02.02.06
Marketing College Admissions with Technology
College and University Admissions departments are expanding their marketing strategies to include emerging technologies such as blogs, podcasts, videocasts and online chat sessions. With a focus on prospective students, promotional videos, virtual tours and student interviews serve as a hook for visitors wanting to learn more about college programs, student life and current campus events.
An article in Pittsburg’s Post Gazette showcases colleges using blogs in the admission process by appealing to prospective applicants with a combination of information and personal perspectives. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the MyMIT experience allows students to access blog posts by admission officers, the Director of Student Financial Aid, students and featured guests such as the Director of Recruitment, the Dean Of Admissions or the Director of the Educational Council at MIT.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just going where they already are,” said Matt McGann, an MIT admissions officer. “We’re trying to take the mystery out of this college admissions process a bit.”
A good example of podcasting in Admissions can be seen at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana where the Office of Marketing and Communications has launched a new weekly podcast show with IvyTech Podcasts. You can even subscribe to their broadcasts with an RSS feed.
Locally, George Mason University uses a promotional videocast. Click on View Mason Movies and watch the Fast Forward movie for an exceptional look at GMU’s past, present and future. Another good example of this media can be found at the Virginia Military Institute website. VMI’s admissions video strives for student committment with it’s historical and patriotic flare. Taking it one step further by adding virtual tours of the surrounding city, the Savannah College of Art and Design baits prospective students with an extensive Admissions Video Gallery.
Have a question? Want to talk to a person and get specific information? Live chat sessions are now being offered by colleges and universities. The Admissions department of Christopher Newport University regularly schedules online chats for undergraduates interested in finding out more about programs and the admission process.
These are just a few examples of how higher ed is providing timely information to prospective students and capitalizing on marketing with technology. What’s on your institution’s horizon?
