One Click Student Recruitment

Twitter has been experimenting with various types of ads over the last few years in order to drive revenue for an impending IPO. Their newest feature is a lead generation card, which allows users to show their interest in a particular type of offer from a brand or business. A user can see a description of the offer when they click on a tweet to expand it. Then the user can click a button which sends their basic contact information (name, username, email) to the brand or business swiftly and securely.

This will make it easy for universities and colleges to recruit students using Twitter as prospective candidates can easily register their interest by sending in their pre-filled contact details. For example, a university could tweet out a picture for an open house day event as a lead generation card. When prospective students click to register their interest in attending, the school instantly receives a pre-generated list of potential candidates. Full Sail University is one of the lucky beta users of this exciting feature so only time will tell how much success they have with it.

Twitter is rapidly challenging Facebook as the go-to option for universities seeking to make contact with new and current students. While Facebook fatigue seems to be setting in for many and is quickly losing it’s “cool” factor to newer social networks, Twitter’s popularity has grown significantly. Teens’ Twitter usage has now reached 24%, which is up from 16% in 2011 and 8% in 2009. Currently, the lead generation card is still being experimented with just a few brands, but expect this exciting option to be rolled-out for every brand and business on Twitter soon.

Using Twitter for Student Recruitment to Maximum Effect

ICEF Monitor recently featured an article that gives tips to universities on how to use the microblogging service to recruit students. Sharing photos was a highly-valued practice while using Vine for short videos is gaining traction. News about athletics and academics are less exciting to students. It’s best to keep your tweets short, current, and useful to keep students engaged with your educational institution.

How High School Students Use Social Media in their College Search

Source: Inigral

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Social Media from the School Side

CASE, mStoner and Huron Education partnered for the fourth year in a row to ask institutions how they use social media. They conducted an online survey of CASE members in the US and abroad and received 1,080 responses from all types of institutions. Here are some of the results:

• 90% of respondents said Facebook was the most successful social network in meeting their goals, followed by Twitter (49%) and LinkedIn (31%)
• 83% of respondents rated their overall success with social media as either somewhat successful or very successful
• The majority of institutions use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube but very few have adopted Pinterest (28%), Instagram (27%) Google+ (22%), and Tumblr (9%)
• Most departments (83%) handle their own social media activities, usually with input from others

Current use and growth of social media channels for institutions
Credit: CASE, mStoner, Huron

Another interesting finding from the survey is that more and more institutions are investing in social media as a communication tool. And while many institutions are using social media for fundraising and development activities, social media is now increasingly being used to connect with current and prospective students and their parents.

Social Media from the Student Side

Inigral surveyed 12,000 high school students over the past two years to find how they use social media and what they about colleges that use it. Some of their findings included:

• 75% of the class of 2013 is using social media to make their enrollment decision
• 49% of students like or follow a potential college on social media
• 32% responded that conversations they had with current students that attended the school were extremely influential in their decision to apply
• Facebook is still the most popular social network but Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and Pinterest are rapidly rising

Usage of social networks by students
Credit: Inigral

One of the conclusions to take away from the survey is that these new media channels can no longer be considered as an experiment, but as a fundamental part of the college research and decision making process for students.

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Demographics of Social Media Users

The Pew Internet and American Life Project recently published “The Demographics of Social Media Users,” detailing the demographics of social media users by age, ethnicity, household income, gender, urbanity, education and platform. The data shows that young people, living in mostly urban areas, along with minorities are the prime users of social media. Here are some key data points:

• Tumblr is a young person’s medium. Most users are aged 18-29.
• Urban African-Americans aged 18-29 use Twitter and Instagram more than other demographics.
• Hispanics are heavy users of every social media channel. They are more likely to use social networking sites than Caucasians or African-Americans.
• Significantly more Twitter, Instagram and Facebook users live in urban areas than other environments.

These statistics align with the recruitment goals of most institutions and social media is the perfect way to reach them. The full report offers many in-depth insights into the demographics of social media users for each network.

The Benefits of Social Media for Higher Education

Business2community features an article that highlights how social media can add to a university’s recruitment strategy. Dr. James Michael Nolan, President of Southwestern College, states that social media “has become a primary tool and strategy for recruitment over the past two to three years.”

The article goes on to outline how social media can be used for recruiting new students. Social networks allow schools to reach potential students in their “natural habitat.” In fact, about two-thirds of high school students report that they prefer using social media when researching colleges and enrollment. Facebook is the top network in which to contact these students. The generation that grew up in the digital age largely trusts social networks and expects in-depth information quickly – meaning those within higher education should take advantage of the visibility available online.

Social Media’s Influence on Application Decisions

Communications Management collaborated with  The Student Room and asked 305 potential and current students what role social media had played in their decisions to choose a university. The survey revealed that students still mostly rely on information from the university’s website and face-to-face communication on open days to influence their final decision. Twitter and Facebook were ranked comparatively lower in terms of influencing where students chose to study.

This result shouldn’t be seen as an indictment against social media. School officials shouldn’t expect social media to be the magic solution for persuading students to apply. Instead, it should be viewed as another very useful communication channel that institutions can make use of to get their message across.

However, the survey also found that one-fifth of potential and current students felt that universities did not make enough use of social media in recruitment. They conclude with the thought that as the daily use of social media by this target market continues to grow, universities that refuse to embrace social media will find themselves trailing behind.

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International Student Mobility Trends 2013

Here are some of the key points of the WES report – International Student Mobility Trends 2013: Towards Responsive Recruitment Strategies.

The good news is that overall growth of globally mobile students is expected to continue. However, the composition of where students come from, where they are going, and their level of study is changing rapidly.

The global competition for international students continues to heat up as the the four key players – the US, UK, Australia and Canada – are losing marketshare to the rest of the world.

One of their key findings is that international student enrollment growth is being largely driven by students at the undergraduate level. Institutions seeking to increase their foreign student quota should target younger students in high-growth programs from key source countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. Business-related programs seem to be the most popular field of study among international students with signs of continuing growth in the future.

Undergraduates are seen as the main driver of growth in international student enrollment. Credit: WES

WES concludes their report by offering recommendations for international enrollment managers. A key theme that institutions need to take advantage of is the potential for technology to expand reach in a cost-effective manner. Partnership models can also expand access to prospective students with positive word-of-mouth amplified through social media and face-to-face communication.

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Twitter

One thing that makes Twitter so great for colleges is its versatility. The University of Florida recently had “a magical night” with students and their families by creating a hashtag for its admissions day. UF included its special hashtag in the acceptance letter sent to all students. The result was thousands of students, parents, and alumni embracing social media and celebrating the big day for its newest community members. All of the relevant departments such as Dining, Housing, and Orientation were tweeting away and answering questions at the same time. Talk about being coordinated!

“Remember the mantra: Meet them where they are!”

Tumblr

Tumblr is the simple blogging platform that has seen much of its rapid growth come from users in their teens and early twenties. With this demographic, it’s no wonder why schools want to use Tumblr. CASE Social Media has highlighted some examples of how colleges are experimenting with the emerging social network. For example, Drake University uses it to introduce prospective students to their campus and its bustling city. The University of Chicago uses Tumblr to reply to questions about admissions or about the school in general. ICEF Monitor also offers some tips for educational institutions that are interested in signing up. Be sure to use lots of amazing photos!

Facebook

Facebook may be one of the oldest social network’s around but there are some big changes coming that will help out institutions. Facebook’s new feature “Graph Search” will allow users to search for other users based on interests, friends, places, and likes. Liz Gross wrote on her blog about how this could benefit universities and colleges. For example, it will be easier to get in touch with students based on their likes and interests.

Liz has also written a great post about how universities can use Facebook’s new “Custom Audiences” ads feature. By uploading the email address of each custom audience you want to create, colleges can find qualified leads and target their ads accordingly. Facebook started out with colleges at its core and it looks like they will continue to find value with the most popular social network.

How Facebook’s Graph Search Will Change Digital Marketing

How Facebook’s Graph Search Will Change Digital Marketing infographic

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Universities increasingly use Weibo to reach China students

An article in University World News states that 80% of China’s university students are on the microblogging network and 42% use it on a daily basis. With Facebook and Twitter blocked in the country, and with China’s large and dispersed population, Weibo is seen as a cost-effective method to reach out to students and break down the barrier of distance. There is still a lot of potential growth for universities as there are few Western schools with a Weibo presence; just a mere 62 American colleges. Meanwhile some UK and Australian institutions have already attracted tens of thousands of followers.

“In terms of recruitment, if you get even one more student from China, [engagement on Weibo] will have paid for itself” – Nick Pearce, University of Durham

University of Michigan is on Weibo

The University of Michigan launched their Weibo account six months ago and have already garnered over 5000 followers. They claim that they are really the only American university using Weibo in a strategic, planned way to share news, photos, videos and other information. The school even has a full-time Chinese content producer who posts daily in Chinese to the microblogging network. One of their recent ideas was to launch a poll for the best Chinese restaurants in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Duke is Chatting in Chinese on Sina Weibo

Duke recently had students from its engineering program participate in a group chat on Weibo. Nearly  150 participants joined the group chat, posing more than 80 questions in an hour. Questions and comments focused mainly on the application process and the career opportunities for students who graduate from the program.

How People Tweet in China [Infographic]

How People “Tweet” in China infographic

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5 Countries Universities Should Watch in 2013

A guest post from IIE President Allan E. Goodman in the Chronicle of Higher Education predicts that international student recruitment will remain a high priority in 2013 for American schools. Of course China and India will be major markets to focus on, but Goodman recommends that institutions keep an eye on some lesser-known countries. These include:

• Brazil
• Indonesia
• Myanmar
• Syria
• Ethiopia

Focusing on these regions will allow institutions to develop comprehensive internationalization strategies and engage the world in many different ways.

2013: Internationalization More than a Numbers Game

Hans de Wit writing in University World News predicts that the major internationalization themes of last year will continue in 2013. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) will again garner headlines as institutions opt for the low-cost digital approach to expand their education offerings worldwide. He also foresees China continuing its dominance as an exporter of international students in the immediate future, but beyond the next few years it becomes difficult to predict how the trend will play out.

5 International Trends for 2013

Another article in the Chronicle of Higher Education makes some interesting predictions about one of the key international trends from 2012: branch campuses. The main takeaway is a prediction that branch campuses will shift the focus from quantity to quality. Other insights include:

• Greater push-back from home campuses
• Global competition to be education hubs
• A focus on economic development
• Increasing diversity of programs

2012 Social Media Report Card

Social media continued to expand its dominance around the world with major growth in most social networks. Here is an infographic that rates the winners and losers of 2012.

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Mobile Lives of College Students

OnlineDegrees.org has created an infographic that examines the many popular uses of smartphones for college students.

Mobile IT in Higher Education

Educause produced a research report that looked at how colleges are incorporating mobile technology on campus. You can download the full research report here [PDF], or view the accompanying infographic below.

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Social Networks Beyond Facebook

A recent article in the ICEF Monitor explains why universities seeking to attract international students might want to look beyond Twitter and Facebook, which are often blocked or not as popular in other countries as they are in the West. Some of the more popular regional social networks are Renren in China, Vkontakte in Russia, Orkut in Brazil, and Badoo for other parts of the world. A comprehensive digital recruitment strategy would make use of these local social networks along with the traditional social media giants of Silicon Valley.

Social Media Around the World 2012

This slideshow features a great overview of the current state of social media across the globe. As internet and mobile phone penetration continues to increase rapidly, social media will become even more prominent for educational institutions and businesses.

Infographic: Student Mobility Trends 2012

QS has produced this infographic that highlights the latest trends in international education. One note to point out is the exceptional growth of international students from Oceania, Latin America, and Asia, making those outlier social networks all the more important.

Source: QS Intelligence Unit

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China Continues to Drive Foreign Student Growth

The main story is a 5.7% increase in international enrollment from the previous year, for a total of 764,495 international students in the U.S. in 2011. According to NAFSA, foreign students contributed $21.8 billion to the American economy. Double-digit growth from China and a steady increase in Saudi Arabian students were the main cause of the rising numbers.

The most pressing concern for the U.S. is that the country might be relying too much on China. Other countries saw only marginal growth or declining numbers including India, Japan, and South Korea. However, some college officials feel that they have reached a saturation point with China and are now looking towards other markets to diversify, such as Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Future Outlook

“We’d be at a million if we set our minds to it a decade ago” – Victor C. Johnson, Senior Adviser for Public Policy, NAFSA

The future outlook for continued growth in international enrollment in the U.S. is strong. International students are present at only around 125 of the 4,000 accredited colleges and universities and still only constitute less than 4% of the total U.S. higher education enrollment according to the IIE. The Obama administration is also an aggressive advocate for bringing more international students into the country. Alan Goodman, President and CEO at IIE, argues that there is ample room for more international students, with the possibility of even doubling the number over the next few years.

Source: Institute for International Education

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