Keynote Address - Communicating the Most Effective Messages

How do we effectively reach students who cannot remember a time without the internet, without email? Students who rely on their parents for information and decision-making? Students who are both sheltered and pressured.  

Mr. Baworowsky will engage attendees in a discussion of millenials, neomellenials, "chinook" parents, and the things important to them.

Finally, we will discuss the importance of tracking and analyzing all the data we can gather from click-throughs, open rates, IM, etc.

Learn how one practitioner focused his institution's communications to meet the interests of these students and parents to re-energize recruitment efforts and accomplish increases in the yield of admitted students.

Presented by: John Baworowsky, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Hood College

---

Session I - Admissions Video 101: Using Online Video Effectively in Admissions Marketing

The use of video on the Web continues to grow daily. Everyone from elementary school students to grandparents consume or create their own video content daily. Yet, college admissions departments have not capitalized on this growing development. This workshop will share strategies and examples that Admissions professionals can use to incorporate video into their online communications strategies while engaging students and their parents more effectively on the Web.

Presented by: Darren Wacker, Higher Education Consultant, James Tower

---

Session II - Applying a Little Science to this Art Project

Communicating with prospective students and building Web sites that provoke interaction is an art.  It’s fun to try new things that we think will engage our student population.  However the challenge we face is understanding the impact our efforts have on outcomes in today’s competitive market place with limited resources.  How do you evaluate your e-recruitment efforts?  Do you know what works and what doesn’t work?  What are you currently measuring to determine if it works?  What does it mean to take your e-recruitment efforts to the next level?  During this session we will explore key benchmarks to consider when evaluting your e-recruitment strategies. 

Presented by: Mary Chase, Asst. Vice President for Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions and Scholarships, Creighton University

---

Session III - Web CMS Strategy: Tools, Tips and Tricks for Site Success

Your Web site is at the heart of your institution’s marketing, communications and recruiting efforts.  As the demands on your site grow, so too does the requirement for your staff to have the right tools for the job.  This session will review the “must haves” in web tools, including Web Content Management Software (CMS), rich media, blogs, RSS, Instant Chat and Social Networking.  The discussion will include how to ensure you select and implement the right ones for college and university needs, along with some tips and tricks for making the most of these technologies. This session is ideal for non-technical marketing and communications staff seeking to improve the management of their online communications and extend their site experience.

Presented by: Lance Merker, CEO, OmniUpdate, Inc.

---

Session IV - Understanding the E-Expectations of Transfer Students and Parents

When transfer students look for a new campus to enroll at, what are they looking for? How do their expectations differ from traditional prospects?

The rise of the Web and e-recruitment has made it easier than ever for parents to get involved in the enrollment decisions of their children. These “helicopter parents” make their presence felt in the college selection process, financial aid packages, residential accommodations, class registration, and other decisions. How can campuses better prepare for and meet the needs of these parents?

This session will share results from two new nationwide survey of transfer students and parents of high school college prospects. Gary will discuss how transfer students create their lists of desired schools, the types of communications they find the most effective, and what information they value most on a school’s Web site, why they intend to transfer, and other key data. He also will discuss what these family members look at on college Web sites, what they want to see on these sites, what forms they fill out, and much more.

Attendees will gain a better understanding of the overall decision-making process of transfer students, learning how to make campus Web sites and communications more appealing to these students and how to create Web content that appeals to parents--a crucial enrollment audience.

Presented by: Gary Fretwell, Consultant and Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Noel-Levitz

---

Session V - Why Should Facebook Have All The Fun? Make Web 2.0 Work for You

Web 2.0 is the web, at least for most college-aged students. Facebook has become the most popular online hangout, followed closely by YouTube, according to a February 2008 survey. But they don’t have the corner on the market. The tools are out there to make user-generated content a part of the college recruiting mix. The question is where, when and how to use them.

This session will describe how to incorporate the technologies that are available to make a website effective at the various stages of the recruiting funnel. From student blogs and online chats to discussion boards and social networking, you will hear what it’s like on the ground as you deploy these new tools to win students’ hearts and minds.

Presented by Christian Burk, Coordinator, Creighton University

---

Session VI - Email Marketing: The Rules Have Changed

2007 was not a good year for email. New restrictions continue to grow with many ISP’s and Microsoft Office 2007 implementing changes that directly impact an institutions ability to effectively reach prospective students electronically. If you don’t know the rules, you may be impacting your ability to play on the field. This session will explain these changes, highlight what admissions offices need to know about their use of email and provide information on ensuring deliverability of the emails you send.

Presented by: Darren Wacker, Higher Education Consultant, James Tower

---

Session VII - Breaking Through the Clutter: How to Use Variable Data Printing to Stand Out in a Crowd

Discover why variable data printing is better than regular print. This will be a comprehensive overview regarding the capabilities and uses of color-variable print in college admissions marketing.

Attention will be given to the needs of the recruitment market that drive variable data in the college admission industry. The process of producing variable data printing will be covered as well as the reasons it receives the response it does in the marketplace.

Presented by: Tom McCleery, District Sales Manager, Curtis 1000

---

 

---

---