small college 10 steps

Jeff Kallay, Experience EvangelistNSCEC 2009

10 Steps to Better Campus Visits

Let’s Manage Expectations- Much to cover in short time - I strive to overwhelm- “Big Picture” thinking - it’s about change- Experience Economy 101- Recap Ten Steps that make the difference between a tour and an experience- The Lows (let’s hope your school isn’t featured)- The Highs (featuring a near perfect experience)- Questions along the way and at close of session- Give-a-ways (did you submit your business card?)- PDF available online

“I Love My Clients!”- I’ve got the greatest job thanks to them and TargetX- I couldn’t do what I do without them- They are the ones with courage and vision to bring me to their campus and listen to my consultation- The Lows - they know already and are correcting- The Highs - more often than not- All have highs and lows- Did I say, how much “I love my clients!?”

The Experience Economy 101

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Experiences

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Experiences = Memories

Experience marketing is about:

1. Repelling commodization 2. Charging a premium price3. Persuading consumers to pay when they never did before4. Selling “Memories”

Arts and Science Group

Remember, “The experience is the marketing.”

Arts & Science Group Student Poll 2004

Arts and Science Group

The experience is higher education marketing

Eduventures 2007 Survey of 7,867 High school junior and seniors.Reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education “Prospective Students Rely on Campus Visits and Web Sites to Learn About Colleges, Report Says”

- 84% use the web most heavily in researching colleges- 71% say the campus visit is the most trusted source of information

10Ten Steps that make the difference between

a tour and an experience

1. Integrate the four E’sHigher Education is the experience economy: 4 E’s

Entertainment Education

Esthetic Escape

Strategic Horizons, LLP

Absorption

Immersion

Active ParticipationPassive Participation

2. Craft a mini campus experience

- Customize the Experience We all want what we want - accommodate the various levels of interest of guests to your campus

- Eliminate negative cues - Accent positive cues- Look for missed cues

Elon University

2. Craft a mini campus experience - Engage ALL the senses“83% of marketing appeals to sight, leaving a paltry 17% to the other senses. Surprisingly, smell is the second most important sense after sight, and not sound. In fact, 75% of all emotional connections are based on smell.”

Adweek review of Brand Sense

Centre College The Ohio State University

2. Craft a mini campus experience

- Mix in the memorabilia - “ticket stub”

California Lutheran University

3. Set the expectation

- Before guests arrive (online, email, & mail) - Explain route (will and won’t be seen)

Map courtesy of Lenoir-Rhyne College and Sketches

4. Spend no money - Engage the “sense of the butt”

Millsaps College Albright College

Hampshire College Saint Joseph’s University

5. Tell stories not statistics - Stories render authenticity

Hendrix College

Albright CollegeLenoir-Rhyne College

6. Reveal your school’s nomenclature7. Keep it real - do what’s authentic to

your campus and experience

Millsaps College California Lutheran University

8. Do you have a signature moment?Albright CollegeCerritos Public Library

Millsaps College

Westmont College

Hampshire College

Ursuline College

9. Mystery shop your tour (and your competitors)

The Ohio State University

10. Top Ten Tidbits for Tour Guides1. Interact as if you’re giving your sibling a tour

2. Answer questions honestly and directly, but remind them it’s your perspective

3. Watch your pronouns - “We” is exclusive, “You’ll “is inclusive

4. Tell stories - yours and your friends’

5. When you walk backwards they look at you, not the campus

6. If you feel negatively about any other school - don’t name names

7. “Tour guides” is boring - you’re bright, come up with a memorable name

8. Find connections with your audience and ask open-ended questions

9. Is asking “Do you have any more questions?” the best way to end a tour?

10. Have Fun!

The Lows

Expectations Not Managed- Difficult to find “Visit” information on websites “How many clicks?”- No email, phone, or mail confirmation- Not fully explaining how long to be on campus and what all a visit entails- Just kind of sit and wait in office or visitor’s center

There’s better parking in Hell- No visitor parking- Not enough visitor parking- No wayfinding signage- Country Mile from Admissions

Am I in a Doctor’s office?- Or a funeral parlor?- Dark, depressing Admissions Offices or Visitor’s Centers- Harsh fluorescent lighting- Chairs around the walls or crowded- No music, computers, or refreshments- Nothing you want to read or look at

Am I in a Doctor’s office?

Negative Cues

Model Rooms That Aren’t

Tours That Are Too Large

Disengaged Tour Guides

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS1P5LleRDk

Disengaged Tour Guides

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avYUL1A-WUM

The Highs

Expectations Managed- Easy to find “Visit” information on websites “1-2 clicks?”- Email, phone, or mail confirmation- Explaining how long to be on campus and what all a visit entails- Engaging pre-tour experience in office

It’s like parking in Heaven- Easy to find visitor parking- Tons of visitor parking- Wayfinding signage - Close to Admissions

Occidental Occidental

Southern New Hampshire

I’m not at the Doctor’s office!- Authentic look and feel- Bright, comfortable Admissions Offices or Visitor’s Centers- Indirect and pendant lighting- Furniture clustered in groups- Music, computers, refreshments- Stuff you want to read or look at

Not a Doctor’s office!

Albright College


Philadelphia University


Troy University

Not a Doctor’s office!Eckerd

Not a Doctor’s office!Eckerd

Birmingham-Southern College


Hobart and William Smith Colleges


Hobart and William Smith




Hobart and William Smith Hobart and William Smith

See more at: http://picasaweb.google.com/ExperienceEvangelistCollegeAdmissionAndVisitorCenterImages

Aesthetic/Esthetic


Transylvania University

Aesthetic/Esthetic


Assumption College

Stories & Storytelling



Sain. Edward’s University



Hobart and William Smith Hobart and William Smith

Engaging Tour Guides, Memories and Memorabilia

American University

Albright

Albright College


Occidental

UArts

Louisville


Lenoir-Rhyne College St. Peter’s

Northern Kentucky University


Centre College

A Near Perfect Visit Experience

Hendrix College

- SACAC school in Conway, Arkansas and member of Associated Colleges of the South- United Methodist - 1100 students, 11-1 faculty ratio, 100% Ph.D - Top Tier National Liberal Arts college- $192 million endowment- $33,198 annual estimate (Princeton Review Best Buy)- 0 Fraternities and Sororities- Loren Pope’s CTCL, “...most beautiful campus...”

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Welcome to Ellis Hall 1,500 Individual Day and 15 Hendrix Experience Days

Managed the Expectations

Customized parking

and welcome

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Interaction with Campus First greeting at Ellis Hall Lobby Desk

No bulky folder: simple trifold

customized brochure

A Customized Experience

The “Helicopter” Lands

Parents stay in Admission Visitor Center while

prospective student is “walked” to and attends class

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Interaction with Campus Attend a class - good chance it will be outdoors

Student “Walkers” tell stories (vs. stats)

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Interaction with Campus Birthday Tradition - visitors encouraged to feel water

Sensory Engagement

Crunching pecan shells, like crunching snow

unique “leg shake” to remove them from shoes

Mailbox and Memorabilia

“National” Signature Moment

What Makes the Experience?- VP “who gets it” not afraid to challenge status quo- Rethought people and positions- Re-appropriated funds and budget- Director of Campus Visits, no travel, 24/7- It didn’t happen overnight - Tweak, refine, and refresh the experience- Took a perceived negative cue (geography) and made it work in their favor - longer time on campus- Keep it real and authentic

The Hendrix HEAT- Six Admission Interns (Sheriffs) - 70 member Hendrix Heat (Hendrix Experience Admission Team) based on personality and schedule not all give tours: airport transport walkers overnight hosts visitor center sitters residential walk lunchers

- “Gatekeeper Mentality”- Prospective students interact with several students

The Experience IS the Marketing!

After one year (currently in third year):- Largest and brightest freshmen class- First time out-of-state went over 50% (55%)- Significant cross-app with out of region schools - Lower discount rate- Freshmen herald “The Hendrix Experience”- 70 freshmen applied to be members of HEAT

The Experience IS the Marketing!

Individual Visit increases 48.8%

2003

2004 2005

20062007

10081157

12291408

1500

Total Visits574674

614718

754

App. Visits28.7%33.6%

30.6%35.8%

37.6%

YieldYield

Challenges You Face:- That’s how we’ve always done it! Status Quo.- There’s no budget available- Fear of change- What will happen if we reduce travel or publications?- We don’t have the staff available - Our tour guides won’t cooperate- We can’t get support from rest of campus- Is this just another admissions fad or trend?

Overcoming Challenges:- Like branding initiatives, publications, and website, creating an experience doesn’t happen overnight- Revisit staff responsibilities and budget- Draft a strategy and timeline- Develop phases to implement experiential ideas- Educate and get buy-in campus wide- Start with easy to implement ideas and add gradually- If something “fails,” drop it and move on- Keep it real and authentic to your school

email them to Jeff

It takes an entire campus:“Whatever we accomplish belongs to our entire group. A tribute to our combined effort” - Walt Disney

“People may not remember what you did or said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” - Jeff Kallay

Recommended reading

TargetX Knowledge Centertargetx.com “click knowledge center”

The Experience Economy & AuthenticityJoe Pine and Jim Gilmore

Brand SenseMartin Lindstrom

The Experience Evangelist Blog

Download Session PDFwww.targetx.com>click “iThink Blog”>Presentation Slides

http://www.targetx.com

http://www.targetx.com

“People won’t always remember what you said,

but they will remember how you made them feel!”