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Bringing confidence and clarity to a complex business.⊳
Challenge
You’re ready to move your institution forward, but you can’t begin to create positive change without first developing a sound strategy. That strategy will only be as effective as the research on which it’s based.
•Areyouawareofhowconstituentgroupsperceiveyourinstitution? •Haveyoumeasuredtheeffectivenessofyourmarketingand communicationtools? •Doyouhaveaclearpictureofwhereyoustandamongyour competitorswhenitcomestoacademicofferings,student services,financialaid,andotherenrollmentbarriersormotivators?
Solution: Market Research by Sem Works
SEM Works understands the importance of solid market research.Ourservicesarewidelyrecognizedandtrustedinthefield.Senior-levelconsultantsconductthoroughinvestigationsintoyourgreatestobstaclesandopportunitiesforsuccess.Basedonyourspecificobjectives,wewillperformin-depthanalysesintoyourimage,competitors,financialaidawardpractices,marketdemand,andcommunicationseffectiveness.Everyreportincludesadetailedsummaryoffindingsfollowedbyclearrecommendationssoyoucaninitiateaplanofaction—immediately.
Power PointS Opportunities and Benefits
•SEMWorks’researchisconductedata90%confidencelevelbyexperiencedresearchanalysts.
•Everyanalysisiscompletelycustomizedtoyourinstitution’suniqueneedsandgoals.SEMWorks’researchers andconsultantsconductcustomwork,deliveringaninformativefinalreportthatintegrateshighereducationthemes andtrendswithyourinstitution’sdistinctcircumstances.
•Weposepenetratingquestions,provideyouinsightfulanswers,andlayoutanactionablestrategy.Comprehensive researchandresultsarejustpartofthepackagewedeliver.AllofSEMWorks’reportsincludenotonlyathorough analysis,butalsowell-informedrecommendationsfornextsteps.
Client rePort ⊳ Institutions throughout North America and the world agree…
“We are extremely pleased with the fine work of Dr. Black and the SEM Works team. The enrollment audit, market analysis, competitive analysis, and SWOT process have provided us with a wealth of quantitative data and qualitative information on which to build our marketing plan. Throughout the process we have been impressed with Dr. Black’s understanding of ATC’s culture and the issues facing technical colleges. His customized reports and prioritized recom-mendations have put us in a position to improve our market share and grow our enrollment. We look forward to our ongoing relationship with Dr. Black and SEM Works as we develop our long range marketing plan.” ~ Dr. Susan Winsor, President, Aiken Technical College
StrategiC enrollment management worKSSenior-level consultants. Impeccable client service. Tailored, actionable solutions.
Market Research
For more inFormation800/494-3710 e-mail: [email protected] www.semworks.net
Solutions by
Solutions by Market Researchimage StudyThisstudyincludesanassessmentofinstitutionalawarenessandperceptionsamongvariousconstituentgroups.Perceptionsofinstitutionalattributessuchasacademicreputation,academicquality,faculty,campusenvironment,studentlife,safetyandpriceareamongthefindingsreported.
market Demand analysis Thisanalysisevaluatesthelevelofdemandwithinaparticularmarketforanacademicoffering.Preferredinstructionaldeliverymethod,time,location,semesterformat,pricingandmoreareassessed.
Competitor analysisTheCompetitorAnalysisconsistsofcomparisonswithkeycompetitorsrelatedtoinstitutionalcharacteristics,programofferings,price,admissionsselectivity,perception,studentrecruitmentefforts,marketposition,andmuchmore.
Communications audit SEMWorkswillevaluateprint,multimedia,andWeb-basedcommunicationstomeasuretheireffectivenessinachievinginstitutionalobjectivessuchasincreasingthequalityoftheenteringclass,shapingtheimageoftheinstitution,orinfluencingpotentialdonors.
Financial aid analysisTowhatdegreedoyourcurrentusesoffundsachieveinstitution-alobjectives?Centraltothisanalysisisthedeterminationofa“tippingpoint”requiredtoenrollorretainastudentbasedonthestudent’sabilityandwillingnesstopay.
mystery ShoppingAnothercomponentoftheCompetitorAnalysisisMysteryShopping.Inquiringasaprospectivestudent,theconsultantwillrequestinformationfromeachofyourfivekeycompetitorsandreportsignificantfindingsthatmayofferyouacompetitiveedge.Weevaluatethecomparativetimeliness,flow,andeffectivenessofcommunications.Openhouses,campustours,orientations,inquiryresponses,andtelecounselingcallsareamongtheoptionsavailable.
environmental Scan TheEnvironmentalScancanhelpyourinstitutionbreakawayfromrelianceonhistoricalandinstitutionaldata,sothatyoucanbetteranticipateandrespondtochangesinstudentdemo-graphics,programdemand,andotherareasthatareessentialtoyourinstitution’sviabilityandgrowth.Thetrendanalysisrevealsmajortrendsintheenvironmentthatmayimpactinstitutionalenrollmentsbyexaminingglobal,national,stateorprovincial,andlocaldatathatisrelevantforyourinstitution.
market opportunity analysisTheMarketOpportunityAnalysisidentifieskeymarketsthatarenotbeingreachedandthosethatneedfurtherpenetrationordifferentmarketingandcommunicationstrategies.Theanalysisprovidesalookattheawarenessandperceptionsoftheinstitution,specificprogramsofmostinterest,course-takingpreferencesandbarriersthatpreventprospectiveareastudentsfromattending.
Point of Service SurveyThisreal-timeassessmentoftheserviceexperiencewithyourinstitutionmeasuresfactorssuchasresponsetime,accuracyofinformation,relevanceofresponse,andstaffcustomer-orienta-tion.ThePointofServiceSurveyprovidesoperationsmanagerswith“just-in-time”feedbackandactionableintelligenceforstaffdevelopmentandprocessimprovement.
academic Program innovation TheprovenmethodologyappliedbySEMWorksconsistsofananalysisoffivedimensionsofacademicprogramrelevanceandopportunity:(1)studentdemand, (2)industrydemand,(3)institutionalcapabilitiestodelivercompellingprograms,(4)institutionalcapacity,and(5)competitorpresenceinthemarketplace.Simplyput,weassistinstitutionsinpositioningexistingandnewprogramseffectivelyonallfivedimensions.
Student retention analysisTheStudentRetentionAnalysisidentifiesfactorsthatinfluenceenrollment;determinerootcausesforstudentswhodropoutorstopout;assesswhystudentsleavetocompletetheirstudieselsewhere;andidentifyopportunitiestoimprovestudentreten-tion.Resultsoftheanalysisprovideapowerfulindirectmethodtodeterminewhichvariablesarecorrelatedtostudents,intentionstocontinueattheinstitutionorleaveprematurely.
return on investment (roi)Understandingthereturnoninvestmentofenrollmentandmar-ketinginitiativesisessentialtomaximizetheinvestmentofscarceinstitutionalresourcesandtoproducethedesiredresults.ThetwoimportantaspectstodeterminingtheROIfortheseactivitiesare:(1)thehumanandfinancialcostsincurredtodevelopanddeliverenrollmentandmarketingstrategiesand(2)theimpactthestrategieshaveonstudentenrollmentgoals.SEMWorksprovidesyouwithatoolandaprocessformonitoringROIandadjustingstrategiesaccordingly.
enrollment goal SettingMostinstitutionshavehigh-levelgoalspredicatedoninsti-tutionalaspirationsorfinancialneeds.Rarelydoinstitutionspossessdata-drivenenrollmentgoalsthataregranularenoughtoguideenrollmentstrategy.Throughourgoalsettingprocess,weanalyzeavailablebusinessintelligence,enrollmentcapacity,institutionalaspirations,andpoliticalpressuresthatcombinedyieldspecificenrollmenttargetsbycampus,academicprogram,studentsegment,instructionaldeliverymethod,etc.Mostimportantly,ourconsultantshelpyoutodevelopstrategiesdesignedtoachieveidentifiedenrollmentgoals.
other research ServicesInadditiontotheseresearchservices,SEMWorks’strategicpartner,AcademicaGroup,Inc.,offersarangeofresearchservices.TheseservicesincludeaUniversity/CollegeApplicantSurveyandanAdmit/DeclineSurvey.
Customized studies can be designed. Please contact SEM Works at [email protected] or 800/494-3710 to discuss your specific needs.
