carnegie dartlet, nagap & google’scarnegie dartlet, nagap & google’s digital insights...
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Carnegie Dartlet, NAGAP & Google’s
Digital Insights for Graduate Enrollment
Presented by:
Mark Cunningham, EVP, Client Solutions & Strategy
Carnegie Dartlet
Marcus Hanscom, Director of Graduate Admissions
Roger Williams University
WHY ARE WE HERE?
We don’t go online. We live online.
Micro Moments
NAGAP surveyed hundreds of their members to get direct
input into what matters most for them as they consider the
role of digital marketing on their campus.
Trend Watch
What are you trying to accomplish with digital?
50.2%
44.9%42.9% 41.5%
37.6%
30.7%
44.4%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
IncreasedApplications
SpecificProgramBranding
LeadGeneration
IncreasedEnrollment
GeneralBranding
EventAttendance
All of the Above
How is digital handled on your campus?
10.2%
18.0%
12.2%
15.1%
24.4%
20.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
0% done in-house
25% donein-house
50% donein-house
75% donein-house
100% donein-house
Unknown
Done In-House
19.0%
28.5%
18.5%
10.2%
1.0%
22.2%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
0% ofbudget
25% ofbudget
50% ofbudget
75% ofbudget
100% ofbudget
Unknown
Budget for Digital
What barriers do you encounter for implementing digital?
Those that said 25% or less being
spent on digital marketing = much
more likely to say budget was a
barrier to implementation.
Those who handle digital in-house
= more likely to say know-how
and internal resourcing issues
were barriers.
27.8%
24.9%
20.1%
7.3%5.9%
4.6%
2.1%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
Budget Know-How InternalResources
Lack of Buy-Inon Campus
Finding theRight Vendor
Other (Not OurDept.)
No Need
What type of online behaviors are you most interested in?
58.5%
56.6%
55.6%
46.3%
21.5%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%
HOW PROSPECTIVE GRAD STUDENTS ARE CONDUCTING SEARCHES
WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS THEY USE
ACTION-ORIENTED AND CONVERSION BEHAVIORS
WHERE THEY SPEND THEIR TIME ONLINE
WHAT DEVICES THEY ARE USING
What are you doing and what’s working in digital?
57.6%
41.0%38.5%
35.6% 35.1%
21.5% 20.5%
13.7%11.2%
9.3%11.7%
35.1%
24.9%
20.5%
10.7%14.1%
8.8%5.4% 3.4% 2.4% 2.3% 4.7%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
Doing Working
What Social Media platforms are you using?
77.1%
43.4%40.5%
34.6%
25.4%
11.7%
4.9%2.0% 1.0% 0.8% 1.5%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Instagram YouTube Pandora Snapchat Spotify Pinterest Other(Varied)
Other("None")
The Carnegie Dartlet Social Media Cheat Sheet
Graduate
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
YouTube Facebook Snapchat Instagram Twitter
18-24 25-29 30-49
Social platforms like Snapchat and Instagram are
especially popular among those ages 18 to 24
Number of Facebook users by age in the US as of January 2018 (in millions)
Trend WatchLead Generation and Conversions with Facebook
Layering in Instagram for Specific Programs
Example: Master’s in Telecommunications
Focused on prospective students internationally (India, South Korea)
1st month of campaign results:
• Facebook/Instagram Lead Generation & Retargeting = 300 leads and 68 conversions (Apply & Learn
More button clicks)
• Online Display & Retargeting = 52 leads and 17 conversions
• LinkedIn Lead Generation = 11 leads
• PPC = 12 conversions
Trend Watch
LinkedIn: More Than a Job Search Site
Over 530 million members on their platform with a professional mindset.
Prospective graduate students average 2x more LinkedIn homepage views than the average member.
Tactics That Align
With Prospective
Student Journey
• 29% uplift in InMail open rate when member was already exposed to sponsored content
• 56% uplift in InMail CTRwhen member was already exposed to sponsored content
Tactics That Align With Prospective Student Journey
What are you doing and what’s working in digital?
41.0%
24.9%
35.1%
14.1%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
SEO PPC
Search Engine Marketing
Doing Working
Those who selected online search behavior being an important thing to know were more likely to be from groups that already implement, or have some interest in using, SEO & PPC.
Searchers never scroll past
page one results
Searchers click on one of
top three results
First page visibility is essential
75%60%
Organic Results
SEO and User Experience Go Hand-in-Hand
Making users want to click on your result when you
do show up.
Providing useful information that matches what
users are looking for.
Having a good user experience to navigate, learn
more, and request information.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
➢ Interactions went from 25 the
previous month to 559 in just 5 days.
➢ 8,361 users interacted with the
property from a non-branded search
in the first 3 months.
After Claiming and Optimizing Marquette’s Graduate School Property…
Pro Tip (Google My Business)
“How are graduate student audiences
behaving and searching for opportunities
online?”
“HEY GOOGLE!”
Prospective students begin with an open mind.
9 out of 10begin their research without knowing
what institution they want to attend
2 key trends are happening more today than ever before for grad
• Branded* queries continue to decline, and non-branded* queries continue to grow
• Prospect behavior continues to shift to mobile with program and degree-related searches
The Brand versus Non-brand Story
• There have been 10 straight quarters of YoY decline with brand queries
• There have been 12 straight quarters of YoY increase with non-brand queries
+3%-2%EDU Brand EDU Non-Brand
19.0%
13.8%
22.5%
13.8%
23.1%
7.8%
PhD Masters MBA Associate's Bachelor's Certificate
% of Query Volume
% of Query Volume by Degree Type
Up 6% YoYUp 4% YoY
Do what you can to ensure program names match the way students are searching.
Perform keyword research to see how people are searching for the programs you offer—the search
terms might be off from your internal language.
Example:
“Masters in Renewable Engineering”
<10 searches per month
“Masters in Green Energy”
10 – 100 searches per month
Pro Tip (Programs)
Search is Core to the Journey
Over 50% are using “branded”
terms within 30 days of conversion
Queries shift towards brand as the journey progresses
1. It can be free
2. Competition
3. Time/Goal Specific
3 Reasons to Make Sure You Own Your Brand
Query Mix across devices41.1% of all Colleges, Universities & Post-secondary Education related searches in
Q4 2017 were on mobile devices
Degree queries still happen more on desktops/tablets
With exception of MBA
(slightly higher on mobile)
Program queries continue their skew towards mobile
Program queries continue their skew towards mobile
Do a mobile search
for “master’s
degree”
Watch a student life
video on YouTube on
their mobile
Sign up for a visit
on a PC
Visit your mobile
Facebook page
Click on your
mobile search ad
Apply on their PC
84%Take further non-
mobile action after
researching on
their smartphones.
Influence of Mobile on the Student Journey
Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA)Demographics for Search Ads
Device Bid Adjustments
Pro Tip (PPC Must-Do’s for Grad)
General Grad: 20% increase in Cost Per Clicks
MBA: 29% increase in Cost Per Clicks
Lower Cost Per Click on Bing (sometimes)
MBA Example: CPCs slightly lower on Bing ($9.59)
than on AdWords ($11.56)
Reduced ad space = more competition
Facebook & LinkedIn Lead Gen alternatives
Trend Watch
When budget is an issue…
Pay Per Click may not be able to respond if the budget isn’t there to support it.
• Are you appearing in results?
• Are you losing to the competition?
• Does your daily spend hit it’s limit too early?
When these are issues, consider Facebook Lead Gen (conversions)
Example: When campaign shifted from Pay Per Click to Facebook due to budget/performance,
more leads were generated in 1 month via Facebook than previous 6 months of PPC
Paid Search versus Facebook: Which when?
Trend Watch
Online Display & Social Advertising, Pay Per Click, and Retargeting
3-month trial campaign for 2 programs:
• MA in Energy and Environment
• MA in Remote Sensing and Geospatial Sciences
“We are up 46% in E&E apps and 15% in RSGS apps and the deadline isn't until February!”
Niche Graduate Programs: Immediate Impact
What would you like to learn more about?
50.2%
43.4% 42.4%39.5% 38.5%
32.7%
22.4% 21.5% 20.5%
2.9%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
What would you like to learn more about?
Despite not being high on the list for being used or reported as successful,
many respondents noted they wanted to know more about Mobile-Location
based strategies like Geofencing.
IP Targeting also saw a large jump.
Some survey comments showed this is likely due to these types of services are "unknown" and new to some
participants, especially those who have 10+ years of experience.
• Behavioral
• Demographic
• Household
• Lists
• Locations people frequent/visit
• Website visitors
• Lookalike audiences
Every Time You See an Ad There is a Reason
49% More likely to visit an
advertiser’s site 40% More likely to Search
for a brand
Create demand
Capture demand
Display Ad Impact on Search
IP Targeting
• Target IP addresses of mailing lists
• Link offline and online
• Customize message based on list type/segment
• Time with your traditional mediums: DM, email
• Connect across a household
• Create frequency of message
Graduate Lists
• GMAT/GRE lists
• Inquiry
• Alumni lists
• Applied students
• Accepted students
Lists on Social Media
Rooftop IP Targeting
Target IP addresses of non-residential locations (business, hospitals, etc.)
Mobile-Location Based (“Geofencing”)
Capture mobile devices who enter specific locations and deliver ads to them
while there or after they’ve left
Mobile Footprints
Geofence mobile devices virtually anywhere, then IP Target into their homes
across all devices
Location-Based
2015 – used a mix of digital strategies, to include…
• Online Display/Retargeting
• Pay Per Click
• IP Targeting to LSAT lists
• Rooftop Targeting to feeder schools
Results: Year over year enrolled students…
2014 = 93
2015 = 134
44% increase!
Location-based & IP: Law School
2017 – used a mix of digital strategies, to include…
• Online Display/Retargeting
• Pay Per Click
• IP Targeting to lists
• Facebook Lead Generation targeting FEEDER SCHOOLS
Results: Year over year enrolled students…
2016 = 165
2017 = 215
30% increase
101 leads from first 1.5 months of Facebook Lead Gen campaign
Facebook Lead Generation: Law School
The Carnegie Dartlet Streaming Media Cheat Sheet
What site-specific tools/capabilities are you using?
51.20%
39.50%
20.50%
13.20%
3.40% 2.20%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Personalization
90%of visitors who access a website are
not identified
In a recent study conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group on college
and university websites, 48% of users didn’t realize the university
offered the program they were looking for even when it did.
48%
Over 1/3 of users that clicked on event based “Custom
Interactions” had never been to the organic events page.
37%
Make Them Aware
Personalized Content for Users That Are Highly Engaged with the MFT Pages
Students are Interacting With Your Website A Lot
123 Highly engaged users viewed 123 pages on
average before applying
Tracked activity on the MBA pages of a university’s site over 3 months:
11.4Applicants visited the site an average of
11.4 times before applying
(with the help of a ‘application fee waiver’
personalized interaction)
EMBA, PMBA, FTBMA
Take “engaged audiences” from website tracking and implement Facebook campaign driving next-step action
Results (within 2 weeks):
• FTMBA: 8 Apply Now button clicks,1 RFI form completion
• EMBA: 2 Apply Now button clicks
• PMBA: 4 Apply Now button clicks, 4 RFI form completions
Relevancy Outside of Your Site
98% Leave a website without
completing a conversion
80% Abandon a conversion
without completion
49% Typically visit a site
2-4 times before converting
One Visit is Typically Not Enough
Retargeting
Pro Tip: Do NOT retarget your entire site!
Segment!
• General admission pages
• International admission pages
• Specific program pages
• Apply page
• Financial aid page
• Accepted students
Segment Your Audience
Does your RFI look more like a job application?
Should we require phone numbers on our RFI forms?
We tested mandatory vs. optional phone numbers on graduate landing pages and we found phone
number was NOT deterring people from filling out the form
Prospective grad students are more willing to provide more info within an RFI
Trend Watch
Are your forms mobile responsive?
Test your site at:https://search.google.com/search-console/mobile-friendly
Are You Mobile Friendly?
Measurement – How do you track digital success?
54.1%51.7%
44.4% 43.9%
5.1%
1.3%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Google Analytics On Campus Results Campaign Dashboard Internal Tools/CRM Other ("None of These") Other ("Don't Know")
• Who Is on My Site Right Now?
• Who Came to My Site?
• How Did They Find My Site?
• What Did They Look At?
• Were They Successful?
What Can Google Analytics Tell You?
First, Be Sure to Enable Demographics and Interest Reports
• Age
• Gender
• Interests
• Geography
• What day they visited
• What page they landed on first
• What kind of device they used to visit the site
What Can You Learn About Your Audience?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Think audience and purpose with social media
• Grad students are searching with a more open mind
• Vet new opportunities for reach and engagement
• Expectations around user experience, relevancy, and personalization continue to rise
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Where do you learn about digital?
50.20%
39.00%
32.70%30.70% 30.20%
17.10%
2.90%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
IndustryConferences/Groups
Internal CampusGroups
Webinars Partners/Vendors Blogs/Newsletters Social Media Other (MostlyMarketing Dept.)
Webinar Series
• May: Advancing Your Social Media Strategies for Grad Recruitment
• June: SEO, PPC, and Your Website – Working Together for Grad
• July: Emerging Trends & Strategies for Grad (Geofencing, IP, Video, etc.)
• August: Google Analytics and Measurement – A Grad View