Carnegie Dartlet, NAGAP & Google’s

Digital Insights for Graduate Enrollment

Presented by:

Mark Cunningham, EVP, Client Solutions & Strategy

Carnegie Dartlet

Marcus Hanscom, Director of Graduate Admissions

Roger Williams University

WHY ARE WE HERE?

We don’t go online. We live online.

Micro Moments

NAGAP surveyed hundreds of their members to get direct

input into what matters most for them as they consider the

role of digital marketing on their campus.

Trend Watch

What are you trying to accomplish with digital?

50.2%

44.9%42.9% 41.5%

37.6%

30.7%

44.4%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

IncreasedApplications

SpecificProgramBranding

LeadGeneration

IncreasedEnrollment

GeneralBranding

EventAttendance

All of the Above

How is digital handled on your campus?

10.2%

18.0%

12.2%

15.1%

24.4%

20.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

0% done in-house

25% donein-house

50% donein-house

75% donein-house

100% donein-house

Unknown

Done In-House

19.0%

28.5%

18.5%

10.2%

1.0%

22.2%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

0% ofbudget

25% ofbudget

50% ofbudget

75% ofbudget

100% ofbudget

Unknown

Budget for Digital

What barriers do you encounter for implementing digital?

Those that said 25% or less being

spent on digital marketing = much

more likely to say budget was a

barrier to implementation.

Those who handle digital in-house

= more likely to say know-how

and internal resourcing issues

were barriers.

27.8%

24.9%

20.1%

7.3%5.9%

4.6%

2.1%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

Budget Know-How InternalResources

Lack of Buy-Inon Campus

Finding theRight Vendor

Other (Not OurDept.)

No Need

What type of online behaviors are you most interested in?

58.5%

56.6%

55.6%

46.3%

21.5%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%

HOW PROSPECTIVE GRAD STUDENTS ARE CONDUCTING SEARCHES

WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS THEY USE

ACTION-ORIENTED AND CONVERSION BEHAVIORS

WHERE THEY SPEND THEIR TIME ONLINE

WHAT DEVICES THEY ARE USING

What are you doing and what’s working in digital?

57.6%

41.0%38.5%

35.6% 35.1%

21.5% 20.5%

13.7%11.2%

9.3%11.7%

35.1%

24.9%

20.5%

10.7%14.1%

8.8%5.4% 3.4% 2.4% 2.3% 4.7%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Doing Working

What Social Media platforms are you using?

77.1%

43.4%40.5%

34.6%

25.4%

11.7%

4.9%2.0% 1.0% 0.8% 1.5%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Instagram YouTube Pandora Snapchat Spotify Pinterest Other(Varied)

Other("None")

The Carnegie Dartlet Social Media Cheat Sheet

Graduate

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

YouTube Facebook Snapchat Instagram Twitter

18-24 25-29 30-49

Social platforms like Snapchat and Instagram are

especially popular among those ages 18 to 24

Number of Facebook users by age in the US as of January 2018 (in millions)

Trend WatchLead Generation and Conversions with Facebook

Layering in Instagram for Specific Programs

Example: Master’s in Telecommunications

Focused on prospective students internationally (India, South Korea)

1st month of campaign results:

• Facebook/Instagram Lead Generation & Retargeting = 300 leads and 68 conversions (Apply & Learn

More button clicks)

• Online Display & Retargeting = 52 leads and 17 conversions

• LinkedIn Lead Generation = 11 leads

• PPC = 12 conversions

Trend Watch

LinkedIn: More Than a Job Search Site

Over 530 million members on their platform with a professional mindset.

Prospective graduate students average 2x more LinkedIn homepage views than the average member.

Tactics That Align

With Prospective

Student Journey

• 29% uplift in InMail open rate when member was already exposed to sponsored content

• 56% uplift in InMail CTRwhen member was already exposed to sponsored content

Tactics That Align With Prospective Student Journey

What are you doing and what’s working in digital?

41.0%

24.9%

35.1%

14.1%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

SEO PPC

Search Engine Marketing

Doing Working

Those who selected online search behavior being an important thing to know were more likely to be from groups that already implement, or have some interest in using, SEO & PPC.

Searchers never scroll past

page one results

Searchers click on one of

top three results

First page visibility is essential

75%60%

Organic Results

SEO and User Experience Go Hand-in-Hand

Making users want to click on your result when you

do show up.

Providing useful information that matches what

users are looking for.

Having a good user experience to navigate, learn

more, and request information.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

➢ Interactions went from 25 the

previous month to 559 in just 5 days.

➢ 8,361 users interacted with the

property from a non-branded search

in the first 3 months.

After Claiming and Optimizing Marquette’s Graduate School Property…

Pro Tip (Google My Business)

“How are graduate student audiences

behaving and searching for opportunities

online?”

“HEY GOOGLE!”

Prospective students begin with an open mind.

9 out of 10begin their research without knowing

what institution they want to attend

2 key trends are happening more today than ever before for grad

• Branded* queries continue to decline, and non-branded* queries continue to grow

• Prospect behavior continues to shift to mobile with program and degree-related searches

The Brand versus Non-brand Story

• There have been 10 straight quarters of YoY decline with brand queries

• There have been 12 straight quarters of YoY increase with non-brand queries

+3%-2%EDU Brand EDU Non-Brand

19.0%

13.8%

22.5%

13.8%

23.1%

7.8%

PhD Masters MBA Associate's Bachelor's Certificate

% of Query Volume

% of Query Volume by Degree Type

Up 6% YoYUp 4% YoY

Do what you can to ensure program names match the way students are searching.

Perform keyword research to see how people are searching for the programs you offer—the search

terms might be off from your internal language.

Example:

“Masters in Renewable Engineering”

<10 searches per month

“Masters in Green Energy”

10 – 100 searches per month

Pro Tip (Programs)

Search is Core to the Journey

Over 50% are using “branded”

terms within 30 days of conversion

Queries shift towards brand as the journey progresses

1. It can be free

2. Competition

3. Time/Goal Specific

3 Reasons to Make Sure You Own Your Brand

Query Mix across devices41.1% of all Colleges, Universities & Post-secondary Education related searches in

Q4 2017 were on mobile devices

Degree queries still happen more on desktops/tablets

With exception of MBA

(slightly higher on mobile)

Program queries continue their skew towards mobile

Program queries continue their skew towards mobile

Do a mobile search

for “master’s

degree”

Watch a student life

video on YouTube on

their mobile

Sign up for a visit

on a PC

Visit your mobile

Facebook page

Click on your

mobile search ad

Apply on their PC

84%Take further non-

mobile action after

researching on

their smartphones.

Influence of Mobile on the Student Journey

Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA)Demographics for Search Ads

Device Bid Adjustments

Pro Tip (PPC Must-Do’s for Grad)

General Grad: 20% increase in Cost Per Clicks

MBA: 29% increase in Cost Per Clicks

Lower Cost Per Click on Bing (sometimes)

MBA Example: CPCs slightly lower on Bing ($9.59)

than on AdWords ($11.56)

Reduced ad space = more competition

Facebook & LinkedIn Lead Gen alternatives

Trend Watch

When budget is an issue…

Pay Per Click may not be able to respond if the budget isn’t there to support it.

• Are you appearing in results?

• Are you losing to the competition?

• Does your daily spend hit it’s limit too early?

When these are issues, consider Facebook Lead Gen (conversions)

Example: When campaign shifted from Pay Per Click to Facebook due to budget/performance,

more leads were generated in 1 month via Facebook than previous 6 months of PPC

Paid Search versus Facebook: Which when?

Trend Watch

Online Display & Social Advertising, Pay Per Click, and Retargeting

3-month trial campaign for 2 programs:

• MA in Energy and Environment

• MA in Remote Sensing and Geospatial Sciences

“We are up 46% in E&E apps and 15% in RSGS apps and the deadline isn't until February!”

Niche Graduate Programs: Immediate Impact

What would you like to learn more about?

50.2%

43.4% 42.4%39.5% 38.5%

32.7%

22.4% 21.5% 20.5%

2.9%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

What would you like to learn more about?

Despite not being high on the list for being used or reported as successful,

many respondents noted they wanted to know more about Mobile-Location

based strategies like Geofencing.

IP Targeting also saw a large jump.

Some survey comments showed this is likely due to these types of services are "unknown" and new to some

participants, especially those who have 10+ years of experience.

• Behavioral

• Demographic

• Household

• Lists

• Locations people frequent/visit

• Website visitors

• Lookalike audiences

Every Time You See an Ad There is a Reason

49% More likely to visit an

advertiser’s site 40% More likely to Search

for a brand

Create demand

Capture demand

Display Ad Impact on Search

IP Targeting

• Target IP addresses of mailing lists

• Link offline and online

• Customize message based on list type/segment

• Time with your traditional mediums: DM, email

• Connect across a household

• Create frequency of message

Graduate Lists

• GMAT/GRE lists

• Inquiry

• Alumni lists

• Applied students

• Accepted students

Lists on Social Media

Rooftop IP Targeting

Target IP addresses of non-residential locations (business, hospitals, etc.)

Mobile-Location Based (“Geofencing”)

Capture mobile devices who enter specific locations and deliver ads to them

while there or after they’ve left

Mobile Footprints

Geofence mobile devices virtually anywhere, then IP Target into their homes

across all devices

Location-Based

2015 – used a mix of digital strategies, to include…

• Online Display/Retargeting

• Pay Per Click

• IP Targeting to LSAT lists

• Rooftop Targeting to feeder schools

Results: Year over year enrolled students…

2014 = 93

2015 = 134

44% increase!

Location-based & IP: Law School

2017 – used a mix of digital strategies, to include…

• Online Display/Retargeting

• Pay Per Click

• IP Targeting to lists

• Facebook Lead Generation targeting FEEDER SCHOOLS

Results: Year over year enrolled students…

2016 = 165

2017 = 215

30% increase

101 leads from first 1.5 months of Facebook Lead Gen campaign

Facebook Lead Generation: Law School

The Carnegie Dartlet Streaming Media Cheat Sheet

What site-specific tools/capabilities are you using?

51.20%

39.50%

20.50%

13.20%

3.40% 2.20%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Personalization

90%of visitors who access a website are

not identified

In a recent study conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group on college

and university websites, 48% of users didn’t realize the university

offered the program they were looking for even when it did.

48%

Over 1/3 of users that clicked on event based “Custom

Interactions” had never been to the organic events page.

37%

Make Them Aware

Personalized Content for Users That Are Highly Engaged with the MFT Pages

Students are Interacting With Your Website A Lot

123 Highly engaged users viewed 123 pages on

average before applying

Tracked activity on the MBA pages of a university’s site over 3 months:

11.4Applicants visited the site an average of

11.4 times before applying

(with the help of a ‘application fee waiver’

personalized interaction)

EMBA, PMBA, FTBMA

Take “engaged audiences” from website tracking and implement Facebook campaign driving next-step action

Results (within 2 weeks):

• FTMBA: 8 Apply Now button clicks,1 RFI form completion

• EMBA: 2 Apply Now button clicks

• PMBA: 4 Apply Now button clicks, 4 RFI form completions

Relevancy Outside of Your Site

98% Leave a website without

completing a conversion

80% Abandon a conversion

without completion

49% Typically visit a site

2-4 times before converting

One Visit is Typically Not Enough

Retargeting

Pro Tip: Do NOT retarget your entire site!

Segment!

• General admission pages

• International admission pages

• Specific program pages

• Apply page

• Financial aid page

• Accepted students

Segment Your Audience

Does your RFI look more like a job application?

Should we require phone numbers on our RFI forms?

We tested mandatory vs. optional phone numbers on graduate landing pages and we found phone

number was NOT deterring people from filling out the form

Prospective grad students are more willing to provide more info within an RFI

Trend Watch

Are your forms mobile responsive?

Test your site at:https://search.google.com/search-console/mobile-friendly

Are You Mobile Friendly?

Measurement – How do you track digital success?

54.1%51.7%

44.4% 43.9%

5.1%

1.3%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Google Analytics On Campus Results Campaign Dashboard Internal Tools/CRM Other ("None of These") Other ("Don't Know")

• Who Is on My Site Right Now?

• Who Came to My Site?

• How Did They Find My Site?

• What Did They Look At?

• Were They Successful?

What Can Google Analytics Tell You?

First, Be Sure to Enable Demographics and Interest Reports

• Age

• Gender

• Interests

• Geography

• What day they visited

• What page they landed on first

• What kind of device they used to visit the site

What Can You Learn About Your Audience?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Think audience and purpose with social media

• Grad students are searching with a more open mind

• Vet new opportunities for reach and engagement

• Expectations around user experience, relevancy, and personalization continue to rise

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Where do you learn about digital?

50.20%

39.00%

32.70%30.70% 30.20%

17.10%

2.90%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

IndustryConferences/Groups

Internal CampusGroups

Webinars Partners/Vendors Blogs/Newsletters Social Media Other (MostlyMarketing Dept.)

Webinar Series

• May: Advancing Your Social Media Strategies for Grad Recruitment

• June: SEO, PPC, and Your Website – Working Together for Grad

• July: Emerging Trends & Strategies for Grad (Geofencing, IP, Video, etc.)

• August: Google Analytics and Measurement – A Grad View