Truth #9: Measure Your Effectiveness
From Fortune 500 companies to small private colleges, data is the new currency. Information not only allows organizations to make smart decisions, it enhances their opportunities to tell meaningful stories that connect with their audience. In other words, if data is the new currency, having your own is a must.
For many colleges and universities, this fact can feel like a daunting truth as tight budgets or lack of technology constrain possibilities. A simple dashboard, though, can provide institutions with increased visibility so they can discover actionable insights into their school’s perception, performance in light of other colleges and universities, and steps toward future success.
Picturing Perception
Many colleges and universities avoid seeking specific perception feedback, thinking they have an intuitive read on their constituents. In avoiding current data, school leaders miss out on vital feedback — or risk hearing only from the small group of people who voice praise or problems.
Higher education marketing leaders can disrupt this norm with proactive feedback strategies. Digital surveys that ask specific segments of their community for perception data would be a great place to start. They might send a three-question email to parents of current students, for example, that asks them to rate their interactions with the institution, share how likely they would be to recommend that a friend’s child attend the school, and describe their perception of the institution in a few sentences.
By analyzing these survey results, marketing leaders can identify strengths to emphasize in marketing materials (“98 percent of parents say their student is well-connected on campus.”) or areas for improvement that might inspire new projects (“Only 60 percent of parents feel that the institution keeps them informed and engaged. Let’s brainstorm an email series that welcomes them further into the community.”) By providing information on how the institution is doing in real time, perception provides a springboard for creative marketing ideas.
Developing Dashboards
In our data-rich age, having a way to hone in on the information that matters is critical for marketing leaders. One way to do this is through a marketing dashboard that provides at-a-glance insights into the university’s efforts and informs where to invest marketing dollars.
Thriving institutions have locked-in dashboards with agreement among campus leaders and trustees of what is being tracked so that we can learn from the losses and celebrate the wins together. Collaborate with other campus leaders to choose what metrics are most useful to track, and keep them consistent over time. By developing longitudinal measurements, benchmarks will emerge, and you’ll be better positioned to learn from the information gathered.
Of course you’ll want data reflecting enrollment and fundraising health, but also think about other indicators of future success — perception research, website usage data, and prospective student actions all are examples of more specific KPIs that could be useful.
Considering Comparison
During a meeting with a college’s leadership team, I shared that a high percentage of their alumni said they would recommend the institution. The room buzzed with excited chatter — except for the president. He looked at me and asked, “How does that compare to other schools?”
I told him the truth: It was one of the lowest scores I had ever seen.
Comparative data is crucial when it comes to understanding how a college or university is performing. While many leaders may have a sense of how their school is performing in terms of graduation rates or alumni employment, there’s much more to consider. Most students make their college decisions based on a list of factors, and likelihood of making it to the cap and gown is only one of them.
Comparing data to that of other institutions can help marketing leaders understand where they need to focus their efforts — whether that’s shouting from the rooftops about their excellence or building a strategy toward better results.
Inviting Insight
The bad news: Your institution likely lacks visibility into important information.
The good news: The people who can provide you with feedback are already in your network.
The great news: An easy-to-use dashboard tool can empower the marketing, academic, and administrative leaders at your institution with data that drives success.
Interested in bringing the Truths to your campus? Learn more.
Let’s make these truths part of your institution’s unique marketing strategies. Contact us to chat about how 5° Branding can partner with your team.
This is the ninth blog in our Higher Ed Marketing Truths series with 5° Senior Vice President Ryan Morabito, a veteran brand strategist who has worked with over 100 schools. These blogs are based on Ryan’s LinkedIn posts, which regularly inspire high engagement among education leaders and marketers. Connect with us here to receive each blog in the series by email or bookmark our blog to check for updates!
