Communications and Web Sessions
Secondary emphases are indicated in parentheses.
Please confirm the session times and locations in the program book you will receive when you arrive at the conference.
Sunday 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Beyond Facebook and Twitter: Using Social Media in a Multi-Channel Campaign to Recruit Students, Raise Money, or Build Awareness for Your Institution
Sheraton II
Facebook and Twitter are so ... last year. In 2011, it's time for institutions to integrate these and other social media and social networking tools into recruitment, fundraising, awareness-building, and other types of campaigns. Today's busy and sophisticated consumers (prospective students, parents, alumni, and other constituents) respond better when you use multiple channels, especially when you do it with some imagination and flair. Examine successful examples of campaigns that integrate Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and other Web 2.0 tools with print and other media channels. Explore the characteristics of effective, multiple-channel campaigns and inspire you to create your own.
— Michael Stoner, President, mStoner
— Heather Sullivan, Director of Communications and Marketing, Northfield Mount Hermon
Sunday 2:00-3:30 p.m.
The Heretic's Guide to Marketing to Millennials
Chicago VIII
Indiana University East, making a change to a traditional student body, sought out the elusive millennial student by pulling away from traditional marketing beliefs and embracing the fast, cheap, and out-of-control world of social media, gaining record enrollments and garnering multiple awards along the way. Staff will share examples and strategies from this culture shift and the transformation of Indiana University East.
— Rob Zinkan, Vice Chancellor for External Affairs, Indiana University East
— John Oak Dalton, Director of Communications and Marketing , Indiana University East
Monday 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Own the Message, Achieve Results
Michigan A&B
With time and money often in short supply, many higher education institutions rely on their benefit plan vendors to handle employee communications, especially when it comes to a 403(b) retirement plan. But un-managed, vendor-driven communication often leads to mixed messages, disengaged employees, and poor plan performance. With an important and complex retirement plan benefit change taking place in 2010, DePaul University chose instead to have a point of view on the change and own the message. Through a targeted communication campaign that included custom-created materials and strategically leveraged vendor resources, DePaul University helped nearly 7,400 faculty, staff, and retirees become better engaged in their retirement planning and more appreciative of the benefits DePaul offers. In this informative case study, DePaul public relations, human resources, and the communication consultant who helped produce the campaign will present DePaul's perspective on owning the message and leveraging vendor resources to achieve HR objectives while informing, educating, and engaging your faculty and staff.
— Rosa Perez, Associate Vice President, Human Resources, De Paul University
— Sallie Vroom, Principal, Workforce Communication and Change Institution, Mercer
— Denise Mattson, Associate Vice President for Public Relations, DePaul University
Beyond Reporting: Getting Insights out of Your Web Analytics Data
Sheraton II
Getting data out of your Web analytics tool and reporting on that data is simple. Getting insights is the hard part. What data will help you make decisions? Ignore the irrelevant data and focus on what's important to you and your website. Discuss: creating meaningful goals and key performance indicators, the importance of segmentation (if you're not using segmentation, you're making decisions on misleading data!), custom reporting (because you're website isn't standard!), monetizing your website (how much is that poor design costing you?), social media measurement (you can measure ROI), and more.
— Shelby Thayer, Online Marketing and Web Strategy, Penn State Outreach Marketing and Communications
Monday 10:30-Noon
Target, integrate, diversify, and measure: An integrated media approach to attracting high-quality students
Michigan A&B
This presentation will discuss the need for an integrated, cross-channel media approach to drive student inquiry and enrollment. Citing industry best practices data, new and original research, and real life examples from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, we'll review the importance of: 1) Understanding the evolving media consumption habits of the target audience (students and their parents), 2) Determining which media channels are most influential, and 3) Matching the message to the medium. The presentation will include examples of social and mobile marketing channels and how they are becoming an important part of the mix.
— Kate Colbert, Director of Marketing, Lake Forest Graduate School of Management
— Richard Strassburger, VP, Integrated Media Strategies, Colman Brohan Davis
Brand as Transformation: Attracting Your Best-Fit Student.
Sheraton II
Today, the choices of where to attend college are endless. Institutions of all shapes and sizes must define what they stand for and what sets them apart to attract the right kind of student -- and resources -- they need to survive. In this session, hear from two institutions that have achieved an important shift as the result of dynamic and creative marketing efforts. In 2004, Eureka College launched an integrated marketing and communications effort that successfully transitioned the college from questioning its future to embracing and defining it. Similarly, in 2008, Capital University and Ologie (its branding firm) worked together to rebuild the institution's brand as a precursor to developing a long-term strategic plan. Only a few years into their efforts, both schools are experiencing rapid growth, attracting better-fit and higher-quality students, and seeing improved donor and alumni relations.
— Dr. Brian Sajko, Senior Vice President for Admissions, Communications, and Integrated Marketing, Eureka College
— Dr. J. David Arnold, President, Eureka College
— Dr. Kevin W. Sayers, Vice President for Planning and Strategy and Assistant to the President, Capital University
— William Faust, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, Ologie
Monday 1:30- 2:30 p.m.
Skipping a Step: Taking University News Straight to Your Audiences
Sheraton II
The Web has brought university communications professionals an amazing new opportunity: the ability to circumvent the news media and take our universities' messages straight to our target audiences. One approach that is working beautifully for Michigan Technological University is partnering with national organizations that have a longer reach than we do. Others include pushing out news through an online newsroom and social media. Examine the challenge of reaching a variety of distant audiences as the news media is shrinking as an intermediary. Get details of our partnering opportunities, the development of an online newsroom and social media news presence. Explore ways to make these new approaches a dynamic part of a larger communications plan that includes outreach to conventional and new media.
— Jennifer Donovan, Director of Public Relations, Michigan Technological University
— Brandy Tichonoff, New-Media Director, Michigan Technological University
Flexible Web Branding, the Case Against Single Web Templates
Michigan A&B
Look at the use of single templates on higher education websites. Implementing an institution-wide template sounds like a good idea at first but how does it perform in the real world? Get insights into the pros and cons of implementing a single template across all institution websites. We will explore what works and what doesn't, from both the management and end-user prospective. Discover techniques to embrace the uniqueness of each area of your institution and how to engage your visitors along the way.
— Nick DeNardis, Associate Director, Web Communications, Wayne State University
Monday 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Next Step Navigation
Michigan A&B
Institutional websites today rarely lack in content. But our sites are so big that even the greatest content can quickly get lost in long navigation lists and buried pages. What can you do to make sure the most important actions, stories, and information for your users are at their fingertips? Discuss how to extend the exposure of actions, news, profiles, and social content throughout your site by naturally including the next steps users should take to stay on the site. We will cover: " Identifying primary and secondary content " Building a content categorization strategy " Understanding content types " Designing a page to promote action and stickiness By the end of the session, you will know how to flatten your site to give a visitor a more robust experience.
— Eric Hodgson, Web Content Manager, University of Iowa Foundation
Higher Education: The Toughest Gig in all the Web
Sheraton II
Creating websites for colleges and universities presents many unique challenges that make it the toughest gig in all the Web. Multiple missions, silos, consensus decision making, multiple audiences with disparate needs, corporate expectations on a not-for-profit budget, the growing expectations of the technology adept millennial students, campus politics, and an organizational structure resembling federalism all combine to create a very demanding environment. But when approached with the right mindset, higher education is also the most rewarding gig in all the Web. Explore the culture of higher education and how it impacts the Web, provide a framework for building and sustaining an effective college Web presence, and offer advice and guidance on how to succeed in the higher education environment.
— Mark Greenfield, Director, Office of Web Services, University at Buffalo
Tuesday 9:15-10:15 a.m.
Best Practices for Branding and Maintaining a University's Presence on Facebook and Other Social Networks
Sheraton II
Share experiences and examples of social networking tools used at Illinois State University. Take a look at the best practices and branding guide developed for internal audiences to the institution and how social networking was used to enhance and market a major university event.
— Annette States Levitt, Director, Alumni Relations, Illinois State University
This is Video!
Chicago VIII
Explore successful case studies from Lawrence University and Macalester College profiling the integration of video into fundraising campaigns and ongoing communications efforts. Discover how both colleges used student video contests as part of their respective campaigns, "More Light!" and "Step Forward: The Campaign for Macalester;" Discuss the weekly student-produced "This is Lawrence" video series. And, see a President's Day spoof featuring Macalester College President Brian Rosenberg.
— Cal Husmann, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, Lawrence University
— Rachel Crowl, Web Content and New Media Coordinator, Lawrence University
— Amy Phenix, Director of Communications, Macalester College
A Six Sigma Approach to Website Redesign
Michigan A&B
Six Sigma is a philosophy of continuous improvement used by businesses and manufacturers. Recently, Collegiate Web Solutions applied a Six Sigma process to a website redesign for a prominent Midwestern university. In partnership with a professor from Butler University's College of Business, CWS developed repeatable diagnostics to capture quantitative and qualitative measures of a website's impact. When applied at the beginning of a website redesign effort, this analysis served to benchmark the opinions, behaviors and motivations the current website evoked from visitors across the student life-cycle (prospective students, admitted students, current students and alumni). As well, it made clear the investments in design, navigation and functionality that would truly have the greatest impact. The speakers will share their methods and findings, as well as post-launch outcomes.
— Douglas Clark, Principal, Collegiate Web Solutions
— Dr. Patrick Rondeau, Professor, College of Business, Butler University
Tuesday 10:45 a.m.-11:15 p.m.
(Communications and Web)
The Value of Apps and Smart Phone Strategies
Sheraton II
Join us for a presentation that defines campus mobility, why developing a mobile strategy is important, and how to begin a mobile strategy for your institution. We will explore how Blackboard meets the needs of a 21st century campus. We'll share the real-life story about how and why Northwestern University implemented the Blackboard solution. The goal of the session is to equip you with a basic introduction and understanding of mobility, its benefits and how Blackboard can enable this at your institution.
— Tim Gelletly, Regional Manager, Blackboard Mobile
— Harlan Wallach, Digital Media Architect Lead , Northwestern University
Tuesday 10:45-12:15 p.m.
Communications is from Mars, Admissions is from Venus
Michigan A&B
Maura King Scully's paper, " Communications is From Mars, Admissions is From Venus, " explains how even though the two divisions work toward the same end goal, they can seem solar systems apart (Currents, April 2010, p. 41). Admissions knows its audience, but marketing/communications knows the brand. Admissions can be viewed as too focused on the short term (recruiting the upcoming year's class) and marketing/ communications can be seen as overly centered on the long term (protecting the brand and building long-term objectives). How, then, can the two departments work together to develop a relationship that successfully achieves unified goals and pulls the campus into a singular orbit? Discover how Indiana University Kokomo built a collaborative working relationship between Admissions and Communications/ Marketing, even though the two departments are housed under different boxes in the organizational chart. Learn from Indiana University Kokomo as Venus works with Mars to create successful recruitment and retention campaigns and achieve planetary harmony.
— Katrina D. Janes, Executive Director of Marketing and Creative Services, University of West Florida
— Reeta Piirala-Skoglund, Director of Admissions and Recruitment, West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Engaging ... Well, Everyone!
Chicago VIII
Discover how raising awareness about global climate change and the plight of polar bears set off an initiative that engaged an entire university community for a whole school year. Collaborative programs can be difficult to pull off, but can have tangible rewards and benefits for overall university marketing. Find out how this award-winning program came about and how it utilized the marketing strategy of Divide et impera (Divide and conquer) to meet its short and long range goals, despite an unexpected economic downturn. It's a case study you can apply to your own program and budget, with a big return on your investment.
— Nancy Burnett, Graphic Designer, Office of Communications and Marketing, Ohio Northern University
— Carol Flax, Director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Ohio Northern University
— Sonja Umbs, B.A., '08 alumna, Ohio Northern University