rollins college mobile presentation: lessons learned

Lessons Learned from Rollins College

Starting a Mobile Web Presence

Nick Georgoudiou | Director of Web Strategy

Nick Friend | Director of Marketing, Emerging Media

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

AGENDABACKGROUND DEVELOPMENT METRICS NEXT STEPS

BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

• Located in Winter Park, FL (Orlando Area)

• 3,000 students (1,700 undergrad)

• #1 Master’s Level University in the South

• Over half of student body is from outside FL

About Rollins College

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Why Mobile?

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Source: Comscore, available at http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0K6G6SGyAmQ/TZF1snnoiDI/AAAAAAAAWFs/XGGHWBmLFu8/s1600/mobile.png

Why Mobile?

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Source: Comscore, available at http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXNtcWxcotA/Tf9refWg-qI/AAAAAAAAXMQ/Ch4G6f1h9S8/s1600/Smartphone-Demographics_April-2011.jpg

Age 13-34

Age 35-54

Age 55+

The Status Quo: Rollins.edu

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Academic Information

(54%)

Cost-Related Information

(30%)

Admissions Information

(10%)

Student Life(4%)

Prospective Students: What do they want to know?

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Source: Noel-Levitz Survey, “E-Expectations 2010 Focusing Your E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of College-Bound Students”

Prospective Students: What do they want to do?

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Source: Noel-Levitz Survey, “E-Expectations 2010 Focusing Your E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of College-Bound Students”

COST OF ATTENDANCE

COURSE CATALOGUE

•67% want a course catalogue

•68% want a cost calculator

•77% Want a campus visit request form

•91% want an online application

VISIT ROLLINS

APPLY NOW

So what are our options?

Native App Vs.

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Native App Mobile Website

App vs Web SiteDECISION CRITERIA Native App Mobile Website

Development Time - -Development Cost - +Ease of Use for Prospects - +Ease of Use for Current Students

+ +

Level of Vendor Support Needed

- +

Depth of Offering + -Works on all mobile devices?

- +

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

Source: April 20, 2011, “The Interactive Brand Ecosystem” Forrester report.

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

DEVELOPMENT

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Development

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Step

1Step

2

Ask the Right Questions

Step3

• What will the site feature?

• How will we select content?

• Who are we focusing on?

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

Who are we doing this for?

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Prospective Students Current Students

-or-

Separating Sites

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Pro

spect

ive S

tud

en

ts

Cu

rren

t S

tud

en

ts

Development

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Step

2Step

3

Look for Solutions

• What will the site feature?

• How will we select content?

• Who are we focusing on?

Ask the Right Questions

Step

1

• Build through our own CMS?

• Use an agency?

• Use a web-based vendor?

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Vendor Solution

Development

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Step

2Step

3

Look for Solutions

• What will the site feature?

• How will we select content?

• Who are we focusing on?

Ask the Right Questions

Step

1

• Build through our own CMS?

• Use an agency?

• Use a web-based vendor?

Build the site

• Put ourselves in customer’s shoes

• Used research the validate our choices

• Gave prospects what they needed

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

Site Implementation

Marketing / Web Strategy

ADMISSIONS UNDERGRAD GRADUATE

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

Building the Site

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Best Practices

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Getting Approval

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

Potential Barriers•Low understanding of the importance of

mobile technologies

•Not everyone may be receptive

•Fear of loss of control of content/process

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

MEASURING SUCCESS

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Measuring SuccessCurrently looking at three performance factors*:

•Time spent per visit

•Number of pages visited

•Bounce rate

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

* A significant amount of traffic (>50%) continues to visit the existing site via a mobile device.

Measuring Success

Prospective student site results:

•Time spent per visit down 51%

•Number of pages visited down 8%

•Bounce rate up 1%

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

Measuring Success

Current student site results:

•Time spent per visit down 26%

•Number of pages visited up 32%

•Bounce rate down 30%

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

WHAT’S NEXT?

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Issues/Opportunities•Straighten out event feeds

•Create additional forms

•Reassess content on prospective student site

•Additional success factors (% new visits, types of devices used, etc)

•Dedicated mobile landing pages with or without QR codes

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Confidential and Proprietary - © Rollins College

Academic Information

(54%)

Cost-Related Information

(30%)

Admissions Information

(10%)

Student Life(4%)

Prospective Students: What do they want to know?

Source: Noel-Levitz Survey, “E-Expectations 2010 Focusing Your E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of College-Bound Students”

BACKGROUND | DEVELOPMENT | METRICS | NEXT STEPS

Questions??Nick FriendDirector of Marketing, Emerging Medianfriend@rollins.edu

Nick GeorgoudiouDirector of Web Strategyngeorgoudiou@rollins.edu