SimpsonScarborough: Intelligent Marketing for Higher Education

SimpsonScarborough talked with Laura Vann, Public Relations Specialist at Lynn University and one of the inaugural SimpsonScarborough Scholars.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

A: My name is Laura Vann, and I am the public relations specialist at Lynn University, a small liberal arts college located in Boca Raton, Florida. I was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia and upon graduation of high school is 2004, I moved to Boca Raton to pursue an undergraduate degree from Lynn University. In 2008, I graduated summa cum lade from Lynn with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, specializing in Public Relations and Advertising, and minored in Business Marketing (it's a mouthful, I know!). During my tenure as a student at Lynn, I worked in the Office of Marketing and Communications as a media relations intern for 3 years. In 2008, I was hired as a full-time media relations assistant and started my graduate studies at Lynn. In December of 2009, I graduated with a Master of Science in Communication and Media.

Today, as a public relations specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communication at Lynn my responsibilities include: being the University's primary liaison with the local press (print, TV, radio, and online); overseeing and facilitating coverage of University news, events, and people; leading social media efforts (via blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter); creating editorial and multimedia content for all channels, including Lynn.edu; and, I am the University's back-up emergency contact.

Q: Why did you decide to apply to the SimpsonScarborough Scholars program?

A: As a student, intern, and now employee of Lynn University, I have become very familiar with CASE and SimpsonScarborough. In fact, as a student intern in 2006 I was awarded a District CASE III Advancement Award for the development of a Broadcast E-mail Project for my work developing, implementing, and providing content for a weekly news tip sheet that I pitch to local media.

My colleagues, Jason Hughes and Carol Herz, are the individuals who brought the SimpsonScarborough Scholars program to my attention. They encouraged me to apply noting, "I think you have a real chance." After reading about the program, it didn't take much time before I applied for the once in a lifetime chance to be named a SimpsonScarborough Scholar, to take advantage of the wealth of networking opportunities provided through the program, and to advance my career in marketing for higher education - both personally and professionally.

Q: What was your reaction to being named on of the inaugural SimpsonScarborough Scholars?

A: Shock. Joy. Disbelief. Honor. Excitement.

I think those emotions sum up how I was feeling when I received the phone call from Brett Chambers, Executive Director of Volunteer Relations at CASE. Brett called me personally to tell me the good news. The word spread fast around campus after Brett e-mailed my supervisor Jason Hughes. In fact, the very next day the President of Lynn University, Kevin Ross, personally congratulated me on the honor and achievement.

Q: One of the goals of the SimpsonScarborough Scholars program is to establish a network of scholars over time who become mentors to other promising newcomers. How do you envision yourself in this role?

A: In my current position at Lynn University, I directly manage (and often mentor) four student workers on a daily basis that produce and manage multimedia content - two student photographers, a videographer, and a graduate assistant who monitors our social media channels. Helping these students realize their potential and thrive in the workplace is one of my favorite responsibilities. These students bring a fresh and creative look into all facets of Lynn University's innovative and effective modes of marketing and communication. As a SimpsonScarborough Scholar I hope to expand upon this role in marketing for higher education by seeking out the opinion and creativity of young people around the nation.

- Renee Kart

This is sorta old news because it's from the December issue of Marketing News, but I think these are cool facts anyway:

1. Twitter is not a teenybopper hangout. - Just 16% of Twitter users are under 25.

2. Marketers are all atwitter about Twitter, but consumers? Not so much. - Only 8% of consumers felt Twitter was very effective for promoting products and ideas.

3. Short-term financial ROI measures aren't the be-all and end-all. - There is still a place for softer metrics for things such as brand awareness and word-of-mouth.

4. Mobile marketing without the consumer's consent remains off limits. - This despite rumors that federal regulators have opened the floodgates to mobile telemarketing......it's just a myth.

5. Some "attention-getting" internet ads can do more harm than good. - 80% of respondents to a Harris Poll said expanding ads that cover online content are "very frustrating."

6. All days aren't created equal on Facebook. - Click-through rates are highest on Tuesdays.

7. Email marketing isn't dead. - Open rates actually increased 18% in 2009's second quarter compared to the same quarter in 2008.

8. About to look for a marketing job? Don't list your college first on your resume. - Employers would rather see a list of experiences.

9. (#9 was a dumb one about the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile......so I'm not even including it.)

10. There are more internet users in China (338 million) than the entire population of the United States (308 million).

11. Although it's the "it" phone now, the Apply iPhone only has 5% of the entire U.S. mobile market.

12. Hispanics are nicer than everyone else when it comes to rating products. - They give products, on average, a 6% higher rating than non-Hispanics.

13. Sometimes a good deal doesn't need much paid marketing. - Toyota didn't invest a dime in promoting "Cash for Clunkers," and was still the top benefactor from the program.

14. Only 2% of TV viewing happens online and on mobile devices.

15. Fewer than 75 people had returned new cars under the Hyundai Assurance program as of September. - It allowed people who lost the jobs to return their cars and contributed an estimated 10% of the company's sales in 2009.

-Elizabeth Scarborough

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I just finish reading reading this article from Econsultancy and am blown away by the latest social media stats. Did you know that:

- Facebook current has in excess of 350 million active users on a global basis. Six months ago, this was 250 million....meaning around a 40% increase of users in less than half a year! And, Facebook claims that 50% of active users log into the site each day. This would mean at least 175 million users every 24 hours.

- Twitter now has 75 million user accounts.

- LinkedIn has over 50 million members worldwide; an increase of around 1 million members month-on-month since July/August last year.

- More than 700,000 local businesses have active pages on Facebook.

- 15% of bloggers spend 10 or more hours each week blogging and 70% of bloggers are organically talking about brands on their blog.

If we didn't believe it before, we can't deny the power of social media in marketing after hearing these stats!!

- Renee Kart

......they pull me back in!  Actually, I'm thrilled that I have been pulled back in to Chair the AMA Symposium for 2010. Due to family issues, BigBad's Ty Glasgow is going to replace me as Chair of the AMA Symposium in 2011 as opposed to 2010.

We have lots of new ideas for this year's program. My favorite is that we are going to encourage everyone to submit video paper proposals! The call for papers will be released in about two weeks and it will contain all the details you need about the option to make a video submission. Paper and video submissions will be due on April 2, 2010.

The dates for the Symposium are November 14-17, 2010. So, put it on your calendar right now and plan to join us in San Diego! Lots more info to come!

-Elizabeth Scarborough

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I just read an article in the Denver Post about the potential for increased regulations for for-profit institutions. We all are aware of the great success that University of Phoenix, Walden University and ITT Technical Institute have all had in recent years, capturing part of the $12 billion in annual revenues for for-profits. The convenience offered to students is something that many working adults can't refuse. You can't help but see a commercial or billboard for these types of institutions as quite often they spend upwards of 25% of their total revenue on marketing. Senior marketing people at most traditional schoosl will  likely never see the day that their budgets look like this. The high profit margins may become a thing of the past as the U.S. Department of Education has proposed reviewing recruiting and tuition practices within the for-profit industry. But Wall Street wants the excitement of higher enrollments, higher revenue and higher stock prices. These types of schools often rely on low-income students who receive government-sponsored loans and grants and the regulations have been few and far between. Regulators are now monitoring graduates who default on loads, retention and graduation rates. Future regulations may involve comparing student earning potential compared to loan debt and job placement rates. A profitable industry will most likely continue to be profitable but with these measures in place, it appears the student may be more protected in the future. 

Dana Edwards

In this challenging economic time, Scannell and Kurz offer ten very helpful financial aid strategies that will help you prepare for 2010:

1.     Identify metrics that reveal how you're performing, then track them against the same or a similar period in the prior two years.

2.     Benchmark annually on sticker price, discount rate, and prestige indicators with top competitors.

3.     Help admissions recruiters make the case for affordability, value, and career outcomes.

4.     Make sure financial aid counselors can talk comfortably and accurately about financing/payment plan options as well as financial aid programs.

5.     Keep admissions and financial aid staffs on the same page by using net tuition revenue goals as the common denominator.

6.     Use an analytical, not anecdotal, approach to adjusting aid policies.

7.     Be as transparent as possible about awarding policies.

8.     Watch out for policies that stack merit awards on entitlements, need-based aid, talent-based aid, etc.

9.     Make sure renewal policies are not negatively impacting retention.

10.  Be transfer friendly.

-Jeff Papa

If you haven't seen Yale's new admissions video, you need to! It's such a great departure from the usual admissions videos with the predicable voice-overs that go on and on about how great a particular school is. This video is a cross between "High School Musical" (the movie) and "Glee" (the TV show). And here's the really interesting part--all of the filming, editing, and vocal recordings were actually done by Yale students on the Yale campus.  Ok, and truth be told, this video is my personal fancy, back in the day when I was in admissions. Instead of telling another seemingly bored prospective student (and his parents) about the wonders of my school, I would break into song and before you know it I'm in a full blown musical--belting out a catchy tune and dancing around campus. Ok, I may be alone on that one. J Enjoy the show! 

   -Jeff Papa

Earlier this week, Tom Hayes moderated two online focus groups with alumni of Mercyhurst College. One of the focus group participants, Tim Zaun, blogged about the group on his site. The group Tim participated in included 11 other alumni, representing the class of 1980, 1983, 2000, 2004, and 2005.

Topics included a discussion around the College's image, positives, negatives, and common misperceptions associated with the College, and an discussion of the Sisters of Mercy, the founder of Mercyhurst.  

Tim notes that the group was, "an enjoyable experience to discuss the school's heritage and happenings with people I've never met, yet share an educational commonality with."

Make sure you check out Tim's blog!

-- Renee Kart