interactive campus map: an essential recruitment tool
DESCRIPTION
The interactive campus map is an essential tool for recruitment purposes. There are a handful of must-have features that you should have on your website, and, arguably, not one is more important than an interactive campus map. In addition to being a critical tool in the recruitment funnel, it also can serve as an essential element for all of our audiences, providing an engaging, interactive feature for your website.TRANSCRIPT
The Interactive Campus MapAn Essential Recruitment Tool
Kyle James@KyleJamesCEO @nuCloudFounder @eduGuru
Virtual Tour
• Creating a virtual experience without
actually being there
• Picture, video, audio
Interactive Map vs Virtual Tour
Interactive Map
• Interacting with a user
• Providing a means to give input and
get results
So an interactive map is always a virtual tour, but a virtual tour isn’t always an
interactive map.
5 Reasons an Interactive Map is Essential
1. Vital to Recruitment
• USA Today - instructs prospective students to take virtual tours as the #1 step before actually visiting a college.
• Open up the top of your recruitment funnel with a virtual tour of your campus
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/2008-08-13-control-costs-of-college-visits_N.htm
It’s All About Recruitment!
The Prospective Decision Process
Lots of Choices
How to Narrow the List?
Visit Campuses!
You Can’t Visit Every School
Too Expensive & Too Much Time
Most Important Web Features
Data from Noel-Levitz – www.noellevitz.com
Most Used Social Media Resources
Data from Noel-Levitz – www.noellevitz.com
Credible Sources in Decision Process
Data from Hobsons - www.hobsons.com
2. Vital web feature
• A tour is “singlehandedly the most important element” of a college website. --Ron Reis, Co-founder YOUniversity
• Students will “get frustrated very quickly if they can’t get the 10,000-foot view.”--Chris Carson, President CampusTours
How Important is a Virtual Tour?
*Quote from - http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1122
Suite of Killer Web Apps
Interactive ToursCourse CatalogsCommon AppNet Price CalculatorEvent CalendarOnline VideosBlogs
3. Tangible Return on Investment
Establishing ROI
If we can work backwards from the value of a student we can establish the value of
an Interactive Campus Map.
*All numbers are created as examples
Let’s Do Some Math
• Average Years = 3• Cost Per Year = $20,000• Average Yearly Discount = $10,000
• Student Value = 3 * ($20,000 - $10,000)• So a Student is worth
$30,000!
Let’s Do Some Math
• Student Value = $30,000• Conversion Rate in Applicant = 20%
• App Value = $30,000 * .2• So an Applicant is worth
$6,000!
Value Of Campus Tour
Let’s Do Some Math
• Application Value = $6,000• Conversion Rate of Visits to Applicant = 20%
• Value of Visit = $6,000 * .2• So Each Student Visit is Worth
$1,200!
Drive More Campus Visitors
Interactive Campus Map
Visit Campus
Application
Let’s Do Some Math
• Visit Value = $1,200• Conversion of Map to Visit = 5%
• Value of a Map View = $1,200 * .05• So Each Map View is Worth
$60!
Do You Think 1,000 People Would View Your
Map In A Month?
Then Having A Map Is Worth $60,000!
Per Month!
ROI Spreadsheet
http://bit.ly/map-roi
4. Important for all external audiences
Alumni
Current Students
Athletic Fans
Event Speakers
Conferences
Campers
Other Events
Prospective Students
5. Everyone else has one already
Research - See what others are doing
Things Not To Do
• Use Flash – it’s inaccessible and creates a maintenance nightmare
• Only images – Include more content than just a map with some photo galleries. Tours need context.
• Ignore updates – Keep building information and imagery fresh. You virtual tour needs the power to entice real visits.
Things Not To Do With A Map
Where Do I Start?
http://www.uky.edu/CampusGuide/
Too Many Options
http://map.emory.edu/
Slow Load Times
http://www.campustours.com/prodfeatures/suffolk/
Confusing
http://www.virtualtour.potsdam.edu/index.php