling 200 prospective freshman students and 70 admission offices, this study gauges the usage of social media and its impact on enrollment behavior between these two populations. The research presents that social media has a significantly positive influence on applications and enrollment, and Facebook is the most influential among all social media technologies. Additionally, there exists a sizeable disconnect between the expectations of prospective students and how admission offices are utilizing social media with specific respect to admission offices’ under utilization of Facebook and over utilization of Twitter. Looking at the social media preferences of prospective freshmen and current/future usage by admission offices, universities are out of touch with social media and their prospective students.

Design & Development: Going Social: An End to Linear Web Navigation, Andrea Michnik, The George Washington University

In 2009, the George Washington University set out to overhaul its entire web presence. The Semester in Washington Journalism Program, a special semester program buried deep within GWU, determined a need to launch a new stand-alone .org website in which prospective students could both learn about and interact with the program. After months of research and development of current higher education trends, looking at copy, content, look, feel, theme, organization, navigation and attending the 2009 EduWeb awards, a web designer was secured for the project. In February 2010 a new, highly interactive, non-linear navigation website was launched. Web visitors, program information request and applications have doubled since the site has launched. The new site http://www.siwjournalism.org is now one of the top marketing tools for generating leads and recruiting prospective students for the SIWJ Program. For this presentation a step-by-step look at the 9-month development and web design project will be presented as a case study. This presentation will appeal to those interested in social media, interactive website design and non-linear website development.

Guest Track: The Best (and the Worst!) of Both Worlds— Higher Education: The Toughest Gig in all the Web, Mark Greenfield, University at Buffalo

Higher education web development presents many unique challenges that make it the toughest gig in all the web. Multiple missions, silos, consensus decision making, multiple audiences with disparate needs, corporate expectations on a not-for-profit budget, the growing expectations of the technology adept millennial students, campus politics, and an organizational structure resembling federalism all combine to create a very demanding environment.  But when approached with the right mindset, higher education is also the most rewarding gig in all the web. This presentation will explore the culture of higher education and how it impacts web development, provide a framework for building and sustaining an effective college web presence, and offer advice and guidance for the web professional looking to make the most of a career in higher education.

Guest Track: Beyond the Buzz Terms: Defining Your College Brand— Forget Your Brand, What’s the Message?, Jason Mark, Gravity Switch

Define Brand. Is it your logo? Your colors? Your brand statement? (whatever that is) These items would have served you well in the 1980s, but they’ve proven to be woefully inadequate for our modern times.  Brand has become secondary to your message.  This session will start with an overview of the evolution of brand, and concluded with a series of small group exercises to help shift your thinking to Brand 2.0 thinking.

12:30 - 1:30 pm:
Marketing Communications:  E-Expectations 2010: What College-Bound High-School Students Demand From Your Website, Lance Merker, OmniUpdate & Stephanie Geyer, Noel Levitz

What do college-bound high-school students expect from campus Web sites? What types of content and features do they value the most? How do they feel about colleges using social media for recruitment? During this session, the presenters will share results from the 2010 E-Expectations study, an annual nationwide survey of high school students. They will discuss how these students interact with college Web sites, including how students find the college Web sites, what content students value most and whether they are willing to scroll to read it all, and the interactive features they most like to use. In addition, this session will illuminate how students feel about campuses recruiting through social media. The presenters will discuss what students reveal about colleges using social networks like Facebook, reading blogs and Twitter messages from campus personnel and students, and watching college-sponsored videos on YouTube. Attendees will leave the session with a greater understanding of how to engage students online and create a Web presence that meets their expectations.

Design & Development: The importance of Open Data with Web Content Mgmt: Preparing for Web 3.0, Tom Williams, Jadu


Higher Education Websites are large and complex with some reaching page counts in the hundreds of thousands.  Whether you use a proprietary CMS or an open source solution, you need to get the biggest bang for your buck.  Learn how the use of forms and the integration of social media combined with the right work flow can set you apart.

Guest Track: The Best (and the Worst!) of Both Worlds— Rapid Reply and Other Factors to Spark Success, Andrew Coleman, Co-Founder, LeadQual

LeadQual recently completed a research project whereby we submitted over 750 web inquiries to 160 different schools.  We found that one third of all inquiries submitted never received a call back, and one quarter never received an email response.  Although this lack of follow-up is surprising, much more can be gleaned as we delve deeper into both this study, and other primary research.  During this session, LeadQual will provide data and discuss how speed of contact impacts conversion, and how quickly the value of an inquiry decays.  Is there a difference if you call an inquiry back in 5 minutes versus 3?  Have you ever wondered if a lead generated at 2 am is better than one submitted at noon?  What about a lead submitted on Sunday versus Tuesday?  LeadQual analyzed data of over 100,000 web inquiries to determine conversion rates by time of response, day of week, time of day, acquisition source and various other variables and will be presenting the results of the study, as well as best practices, during this session. 

Guest Track: Beyond the Buzz Terms: Defining Your College Brand— Don’t Jump to Communications: Role of Brand Strategy in Higher Ed Marketing, Sherrie Medina, School, Art Institute of Chicago

Are higher ed marketers letting the cart lead the horse? Has the call become “yikes, we don’t have anything to tweet today” before the question “is Twitter the right space for our brand right now?” has been answered? Advocating for a brand- driven marketing approach, the presenters will track the sequential logic of developing a comprehensive strategy starting with institutional intent and market prioritization and ending with a “just right for our brand” tactical mix. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago will serve as the primary case study, illustrating principles that all college and university marketers can bring to their own institutional strategy and integrated marketing development.  Special attention will be paid to the promise and challenges of the web in achieving strategic branding objectives.

1:45 - 2:45 pm:
Marketing Communications:  How a Closed Social Network Benefited Rutgers/Social Communications & Admissions, Diane Harris, Rutgers University

Hear how a large state university developed and launched their own social network.  Using familiar Facebook navigations and interactions, the participation rates have been strong. More importantly, the instanaeous feedback and questions have been invaluable to the admissions office.

Design & Development: Fast, Cheap & Actionable: Creating an Affordable Research Program, Michael Powers, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

If you’ve done a usability test, you know how powerful user research can be. What’s the next step? Today we have an abundance of fast, affordable user research methods, many of which can be done remotely, with real users recruited right from your website.  This presentation will cover the research options available, including online card sorts, navigation tests, layout tests, and A/B tests.  It will present a simple approach to running successful user research projects, and suggest ways to synthesize what you learn over multiple research projects into something you and your team can act on.

Guest Track: The Best (and the Worst!) of Both Worlds— A Tale of Two Vendors: Successful Web Redesign Against All Odds, Deb Dudley, SUNY Potsdam

The State University of New York at Potsdam (http://www.potsdam.edu) launched an award winning Web site in the Fall of 2008.  The project included everything from internal political battles, dismantling longstanding committees, challenges to academic freedoms, rewriting campus policies, creative funding negotiations, and functional and dysfunctional vendor relationships all within the boundaries of New York State regulations processes.  Lessons learned from two years of transforming an aging institutional Web site will be shared and discussed in a brief presentation followed by a question and answer session.

Guest Track: Beyond the Buzz Terms: Defining Your College Brand— Building Your Brand Online: Top Higher Education Website Examples, Bob Johnson, Bob Johnson Consulting

Today, the first contact most of future students will have with your brand is online at your website. No matter what brand image you project in your advertising, the experience people have at your website will determine what they think of your brand. First impressions count.

In this session, we’ll explore and discuss college and university websites that make a positive brand impact. Engaging carewords, inquiry forms, financial information, social networking, blogs, and email communication are some of the experience areas we’ll review.

Leave prepared to undertake at least one key renovation for online brand strength.

3:00 - 4:00 pm:
Marketing Communications:  The Heretic’s Guide to Marketing to Millenials, Rob Zinkan & John Dalton, Indiana University East

Indiana University East developed a social media strategy designed to attract Millennial students, involving Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, and more.  This strategy developed as the student body at IU East began to change to a more traditional model.  The university followed by ceding all associate degrees to the community college system and focusing on bachelor and master’s degree programs as well as embracing social media. 

IU East has been rewarded with record enrollment, primarily among Millennials, and is the fastest-growing university campus in the state of Indiana.

External Affairs staff have also been rewarded in recent months with local, regional, and national awards from the American Advertising Federation, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District V, and the Educational Advertising Awards, sponsored by the Higher Education Marketing Report. 

IU East staff will share examples and case studies from their marketing strategies, including updates on Chancellor Nasser Paydar, the first university president or chancellor in the country to use Twitter.  They will also talk about their team approach to managing content across various platforms among its small staff and without a position dedicated to social media.

Design & Development: Markers, Markers Everywhere: How to Incorporate QR Codes into the Marketing Mix, Lisa Low, Texas Tech University

If you attended or followed this year’s SXSW, you couldn’t help but notice the square QR codes on everything from postcards, name tags and even screen printed on tee shirts! Mainstream publishers like Conde Nast and Esquire are using codes to drive engagement from print to Web and multimedia content. The Texas Team recognized quickly that this technology is perfect for university publications. We’ve already developed markers for the university strategic plan and a US News and World report ad campaign. Now a printed letter comes to life with a personal welcome video from our president. We˙ll show you how to use free tools to develop and track your own QR codes. Michelle Hougland Michelle is responsible for marketing Texas Tech University.  She oversees and implements marketing programs and campaigns which support the strategic vision of the university and provides marketing assistance to the campus community. Her 15 years of experience in the communications field includes time in independent minor league baseball, college athletics, a full-service advertising agency, cable television and most recently, a stint as the communications coordinator for the Office of the Chancellor.  Lisa Low Lisa is responsible for developing content for Texas Tech Today, the university gateway and various sites in the .ttu and .depts domain. She has more than 20 years of copy writing experience. Her team planned, executed and maintains the institutional social media presence. Lisa began her writing career in community college development, producing grant and foundation publications. She then moved on to commercial marketing for products from apparel to high tech electronics. Lisa has a passion for marketing and writing.

Guest Track: The Best (and the Worst!) of Both Worlds— Teaming Up to Create a Winning Online Marketing Program: DePaul University Case Study, Kelly Cutler, Marcel Media

Objective 1: Identify the components of a successful partnering strategy that will help you introduce SEO, local search, reputation management, and social media strategies for higher education.
Objective 2: Understand the process that turns the HE/vendor/agency relationship into a valuable strategic alliance - with takeaways that the audience can implement in their own organization.
Objective 3: Get valuable insights and tips on how to expedite the complex decision making process within higher education institutions.
Objective 4: View the end results and campaign data for DePaul University’s SEO program.

Guest Track: Beyond the Buzz Terms: Defining Your College Brand— Flip the Funnel: Communications Strategies that Work from Branding through Yield, Adrienne Bartlett, TargetX

This session hypothesizes that there’s something inherently out of whack with the traditional admissions funnel as we know it.  It’s out of date, incomplete and assumes prospects only receive information from us.  We’ll discuss why “Flipping the Funnel” is a necessary shift in recruitment strategy that will help you reach enrollment targets by reallocating budget money, embracing the online conversation surrounding your brand and focusing your efforts on yield. 

4:15 - 5:15 pm:
Marketing Communications:  Enrollment Marketing Automation 3.0: How Technology is Changing Playing Field for Marketers, Jamie Macdonald, SparkRoom

The past few years have seen a proliferation of technology tools and platforms aimed at improving and customizing recruitment marketing and enrollment.  From lead scoring to email nurturing, marketers are faced with an overwhelming number of systems and data sources. The marketers challenge is to leverage those systems to enable data- driven decision making. This panel will bring together key players in four critical areas:
• lead management, call centers, lead scoring and email nurturing
• to discuss best practices in recruitment and enrollment marketing
• find out how you can manage, measure, optimize and automate your enrollment marketing and recruitment activities
• get real, actionable advice on how to make immediate improvements in your enrollment efficiency and growth
• hear how the leading schools are empowering the marketing department by leveraging technology, automating processes and eliminating islands of data
• learn how delivering relevant, personalized marketing messages can dramatically increase your enrollment rates.

Design & Development: Strengthening Website Design for Adult Student Recruitment, Jim Paskill, Paskill Stapleton & Lord

A schools website is often the very first impression your prospective adult students have of your school.  If your site is not optimized for them your messaging starts at a disadvantage.  Studies show that 90% of adults begin their search for a school on the internet before making an inquiry and it further shows that they are not inclined to inquire if the website depicts only traditional-aged students or lacks any visible links for adult students.  So to attract more adult students take steps to make your website welcoming by designing it with them in mind.  After attending this session you will walk away with a fresh perspective on strengthening your website for adult student recruitment and learn about the most effective techniques for engaging prospective adult students.

Guest Track: The Best (and the Worst!) of Both Worlds— Don’t ever work with an agency (a presentation by an agency), James Runkle & Michael Graham, Second Melody

How do you know when (if ever) to outsource projects to an agency? How do you know when (if ever) to keep things in-house? Learn how to organize your project and your internal team to quickly and effectively execute your marketing strategy. Also, learn when it’s right (and when it’s wrong) to work with outside agencies.

Guest Track: Beyond the Buzz Terms: Defining Your College Brand— Bedrock or Shifting Sands? Brand as Foundation for Web Development, Lyn Donham, em2 Design

Brand is the sum of experiences your audiences has with your institution. Your web site should create experiences that resonate with your brand. If your brand needs clarity before you dive into a web redesign, here are some strategies. If you have a defined brand, I’ll share ideas on creating a process to bring it to life on the web, whether you develop completely in-house or partner with an outside firm.