Put Data in the Driver’s Seat

Let data steer your decision making and budget planning

Presented at TXGAP Conference

About PlattForm Graduate Enrollment Data Changing Your Marketing Approach Using the Data

About PlattForm

Founded in 1989, PlattForm is the leading provider of marketing solutions for higher education institutions. With more than 25 years of experience, a leadership team unmatched in the industry and exceptional customer service, PlattForm is the premier full-service partner in the education industry.

About PlattForm

For more than 25 years we have provided full-service marketing and recruitment capabilities from research to creative to interactive marketing and more, all performed in-house. We work with our partners to build a customized strategy based on their unique goals to help them achieve unmatched enrollment growth.

About PlattForm

Marketing Services

Academic Program

ManagementInternational

• Graduate enrollment • Online trends• International trends• Program trends• Specialization• Cost

Graduate Enrollment Trends

Graduate Degree Growth

Graduate Online Program Growth

Online Graduate Students

Online – Outside US

PublicPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profit

Online - US

PublicPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profit

Online – Out of State

PublicPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profit

1,131,407 online graduate students in the U.S

Only 362,728 of those are out of state

Only 13,633 are international students

Graduate Online Penetration

State25 to 44 Years

Online Graduate

EnrollmentsOnline

Penetration RankMinnesota 1,396,680 76,943 5.5% 1Arizona 1,679,187 86,269 5.1% 2West Virginia 458,192 16,389 3.6% 3Iowa 747,131 26,461 3.5% 4District of Columbia 205,404 5,304 2.6% 5Nebraska 466,014 10,055 2.2% 6North Dakota 165,747 3,227 1.9% 7Virginia 2,199,347 42,509 1.9% 8New Hampshire 323,650 6,166 1.9% 9Alabama 1,228,423 23,080 1.9% 10

Area of Interest

Most Adopted Programs

A Decline, But….

Top 3 Degrees Granted

Focus on Specialization

Master of Business Administration

Master of Business Administration – Accounting

Master of Business Administration – Criminal Justice

Master of Business Administration – Healthcare Management

Master of Business Administration – Human Resources

Master of Business Administration – International Business

Master of Business Administration – Leadership

Master of Business Administration – Marketing

Master of Business Administration – Project Management

Master of Business Administration – Public Administration

Master of Business Administration – Public Relations

Cost

• Media consumption• Adult student journey• Use the data• Define your message• Define your multi-

channel approach

From linear…

Media Consumption Has Changed

To non-linear and fragmented.

Media Consumption Has Changed

Adult Student Journey

The Prospective Student’s Journey

TV, RadioOut of homeOnline Display

WebsiteSocial

Paid SearchSEO

EmailCPITVOnline DisplayWebsite

Awareness & Consideration

Trust,Differentiate

Inquire

Brand studies, branded search volume

Traffic, clicks, social monitoring

Clicks, opens, inquiries

Example Message Matrix

Use the Data

• Build audience profile• Define competitive landscape• Evaluate degree and program demand• Analyze channel opportunities• Develop strategic media plan• Brand Development Index• Category Development Index• Return on Media Investment Index

Use the data

• Creative message

• What mediums to use

• Where to place

• Establish enrollment goals

• ROI expectations

• Industry facts• Build your enrollment

marketing plan• Evaluating results

• SEO and PPC are most common mediums used

• Television and outdoor are increasing• PPL programs are declining

• SEO will be your lowest CPS• PPC will be your second lowest• Traditional media is an influencer

• Directly attributable leads are declining• Maturation times are increasing• Majority of your starts will come from a

150 mile radius

Important Facts

• Average SEO conversion 10-12%

• Average PPC conversion is 5-6%

• Mobile is close to 30% of inquiries

• Phone inquiries convert 1.5 time better

• “MBA Online” CPC is close to $50!

• The average adult student looks at 4-7 colleges

• Universities spend 10-20% on marketing

Important Facts

200 clicks20 become inquiriesIt just cost you $10,000 to get 1 student!

Mobile is up

23%

Multi-Channel Approach

• Where do people go after they see your TV commercial?• They visit your site … then what?• Are you measuring last click or the entire marketing funnel?• Use the data and optimize

The process of identifying a set of user actions (“events”) that contribute in some manner to a desired outcome, and then assigning a value to each of these events.Marketing attribution provides a level of understanding of what combination of events influence individuals to engage in a desired behavior, typically referred to as a conversion.

Attribution

Oct-1

2

Nov-1

2

Dec-1

2

Jan-

13

Feb-

13

Mar-1

3

Apr-1

3

May-1

3

Jun-

13

Jul-1

3

Aug-1

3

Sep-

13$0

$2

$4

$6

$8

$10

$12

$0.00

$500.00

$1,000.00

$1,500.00

$2,000.00

$2,500.00

$3,000.00

$3,500.00

$4,000.00

Television Spend TV CPI

Oct-1

2

Nov-1

2

Dec-1

2

Jan-

13

Feb-

13

Mar-1

3

Apr-1

3

May-1

3

Jun-

13

Jul-1

3

Aug-1

3

Sep-

13$0$2$4$6$8

$10$12

$0.00$20.00$40.00$60.00$80.00$100.00$120.00$140.00

Television Spend PPC Brand SpendBlended CPI

OLD WAY NEW WAY

Holistic Attribution Measurement

When tracking traditional media effective, evaluate lift on brand searches and inquiries through SEO and PPC

SHOW RATE July August September October November December January February March April May June TOTAL

SEO 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85%

PPC 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85%

Media 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80%

Live Transfer 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70%

PPL $52 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70%

PPL $63 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% 70%

Lead Nurturing 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80%

TOTAL 82% 82% 83% 83% 83% 83% 83% 83% 83% 83% 83% 83% 83%

ENROLLMENTS July August September October November December January February March April May June TOTAL

SEO 50 51 59 62 72 72 83 83 81 83 90 90 877

PPC 31 33 39 49 53 53 59 65 71 74 81 81 690

Media 23 25 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 339

Live Transfer 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 19

PPL $52 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 60

PPL $63 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 30

Lead Nurturing 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 267

TOTAL 136 140 158 172 186 186 203 208 213 218 231 231 2281

I-E CONVERSION July August September October November December January February March April May June TOTAL

SEO 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 12%

PPC 6% 6% 6% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7% 6%

Media 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%

Live Transfer 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5%

PPL $52 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%

PPL $63 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%

Lead Nurturing 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%

TOTAL 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8%

INQUIRIES July August September October November December January February March April May June TOTAL

SEO 417 424 490 519 600 600 692 692 678 692 750 750 7,305

PPC 521 542 652 761 822 822 909 1000 1095 1143 1239 1239 10,745

Media 233 250 291 291 291 291 291 291 291 291 291 291 3,389

Live Transfer 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 384

CPL $52 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 3,000

CPL $63 125 125 125 125 125 125 125 125 125 125 125 125 1,500

Lead Nurturing 222 222 222 222 222 222 222 222 222 222 222 222 2,667

TOTAL 1800 1845 2062 2200 2342 2342 2521 2612 2693 2755 2909 2909 28990

CPI July August September October November December January February March April May June TOTAL

SEO $22 $21 $19 $17 $15 $15 $13 $13 $13 $13 $12 $12 $15

PPC $240 $240 $230 $230 $225 $225 $220 $220 $210 $210 $205 $205 $219

Media $600 $600 $600 $600 $600 $600 $600 $600 $600 $600 $600 $600 $600

Live Transfer $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125

PPL $52 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60

PPL $63 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80 $80

Lead Nurturing $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45 $45

TOTAL $174 $178 $181 $181 $174 $174 $168 $169 $168 $168 $164 $164 $171

SPENDING July August September October November December January February March April May June TOTAL

SEO $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $108,000

PPC $125,000 $130,000 $150,000 $175,000 $185,000 $185,000 $200,000 $220,000 $230,000 $240,000 $254,000 $254,000 $2,348,000

Media $140,000 $150,000 $174,333 $174,333 $174,333 $174,333 $174,333 $174,333 $174,333 $174,333 $174,333 $174,333 $2,033,330

Live Transfer $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $48,000

PPL $52 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $180,000

PPL $63 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $120,000

Lead Nurturing $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $120,000

TOTAL $313,000 $328,000 $372,333 $397,333 $407,333 $407,333 $422,333 $442,333 $452,333 $462,333 $476,333 $476,333 $4,957,330

CPE July August September October November December January February March April May June TOTAL

SEO $180 $177 $153 $144 $125 $125 $108 $108 $111 $108 $100 $100 $123

PPC $4,000 $4,000 $3,833 $3,538 $3,462 $3,462 $3,385 $3,385 $3,231 $3,231 $3,154 $3,154 $3,404

Media $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000

Live Transfer $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500

PPL $52 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000

PPL $63 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000

Lead Nurturing $450 $450 $450 $450 $450 $450 $450 $450 $450 $450 $450 $450 $450

TOTAL $2,303 $2,348 $2,352 $2,308 $2,192 $2,192 $2,085 $2,122 $2,124 $2,123 $2,063 $2,063 $2,173

CPS July August September October November December January February March April May June TOTAL

SEO $212 $208 $180 $170 $147 $147 $127 $127 $130 $127 $118 $118 $145

PPC $4,706 $4,706 $4,510 $4,163 $4,072 $4,072 $3,982 $3,982 $3,801 $3,801 $3,710 $3,710 $4,004

Media $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500

Live Transfer $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571 $3,571

PPL $52 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286 $4,286

PPL $63 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714 $5,714

Lead Nurturing $563 $563 $563 $563 $563 $563 $563 $563 $563 $563 $563 $563 $563

TOTAL $2,798 $2,852 $2,850 $2,790 $2,645 $2,645 $2,510 $2,553 $2,555 $2,552 $2,476 $2,476 $2,620

Track

Paid Media ResultsMarketing Spend $2,228,571Blended Cost Per Lead $135Response Calls Per Month 16,500Conversion Rates

Lead To Contact 50% 8,250 potential studentsInterviews 45% 3,713 potential studentsApps 60% 2,228 potential studentsAdmit 60% 1,337 potential studentsStudent Starts 75% 1,002 students

Average Enrollment Fee $22,000 $22,052,250 revenue potentialCost per Start $2,223.29Lead/Start Conversion 6.08%

Third Quarter

Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year$11,909 $15,250 $13,955 $25,167 $44,542 $44,346 Television 13 22 20 21 66 72$11,611 $22,266 $28,775 $41,425 $67,072 $88,434 Newspaper 41 182 190 177 501 619$2,084 $8,000 $0 $3,584 $11,000 $7,298 Direct Mail 2 40 3 5 40 61$9,300 $10,500 $10,500 $30,300 $31,500 $31,500 SEO 380 510 476 1,077 1,393 1,312$37,578 $24,250 $19,921 $81,801 $72,890 $48,820 PPC 278 228 189 674 655 500$11,025 $11,880 $8,274 $29,385 $34,110 $21,261 CPL 1 177 264 197 572 758 503$5,110 $9,550 $0 $13,430 $20,100 $0 CPL 2 61 136 0 143 287 0$2,700 $800 $900 $4,105 $2,300 $2,100 Live Transfer 14 8 9 29 23 21$0 #VALUE! $0 $0 #VALUE! $0 Interest-Generation 0 0 0 0 0 18

$10,046 $8,400 $11,992 $15,027 $20,250 $23,121 Creative 0 0 0 0 0 0$101,362 $113,096 $94,317 $244,223 $316,764 $271,368 Plattf orm Sub-Total 966 1,391 1,084 2,698 3,723 3,106

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Referrals 263 387 318 656 1,067 944$1,833 $1,833 $954 $5,478 $5,499 $2,862 Yellow Pages 1 11 4 6 34 6$2,623 $9,000 $7,000 $7,869 $23,000 $18,500 Call Center 3 47 24 8 141 136

$105,818 $123,929 $102,271 $257,570 $345,263 $292,730 Total 1,233 1,836 1,430 3,368 4,965 4,192

Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year$916 $689 $698 $1,198 $677 $616 Television 3 2 5 7 7 16$283 $122 $151 $234 $134 $143 Newspaper 11 21 32 42 70 103$1,042 $200 $0 $717 $274 $120 Direct Mail 0 0 2 0 0 7$24 $21 $22 $28 $23 $24 SEO 44 71 72 145 186 202$135 $106 $105 $121 $111 $98 PPC 17 19 15 56 52 45$62 $45 $42 $51 $45 $42 CPL 1 3 11 5 15 32 18$84 $70 $0 $94 $70 $0 CPL 2 3 5 0 6 9 0$193 $100 $100 $142 $100 $100 Live Transfer 1 1 0 1 1 1$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Interest-Generation 0 0 0 0 0 0$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Creative 0 0 0 0 0 0

$105 $81 $87 $91 $85 $87 Plattf orm Sub-Total 82 129 131 272 357 392$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Referrals 88 80 107 235 207 283

$1,833 $160 $239 $913 $160 $477 Yellow Pages 0 2 0 0 5 1$874 $191 $292 $984 $163 $136 Call Center 3 9 3 8 21 27$86 $67 $72 $76 $70 $70 Total 173 221 241 515 591 703

Media Cost Per Inquiry Number of EnrollsCurrent month Year-to-Date

MediaCurrent month Year-to-Date

Current month Year-to-DateMedia

Current month Year-to-DateAdvertising Spending

MONTHLY MARKETING REPORTCLIENT ABC FISCAL 2012

January - MarchNumber of Inquiries

Measure at all levels

Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year23% 9% 25% 33% 11% 22% Television 3 2 6 6 7 1627% 11% 17% 24% 14% 17% Newspaper 12 23 43 37 64 1040% 0% 67% 0% 0% 11% Direct Mail 0 3 4 0 3 812% 14% 15% 13% 13% 15% SEO 42 60 84 141 163 1996% 8% 8% 8% 8% 9% PPC 21 17 21 52 46 472% 4% 3% 3% 4% 4% CPL 1 3 9 8 12 26 215% 3% 4% 3% CPL 2 2 5 0 3 10 07% 6% 0% 3% 6% 5% Live Transfer 0 0 0 2 1 1

0% Interest-Generation 0 0 1 1 0 1Creative 0 0 0 0 0 0

8.49% 9.31% 12.08% 10.08% 9.60% 12.62% Plattf orm Sub-Total 83 119 167 254 320 39733% 21% 34% 36% 19% 30% Referrals 69 66 113 201 183 2680% 15% 0% 0% 15% 17% Yellow Pages 0 1 1 1 4 1100% 20% 13% 100% 15% 20% Call Center 2 7 5 6 21 2814.03% 12.02% 16.85% 15.29% 11.90% 16.77% Total 154 194 286 462 528 694

Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year100.00% 116.76% 120.00% 85.71% 99.95% 100.00% Television 23.08% 11.05% 30.00% 28.57% 11.05% 22.22%109.09% 112.48% 134.38% 88.10% 91.34% 100.97% Newspaper 29.27% 12.75% 22.63% 20.90% 12.75% 16.80%

200.00% 114.29% Direct Mail 0.00% 6.32% 133.33% 0.00% 6.32% 13.11%95.45% 83.57% 116.67% 97.24% 87.54% 98.51% SEO 11.05% 11.70% 17.65% 13.09% 11.70% 15.17%123.53% 90.00% 140.00% 92.86% 89.35% 104.44% PPC 7.55% 7.47% 11.11% 7.72% 7.05% 9.40%100.00% 80.82% 160.00% 80.00% 82.49% 116.67% CPL 1 1.69% 3.47% 4.06% 2.10% 3.47% 4.17%66.67% 107.04% 50.00% 112.99% CPL 2 3.28% 3.60% 2.10% 3.60%0.00% 64.80% 200.00% 69.23% 100.00% Live Transfer 0.00% 4.05% 0.00% 6.90% 3.91% 4.76%

Interest-Generation 5.56%Creative

101.22% 92.13% 127.48% 93.38% 89.64% 101.28% Plattf orm Sub-Total 8.59% 8.58% 15.41% 9.41% 8.60% 12.78%78.41% 82.47% 105.61% 85.53% 88.29% 94.70% Referrals 26.24% 17.10% 35.53% 30.64% 17.15% 28.39%

75.00% 75.27% 100.00% Yellow Pages 0.00% 11.25% 25.00% 16.67% 11.25% 16.67%66.67% 75.00% 166.67% 75.00% 100.52% 103.70% Call Center 66.67% 15.00% 20.83% 75.00% 15.00% 20.59%89.02% 87.76% 118.67% 89.71% 89.43% 98.72% Total 12.49% 10.55% 20.00% 13.72% 10.64% 16.56%

Enroll to Start Conversion (Show Rate) Inquiry to Start ConversionCurrent month Year-to-Date

MediaCurrent month Year-to-Date

Inquiry to Enroll Conversion Number of StartsCurrent month Year-to-Date

MediaCurrent month Year-to-Date

Measure at all levels

Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year Actual Budget Last Year$3,970 $7,282 $2,791 $3,595 $6,125 $2,772 Television $3,970 $6,237 $2,326 $4,195 $6,128 $2,772$1,056 $1,079 $899 $986 $960 $859 Newspaper $968 $960 $669 $1,120 $1,051 $850

$1,043 Direct Mail $3,156 $0 $4,340 $912$211 $147 $146 $209 $169 $156 SEO $221 $176 $125 $215 $193 $158$2,210 $1,279 $1,328 $1,461 $1,409 $1,085 PPC $1,789 $1,421 $949 $1,573 $1,577 $1,039$3,675 $1,050 $1,655 $1,959 $1,071 $1,181 CPL 1 $3,675 $1,299 $1,034 $2,449 $1,299 $1,012$1,703 $2,081 $2,238 $2,197 CPL 2 $2,555 $1,944 $4,477 $1,944$2,700 $1,600 $4,105 $1,769 $2,100 Live Transfer $2,469 $2,052 $2,556 $2,100

Interest-Generation $0 $0 $0Creative

$1,236 $874 $720 $898 $886 $692 Plattf orm Sub-Total $1,221 $948 $565 $962 $989 $684Referrals $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

$1,067 $1,071 $2,862 Yellow Pages $1,422 $954 $5,478 $1,422 $2,862$874 $956 $2,333 $984 $1,092 $685 Call Center $1,311 $1,275 $1,400 $1,312 $1,086 $661$612 $561 $424 $500 $584 $416 Total $687 $640 $358 $558 $653 $422

Media Cost Per Enroll Media Cost Per StartCurrent month Year-to-Date

MediaCurrent month Year-to-Date

Measure at all levels

Points to Remember

• Do your research first• Develop programs for your target market• Use multi-channel approach• Not all programs are equal• Don’t forget maturation time • Set expectations• Track independently and holistically• Accept change

Questions?