University Business - May 2008 - (Page 59)

PERCENT OF OPERATING BUDGET SPENT ON MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS AFFILIATION Public (N=77) 10% Did not answer 57% 19% 5% – 1% 1% 17% Private (N=76) 21% 21% 32% 5% 5% 1% 15% Research Doctoral (N=37) 65% 5% – 3% 3% – 24% CLASSIFICATION Liberal Arts (N=41) 22% 22% 32% – 7% – 17% Master’s/Comp (N=59) 41% 24% 22% 2% – 3% 8% Source: Key Insights April 2007: A Report on Marketing Spending at Colleges and Universities, Lipman Hearne, www.lipmanhearne.com/resources up front, their experience will save you time and money in the • Position your web presence as a relationship building channel and long run. not simply a distribution channel. • Focus on a handful of your most important target audiences and • Complete a creative brief for each audience. conduct the research to understand audience values and lifestyles, • Do not let committees approve creative. By the time a committee motivations, reservations, prior knowledge, competitor set, media approves creative, it is likely no longer creative. habits, and channel preferences. • Become comfortable with uncomfortable creative. The more • Reorient all your messages so they are more audience-centric and edgy your materials, the more likely they will be noticed. While less sender-centric. predictable creative is safe, the fact that it almost never gets noticed • Develop a communication map for all key audiences. Look at means that it is also the most expensive. message ﬂow, content, and channel synergies. • Use the 70/20/10 rule: Spend 70 percent of your marketing dollars • Don’t automatically look at traditional advertising. Instead, use on media with a demonstrated track record. Reserve 20 percent of the broadest possible deﬁnition of media your marketing dollars for new media and try to achieve as much integration that you believe will work. Finally, spend and synergy among and between channels 10 percent of your marketing dollars on Your website is as possible. emerging media. or will soon become • Diﬀerentiate your school and your • Remember the law of replacement. messages from your most consistent If you add “X” to the mix be prepared your marketing center competitors in ways that matter to your to discontinue “Y.” Often marketing of gravity. target audiences. Remember, relevance plans resemble archeological digs. They drives response. contain a shard of every activity ever • Develop a marketing/communications undertaken as new strategies are added plan that combines your brand strategy as well as your recruiting to old. Seldom is anything taken away or dropped. and advancement communication strategies. This will increase • Test everything. We know that hand-addressed envelopes outpull eﬃciencies and squeeze out waste. labeled envelopes and that labeled envelopes outpull window • Precede all direct marketing strategies with an eﬀective brand envelopes. How do we know? Because we tested. strategy that focuses on the value you oﬀer to prospective students, • Become media agnostic. Do not fall in love with any channel or donors, and others. activity. Only fall in love with results. • Segment. Segment. Segment. So what is the big lesson here? While cost matters, eﬀectiveness • Manage the relationship between your print communication and matters more. your digital communication. Your website is or will soon become your marketing center of gravity. The purpose of print, e-mail, and Robert Sevier is a senior VP of Stamats Communications (www other channels is to drive traﬃc to the web. .stamats.com). He can be reached at bob.sevier@stamats.com. universitybusiness.com May 2008 | 59 http://www.lipmanhearne.com/resources http://www.stamats.com http://www.stamats.com http://www.stamats.com http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - May 2008

University Business - May 2008
Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
People Watch
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Financial Aid
Human Resources
Community Colleges
Art Appreciation
HR Directors Speak Out
Marketing: The Big Questions Answered
Top 5 Reasons You Should Attend EduComm 2008
What's New
Calendar of Events
End Note

University Business - May 2008