Marketing: Analyze This!: Use Site Measurement Data to Improve Your College Website
by Jeff Cram, Managing Dir. and Web Strategist, iSite Design

Colleges and universities are discovering what corporations, brand marketers and e-commerce sites learned long ago: Using website data to inform content decisions, improve navigation pathways, and improve conversion tactics can have profound effects on the success of their sites.Analytics have evolved into an essential component in a higher education web strategy, whether you're aiming for a total site redesign or just making a few tweaks to gain more applicants and improve visitor experience.But how to get from here to there? This session, led by a national expert in website analytics and online strategy, will offer practical advice for establishing analytics as a core part of your higher education website strategy. It will offer ideas for choosing analytics software (hint: one of the best packages is free!), provide some tips for getting it up and running, and a roadmap to help you go from raw data to an actionable plan to implement effective changes. Well also sprinkle in a few best practices to showcase how others have made significant improvements by using this data.

Development: Email Campaigns That Work
by Sharaf Atakhanov, CUA, Senior Media Developer, Temple University

Development: What is the best CMS for my school?
by Bill Hurlburt, VP of Interactive Services, Paskill Stapleton & Lord

M-Evolution by Dr. Paul J. Gilroy, Transended.com

This session will cover text messaging, mobile websites (WAP), audio and streaming video.

On-line Off-line: Can't we all just get along by Steve Birnbaum, Jacobson Consulting Applications

As educational institutions implemented online strategies involving content management systems (CMS) and constituent relationship management
(CRM), many did so without considering the importance of exchanging data
with the existing back-office software. Adding to the complexity, many
institutions run systems from different vendors that do not speak to one
another. This roundtable will review strategies for communicating across system and departmental lines and to improve on-line and off-line cultivation efforts.

Rules of Engagement: Connecting With All of Your Online Audiences by Nourisha Wells, Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences

Much is made of technology use among the growing number of millennials who are invading college campuses across the country. As admissions and marketing teams fish for ways to connect with these students through the technology that is second nature to them, they often do so at the expense of other online audiences. Nearly 60 percent of college students are considered non-traditional students. More than half of all Bachelors and Masters degrees are awarded to women. Eleven percent of undergraduate students report having a disability. On average, four out of every five parents are actively involved in their childs college search. Alumni increasingly interact through online communities. And the list goes on. Each audience has a unique set of needs and expectations. Although
meeting the needs of each of your audiences is no small task, there is a general set of rules to engage them all through relevant and timely web content. Whether you have access to the latest technology or rely on the basics to get by, the most important thing is still communicating the right message to the right audience at the right time.

Microformats and Semantic HTML by Dimitri Glazkov, Gandalf Development

Incorporating Online Video into Marketing Strategy by Kate Wilhelmi, Drexel University

Online video has finally become a viable marketing tool thanks to improvements in bandwidth and methods for embedding video. These advancements encouraged the Creative Group at Drexel University to undertake multiple online video projects in order to recruit prospective students. In our presentation, we will discuss our video creation process to help you evaluate your video needs and effectively market your university.We will begin with an overview of current approaches to online video, including videoblogging, DIY/amateur video, and professionally produced video; and discuss the pros and cons of each. After establishing a solid understanding of current styles, we'll move into the video production process and
provide tips on scriptwriting, shooting, and editing. We will also discuss our experiences with creating production schedules, comparing costs, incorporating students into videos, and effectively communicating our vision.The presentation will feature a strong focus on the challenges we faced jumping into the world of online video and what we learned from the experience.

Search Engine Marketing for Traditional Universities by Alex Porter, VP, Search Ad Network

SearchAdNetworks presentation will cover search engine marketing for higher education institutions. Many traditional universities rely on traditional marketing strategies to reach prospective students. Based on the changing way in which young adults obtain information, namely by using Internet search engines, direct mail and other conventional marketing strategies are quickly becoming obsolete. Johnson & Whales University recently took a very progressive and proactive approach to their general marketing efforts by including pay per click manage-ment. Search engine marketing is beneficial for higher education institutions not only because it effectively reaches prospective students, it also offers realistic and detailed feedback on any number of campaign metrics, a perk that is
impossible when advertising by traditional means. Based on SearchAdNetworks experience with Johnson & Whales University, Alex Porter will discuss the benefits of implementing a search engine marketing campaign. Focusing on those inexperienced in the search marketing world, Porter will explain the entire process, beginning with actualization (analysis of competition, development of keyword list, determination of success metrics), execution (initial launch, bidding strategies, unique landing pages) and optimization (analysis of performance, tweaking ad copy, keywords and bids). After partaking in Porters polished presentation, attendees with part with a thorough understanding of search engine marketing, its benefits for traditional universities and strategies for implementing and optimizing a successful campaign.

Tools for the Web by Mary Ann Fitzhugh, OmniUpdate

Your website is increasing at the heart of your institution's marketing, communications and recruiting efforts. And as the demands on your site grow, so too does the requirement for your staff ... web developers and marketers alike to have the right tools for the job. This session will review the must haves in Web tools including a web content management system, along with some soon-to-be-must-haves such as blogs, RSS and web personalization. The discussion will include how to ensure you select the right ones for your individual needs, along with best practices for implementing and how to build the business case.

(New One to Come)

Marketing: The Web is Flat: How to Match the Structure of your Site with How Users Navigate
by Eric Hodgson, Interactive Consultant, Gandalf

When you think about a Web site, there are two phases: in development and live. In too many cases, how users will click through the live site often take a back seat to site structure, page design, and navigation systems during development. Understanding user behaviors will allow you to develop a flat Web site, meaning a user's needs are more readily one or two clicks away. During this session, we will share examples (good and bad) to improve the process of development to more realistically represent the live environment. This will include navigation schemes, dynamic content integration, and successful elements of design layouts.

Development: A Web Re-Design: Lessons Learned
by Lorraine Spencer, IT Manager, Johns Hopkins University, Office of Continuing Medical Education

Marketing: To Click or Not to Click: The Annual 100 College Website Survey
by Brenda Foster, Partner, GCF

Marketing: Recruitment 3.0
by Sean Carton, Chief Strategy Officer, idFive

In a world where its becoming increasingly difficult to reach prospective undergraduate and graduate students,
how does the Web fit in? This talk will explore how to use online advertising to effectively and economically drive admissions leads. We'll discuss overall trends in online media, the how-to's and why's of online advertising, best practices, and a real life case study of online advertising success with a major public university.

Development: Sociological Aspects of Web Projects
by Dirk Swart, Cornell University

This presentation explores aspects of human-computer interaction studies from two separate but related directions: teams and the development of shared mental models.

• Effective vs Ineffective behaviors in virtual teams. Recent research has continued from earlier phenomenological studies in the area of how virtual teams are different with a focus on human factors: How do we build trust in virtual teams? What are 'bad' behaviors? What can managers do to foster team success?
• Social cognition and the development of a shared mental model. When we create a website, we implicitly embody our designs with biases. These may be cultural, sociological or otherwise. How do we make sure we are aware of these? What sorts of interpretation do we consider to be reliable? What novel forms of interaction might we be prepared to consider?

This presentation presents aspects of human-computer interaction. It encourages the audience to think of issues such as:How do users, designers, marketers, and other mediators develop their interpretations of who users are? What novel forms of interpretation might we wish to consider? What makes for effective communication? How do social issues of trust and cooperation play out if teams are virtual? What benefits and what suffers when virtual teams are used?

Marketing: An Avatar, a Contest and the Web: is there a cooler way to build awareness?
by Abu Noaman, CEO, Elliance

Marketing: A Majority of One
by Jack J. Chielli, Executive Director, Wilkes University

The era of one-to-one marketing is here's many institutions of higher education look for ways to increase their name recognition among high school students, few crack into the buzz network kids use to communicate. This network includes MySpace websites, text messaging, instant messaging, and word of mouth. Wilkes University's new ad campaign A Majority of One has captured the imagination of students with its unconventional approach. It was featured in the New York Times, local papers and in ad industry publications.This presentation will include:

• a review of the campaign
• results
• media buy
• how the campaign was executed
• branding of Wilkes University with publications and social communities
• how to get free media for paid media
• what to avoid

The Majority of One campaign utilizes mass media to communicate on a micro level to individual high school students. Wilkes University uses ads on TV, billboards, mall kiosks, MySpace banners, and bowling alleys, ice skating rinks and movie theaters to make one-on-one appeals to student leaders. As word-of-mouth quickly spreads among the teen audience, so to does awareness for Wilkes. This type of one-to-one approach to higher education advertising has not been done before.This presentation is for marketing and communication professionals, admissions directors, recruiters, and others interested in learning more about what it takes to develop advertising campaigns.

Development: Is Your Online Admissions Application Turning Off Prospective Students?
by Sharon Trerise, Coord. of Accessible IT, Cornell University

Marketing: It's a Blog Eat Blog World
by Darren Wacker, Executive Consultant for Higher Education, JamesTower

Students in the recruitment funnel, often referred to as Millennials, have been marketed to forever. This marketing-savvy allows them to see through the marketeze they read in every viewbook that arrives in their mailbox, every homepage they visit, or every email delivered to their inbox. These students long for the inside scoop. What is the college really like, they wonder? Are there students who are like me? Will I fit in? Blogs, because of their authenticity and their familiarity to prospects, are an easy way to tell your campus story and give prospective students the information they expect. Not only do they provide that desperately desired genuine voice, they are popular. According the Pew Internet & American Life project, 38 percent of all teens ages 12-17 who are online read blogs. Of those, 19 percent keep a blog. In general, bloggers are urban /suburban, young, diverse, and evenly split between males and females.Even though the research proves this is not just another passing fad, to many admission professionals the whole idea of setting up a blog program seems elusive. And for those who have blogs, they have become a crossed-off item on their task list and have now faded away to the planet of Never Updated Content.With participation set to be the next P of marketing, do you have the information you need to launch and maintain a successful blogging program? This session will provide college marketing professional with information on how to:

• adhere to blogging etiquette
• choose reliable bloggers
• compensate your blogger
• choose the right topics
• create a good post
• write, set, and enforce policies that relieve the fears of administration
• moderate and review posts
• set success criteria
• syndicate and promote your blogs through RSS
• select blogging software
• And of course we will tackle the question, should your president be blogging?

Marketing: iTunes U: Managing and Marketing University Media Assets
by Ken Ronkowitz, Media & Instructional Tech Manager, NJ Institute of Technology

iTunes U is Apple's free, hosted service for colleges and universities that provides access to their educational content, including private lectures and public promotional podcasts using the technology of the iTunes Store. Here's a look at the impact on campus of the first 6 months of NJIT on iTunes U. An examination of using audio & video podcasts as university marketing tools, faculty as content creators, and iTunes as a content management system for your media assets.

Development: It Can Be Done: How to Delineate and Implement a Successful Web Strategic Plan
by Alberto Fernandez, Dir. of Web Strategy, Lynn University

Development: Direct Response Enrollment Marketing
by Patrick Sutton, Director of Marketing, Innovation Ads

Marketing: The Blog Revolution: Admissions Office Blogs
by Daniel G. Creasy, Senior Asst. Director of Admissions, Johns Hopkins University

Admissions offices at over 20 schools across the country have launched their own blogs in the past couple of years, responding to the blogging trend which has become of of the most popular forms of communication for high school students. Many schools are now strongly considering setting up their own blog to better communi-cate with applicants, parents, guidance counselors, and others. This session will provide insight and tips for both current and future admissions bloggers.While each University's blogs employ a different underlying tech- nology and each blog is implemented somewhat differently into a school's overall communication plan, all share common goals: to disseminate correct and timely information and to reduce the level of anxiety therein by providing a level of transparency to the admissions process. This session will share the interactive experiences of a number of institutions as we hope to inspire others to personalize their process.

Development: Flash Video for Your Institution
by Andy Mrozkowski, Webmaster, Mars Hill College

Marketing: From inbox to iPod: Meshing Today's Social Media Elements into the Marketing Strategy
by Greg Cangialosi, President & CEO, Blue Sky Factory

Marketing: Do U YouTube? The Challenge of Understanding Social Media, User-generated Content and the Gamer Generation
by Penny Bouman Mgr., Enrollment Publications and Communications, Ferris State University

In many ways the media revolution and its multiple broadcast channels such as blogs, RSS feeds, pod-casts, vodcasts, text messaging, social networks, and virtual communities keep people connected, informed, and in charge of the news and information they receive on a daily basis. Anyone can create content and share it with their friends, families, and millions of total strangers just by posting it to a website. When that content is about an experience with a product brandyes, even higher education the results can be good, bad, or downright ugly. As the effectiveness of traditional marketing methods wane and as organizations understand the meaning of this opt-in mindset, some are forming new partnerships with their customers and creating innovative content in order to capture a healthy market share. As the media revolution forces this change, it is imperative for organizations to understand targeted audiences likenever before. Where does higher education fit in this mix of technology and marketing? Can and should institutions harness this insurgency of technology to communicate with and engage the savviest of prospective student audiencesGamers? To what extent should it participate in this viral environment? Listen as Craig Westman and
Penny Bouman from Ferris State University explore the Gamer generation, explain their kinship to social media, and discuss how higher education can make user-generated content work to its benefit.

Development: Supporting a Central Web Presence with a True Communi-cations / IT Partnership
by Diane Kubarek, Director, Office of Web Communi-cations, Cornell University

Development: An Open Source CMS Designed by and for Higher Ed
by Jaye Lawrence, Dir. of Web Communications & Development, Carleton College

Closing Keynote: The Experience IS the Marketing by Jeff Kallay, Experience Evangelist, TargetX

• Motivation: By staging more compelling, memorable and engaging online and in-person (campus visit) experiences, you will make stronger emotional connections with your audiences especially prospective students.
• Problem Statement: Today's students have been to Disney parks countless times, had birthday parties at Build-A-Bear and American Girl Place, and hang-out at Starbucks and in Facebook. These experiences are making them savvy and demanding consumers. If you dont give them the tools to create their own stories, memories and experience online and in-person you
  wont connect with them.
• Approach: This session will teach you the theories of the experience economy, show you examples of leading consumer experiences, and make the theories relevant and scalable to all your online and in-person marketing efforts.
• Results: If your website is an experience, youll get more people returning more frequently and telling others. Experiences connect and, if done right,
  they cost less and yield better results.
• Conclusions: Todays students don't trust traditional means of marketing and advertising. They want authentic and compelling experiences. And they view the online and in-person realms to work in tandem and in support of each other.

Simple Steps to Search Engine Marketing
by Bob Johnson, Bob Johnson Consulting

What's most important to your quest for better search engine visibility? The right content… and how you present that content to the people you hope will visit your website.

We'll explore the value of WordTracker, WordPosition and similar software, pay special attention to the impact of carefully crafted title tags for each of your website pages, review the best presentation of content on your web pages, and learn what key words are most important to student recruitment marketing.

We'll be live on the web to test the popularity of keywords and carewords you think are most important to higher education marketing.

You don't need any technical expertise to take home practical steps to increase your search engine rankings. Spend three hours to learn practical steps you can take as soon as you return to your campus.

Architecting a Hit: How UAB Built a Site the Community Noticed
by The University of Alabama at Birmingham

In the biennial journey to Antarctica, UAB professors and other scientists study marine plant and animal communities. With this comes plenty of photography, video, and an ongoing story to tell. We built antarctica.uab.edu to allow them an easy forum to share their experiences. We expected those close to the project to follow along. What we planned was using the right tools to ensure the story was told across the Web. What resulted was content that was easy to find amongst the media, including CNN.

If you have a story to tell, join us to learn how we turned a
fascinating, yet untold story into a media blitz. During this workshop, we will cover the three major phases of the Antarctica project: defining goals, architecting a social site, and ensuring content carries through post-launch. This session is geared toward those developing departmental sites, setting up bloggers, and solving digital asset management issues.