Marketing Plan 3-11-10

8/12/2019 Marketing Plan 3-11-10

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McPhersonCollegeMarketingPlan20102014

Overview

Themarketingandcommunicationsdepartmenthasdevelopedthisplantoprovidearoadmapof

McPhersonColleges

current

marketing

strategy.

As

with

any

plan,

this

is

not

astatic

document

but

ratheronethathasbeencreatedtoreflectthecurrentclimateandobjectivesthatguidethe

collegesmarketingefforts.Thisplanisbasedupontheongoingcontributionsandfeedback

providedbyfaculty,staff,andstudents.Itwillbefinetunedandadjustedasnecessarytoensure

thatthemarketingactivitiesarewellcoordinatedandcontinuouslyimprovedtocreatethemost

impactwiththeavailableresources.

ThisplanisbaseduponthesolidfoundationoftheMcPhersonCollegebrandandreflects

qualitativeandquantitativeresearchcoordinatedthroughout2008,2009,and2010.Specific

methodsemployedinthisresearchincludedfocusgroups,surveys,andoneononemeetingswith

facultyand

staff.

Immersion

into

the

culture

of

McPherson

College

has

also

served

as

asolid

basis

forthiswritingofthisplan.

ThemarketingplanthatfollowsaimstostrengthenthereputationofMcPhersonCollegeand

enhanceitsvisibility.Inaddition,itwillencouragealumni,friends,donors,parents,students,

prospectivestudents,faculty,andstafftocherishtheirassociationwithMcPhersonCollege.Itwill

inspirethosewhoarenotdirectlyconnectedwiththeinstitutiontotakenoticeofitsacademic

reputationandcontributionstotheregionandbeyond.

BrandStatement

Thefollowingbrandstatementisthefoundationuponwhichmuchoftheinstitutionalmarketing

planwillbebuilt:

Mission:Todevelopwholepersonsthroughscholarship,participation,andservice. MarketNiche:CareerOrientedLiberalArts

HistoryandBackground

Charteredin1887byleadersoftheChurchoftheBrethren,McPhersonCollegehasalonghistoryof

providingexcellentliberalartsandcareerorientededucationshapedbytheessentialvaluesofits

foundingdenomination.TheChurchoftheBrethrenisaChristiandenominationfoundedin

Germanyin1708.ItacceptstheNewTestamentastheruleoffaithandemphasizestheinherent

valueof

all

persons,

the

communal

discernment

of

truth,

the

necessity

of

putting

faith

into

action,

andthebiblicalcallstosimplicity,nonviolence,nonconformityandtransformation through

education.BrethrenstrivetocontinuetheworkofJesuspeacefullysimplytogether.

McPhersonCollegesprogramsintegratecareerguidanceandpracticalexperiencesintoa

traditionalliberalartscurriculumthatupholdsthehigheststandardsofacademicexcellence.Our


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goalistohelpstudentsdiscernavocationalcallconsistentwiththeirgiftsandinterestsandto

preparethemforalifeofmeaningfulwork.

CommunityiscentraltoMcPhersonCollege.Weaffirmdiversitywithinthecommunity,

emphasizingunityandacceptanceratherthanjudgmentandrejection.Becausewebelievethatthe

pursuitof

truth

is

acollective

endeavor,

and

that

the

point

of

scholarly

learning

is

to

advance

the

commongood,McPhersonCollegeaspirestobeahealthycommunityoflearningwherewhole

personsnurtureandbalancetheirphysical,intellectual,andspiritualcomponents;developandlive

inrespectful,reciprocalrelationshipswithothers;andarecommittedtoresponsibleservicetothe

world.

Toaccomplishourmission,McPhersonembracestheidealsofscholarship,participationand

service.

Scholarship:AllabsoluteTruthisGodsTruthandhumankindmustlabordiligentlyinthepursuitoftruthwecanknow;thus,McPhersonCollegeupholdsthehigheststandardsof

academic

excellence.

Faculty

strives

to

teach

students

to

think

critically

and

independently,

tocommunicateclearlyandeffectively,tointegrateknowledgeacrossthedisciplines,and

toassessthevalueconflictsinissues.Thisisdonewithoutcoercion,lettingtheevidence

leadthesearch,andwithrespectfortheconsciencesandvaluedifferencesofothers.

Participation:Studentsapplyknowledge,practiceskills,anddeepenandbroadentheirunderstandingofthemselvesandothersthroughactiveparticipationindiverselearning

experiences.Asmallercommunityrequiresgreaterparticipationfromitsmembers.For

thesereasons,McPhersonCollegeiscommittedtobeingasmallcollegeandencouraging

studentparticipationinavarietyofactivities.

Service:GodsloveispersonifiedinthelifeofJesuswhocametoservetheworld.Throughworksofpeacemakingandcompassion,humanityrespondstoGodsloveandbecomesan

instrumentofGodsservanthoodintheworld.Therefore,McPhersonCollegeemphasizes

servicetoothers,encouragingallmembersofitscommunitytogiveselflesslyofthemselves

toothers.

(HistoryandBackgroundoriginallyfromtheMcPhersonCollegeStrategicPlan20082011)

TargetMarket

Internalaudiencesinclude: Students Faculty Staff

Externalaudiencesinclude: Highschoolandmiddleschoolstudents Prospectivetransferstudents


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Prospectivenontraditionalstudents Parents Alumni Community Media Donors/potential donors Highschoolteachers,guidancecounselors,andotheradministratorsintheschool

system

MembersoftheMCAlumniBoardandTrusteesProspectiveStudentTargetMarketStatement(admissionsbased):

Ourtargetprospectivestudentissomeonewitha1926ACTscore/3.03.3GPA.Heorshe

desirestobeactiveandinvolvedoncampus,isoutgoing,andhasadiversebackground.Our

targetstudentwantsindividualattentionandwishestobecomeapartofacommunityor

family.

Specifictargetmarketgroupsinclude:

COBandalumnistudents Studentsfrommetropolitanareas Lowerincome,firstgenerationcollege Kansasstudents Internationalstudents Females*

*In1965,20%ofcollegedegreeswereawardedtowomen.In2009,60%ofcollegedegreeswere

awardedtowomen.

Basedondemographicresearch(seeexhibits#15),thetwohighestprojectedincreasesin

racial/ethnicgroupsareHispanic*(89.9%growthby2021)andAsian/PacificIslander(62.7%).We

shouldaggressivelyrecruitbothoftheseethnicgroupsinordertoremainviablein2021.Hiringa

Spanishspeakingadmissionscounselorshouldbeconsidered.

*1/5ofallhighschoolstudentsareLatino.

Inaddition,regionalprojectionsregardinghighschoolgraduationratesshowadeclineora

stalemateonallthreegeographicregions(West,Midwest,andNortheast).Theonlyregionwithan

increaseinhighschoolgraduatesin2021istheSouth.Aggressivesouthernrecruitmentshouldbea

priority.

Thenumberofhighschoolgraduatesandcollegeboundhighschoolgraduatesisalsoonthedecline

oratastalemateensuringtheneedforaggressivemarketingandrecruitingeffortsintheyearsto

come.

TheCompetition


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ForMcPhersonCollegetoremaincompetitive,technologyshouldactasadriverbehinddecisions

maderegardingthefutureofthecollege.

Marketingandcommunicationsshouldremainawareoftheemergingalternativestoatraditional

educationalenvironmentandfindeffectivemethodsofpromotingMcPhersonCollegeinaclimate

thatis

changing

rapidly.

As

expectations

for

accessing

education

change

to

reflect

the

on

demand

24houradayaccessprovidedbyonlineenvironments,marketingcommunicationsshouldconvey

thebenefitsofMcPhersonCollegetoappealtotheseshiftingvaluesandpreferences.

Inaddition,staffandfacultyinvolvedwithrecruitmentshouldbecognizantofandpromotethefact

thatthecostofaMcPhersonCollegeeducationiscomparabletothatofthetwo,largepublic

universitiesinKansas.

OurfocusoncareerorientedliberalartssetsusapartfromotherprivateKansascolleges.In

promotions,wehaveandwillcontinuetofocusonthisaspectinordertoshowourdistinctiveniche

withinthelocalmarket.

AswepromoteMcPhersonCollegesuniquevaluetoprospectivestudents,wemustremain

knowledgeableregardingthestrategiesandbenefitspromotedbythefollowingcompetitors:

1. KansasCommunityColleges(PrattCommunityCollege,HesstonCommunityCollege,HutchinsonCommunityCollege,DodgeCityCommunityCollege,BartonCommunityCollege,

et.al)

2. FourYearPublicInstitutions(KU,KState,WSU,FortHaysState,EmporiaState)3. FourYearPrivateInstitutions(Bethany,KansasWesleyan,Bethel,Friends,Sterling,Tabor,

et.al)

4. Onlinecertificateanddegreeprograms+(UniversityofPhoenix*,DeVryUniversity,CapellaUniversity,

Fort

Hays

State

et.

al)

+By2014,onlineheadcountwillbe20%ofallcollegestudents.

*In2009,UniversityofPhoenixenrollmentwasat423,000.Theyhavefoundaneednot

beingmet.Anyoneonlinecanbeinternational.

(seealsoexhibits1213forafurtherlistofcompetitorsbasedonFAFSAinformation)

ProposedMarketingObjectives

Ourstrategyinthismarketingplanistoemphasizeourdistinctiveprogramsandmembersofour

collegecommunity,whichmakeMcPhersonCollegetheuniqueandspecialinstitutionthatitis.

SeveralofficesanddepartmentsatMcPhersonCollegewillhavekeyrolesinimplementingthisplan

becauseoftheirvisibility,theirinteractionswithkeyaudiences,andtheirrolesatthecollege.These

are:Admissions,MarketingandCommunications,AcademicAffairs,StudentServices,and

Advancement.

Goal#1:

Increaseenrollmentby50studentsfor20102011usingenrollmentnumbersfrom20092010asa

baseline.(Increasefrom550to600)Overthenext4years(20102014),increaseenrollmentto700.


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Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Admissions

Strategiestocommunicatewithprospectivestudents:

WebsiteDevelopmentThe

McPherson

College

website

is

the

first

contact

that

most

prospective

students

will

have

withthecollege.Therefore,thiscommunicationchannelshouldbeutilizedasoneofthe

collegesmainmarketingtools.Thereisqualityevidencetosupportthedirectcorrelation

betweenacollegewebsiteandthelevelofstudentenrollment.*

*TheStamatsannualTeensTALKstudyindicatesthatnearly85%ofstudentsconsideringa

collegevisitedtheinstitutionswebsitebytheirsenioryearofhighschool.

*NoelLevitz2009study,80%ofstudentssaidtheywoulddropaschoolfromtheirsearchor

bedisappointedwithaschoolifthatinstitutionswebsitedidnothavethecontentthe

studentsneeded.70%ofstudentscompletetheirapplicationsonline,16%inperson,1%by

phone,12%

by

mail.

*Also,refertoexhibit#6.80%offemaleand76%ofmalestudentsusewebsitesregularlyto

findproductinformation.

TheMarketingandCommunicationsdepartmentiscurrentlyinstitutingacompletewebsite

redesignwhichwillpresentMcPhersonCollegeinanintegratedandengagingformat.

Incorporationoffaculty/staffblogs*,Facebook*,andTwitterwillbeanimportant

componentofthesite.Thefocusofthesitewillbeonthestudentexperience(i.e.student

life,testimonials,andatmosphere).Thecompletionsdateforthisphaseofthemarketing

planwillbeJuly1,2010.

*Seeexhibit

#6.

58%

of

female

and

44%

of

male

students

use

social

networking

sites

as

sourcesforproductinformation.22%offemaleand19%ofmalestudentsuseblogsas

sourcesforproductinformation.

CollateralMaterialsThefollowingprintedpiecesareimportantcomponentsofourrecruitmentefforts.They

shouldremainapartoftheoverallmarketingplanwhilefundsspentonadditionaltrifolds,

postcards,andpostersshouldbesignificantlyreduced.

(Seeexhibit#6.Nooneindicatedprinteditemsasdesirablesourcesforproductinformation.

Also,infocusgroupsheld/surveysgiven,studentsindicatedtheyoftenfeltoverwhelmedby

mailfrom

other

colleges.

Their

preferred

methods

of

communications

were

emails

and

handwrittenletters.)

SearchPiece(oneperyear)MyMCMagazine(twoperyear)FinancialAidBrochure(updatedperyear)ChristmasCard/BirthdayCard(updatedperyear)


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GuidesforStudents,Parents,andInternationalStudents(updatedasneeded)FourDirectMailers(sentevery3months,updatedperyear)DepartmentBrochures(updatedaschangesaremadetothedepartments,otherwise,

everytwoyears)

Maintainapresenceinstate/localmediaoutletstoattractaqualifiedanddiversestudentpopulation.Focusonbuildingmediarelationshipsandcontacts,notjustsendingtoablind

box.Dontinundatecontactswitheveryrelease.Selectthemostappropriateandmost

importantreleasestosend.HireaDevelopmentCommunicationsCoordinator.

Buildourdatabaseofprospectivestudentemailsthroughofferinggiveawayitemsatcollegefairs.Monitorstudentsastheyarefillingouttheirinquiryformstoensurewegeta

validemailaddress.Call/FB/textstudentsforwhomwedonothaveavalidemailaddress.

Utilizeouremailblastserviceswehaveforcontactregardingpresidentialscholarship

days/bulldogvisitdays.

Haveaneventpermajoreachyeartogetstudentsoncampus.(75%ofstudentswhovisitdeposit).ModeltheseeventsaftertheMathCompetition,BehaviorMania,andtheGraphic

Design/Artworkshops.

Guidancecounselorbustourhaveadmissionscounselorsdriveandmeetwithguidancecounselorsintheareastheyserve.Distributecollateralmaterialsatthistime.Build

relationships.

Itishighlyencouragedthatfacultyandguidancecounselorsreincorporatehandwrittenletters/cardsintotheirrecruitmentpractices.(Itwasnotedinafocusgroupthatnoneofthe

students

received

follow

up

from

their

ambassador/guide

after

their

visit.

In

addition,

anotherstudentnotedahandwrittencardfromSteveGustafsonwasawatershedmoment

whendecidingtocommittoMC.)

Realizingthatonehalfofourstudentsareathletes,collaborationbetweenathleticsandmarketingwillbecriticalforfutureefforts.

Ingoal#2,wewillfocusonincreasingsocialmediausagewhichwillalsosupporttheabovereferencedgoal.

Goal#2:

Increasesocialmediauseamongfacultyandstaffoncampus.(specificallyFacebook,Twitter,and

blogging.)Improvethequalityandfrequencyofourinteractions.*

Responsible:Admissions,MarketingandCommunications,AcademicAffairs,StudentServices,and

Advancement

Amajorcomponentofthewebsiteredesignistheincorporationofblogs,Facebook,andTwitter.Ournewsitewilllinktoeachdepartmentssocialmediaoutlets.Thiswillallow

individualdepartmentstopostauthentic,realtimeinformation,videos,andphotos.


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Nancy/Brianwilltrainstaff/faculty(inmultiplesmallgroupsettings)onhowtosetupandusethevarioussocialmediatoolswithinthenextfivemonths.Wewillsharebestpractices

forupdatingthesepageswithinteractiondrivenposts.

MarketingandCommunicationswillcontinuetomaintaintheMcPhersonCollegeFacebookFanPageandusethispageasamodelforotherFacebookfanpages.

Begintrackinginteractions/fansfortheMcPhersonCollegeFacebookpage.Increasethesenumbersyearlyby5percentfrom20102014.

Continuetoread,attendtraining,andfollowsocialmedianewsandupdatesinordertostayaheadwiththeseconstantlychangingtools.

IncorporatecostperclickadvertisingonFacebookinordertodrivefansandtraffictoourwebsite.

ExploreLinkedIn,Ning,andSkypeasfuturetoolstobeginutilizing.*See

also

Exhibit

10.

The

35

54

year

old

demo

is

growing

fastest

for

Facebook,

with

a276.4%

growthrateinovertheapproximate6monthssincewelastproducedthis

report.(seewww.istrategylabs.com)The55+demoisnotfarbehindwitha194.3%growthrate.The

2534yearpopulationonFacebookisdoublingevery6months.

Goal#3:

Improveouralumnibase,interactions,andrelationshipstoincreasedonorreceiptsby5percent

duringthe20102011schoolterm.Usedatafrom20092010asabaseline.By2014,increasedonor

receiptsby10percent.

Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Advancement

Ingoal#2,wewillfocusonincreasingsocialmediausagewhichwillalsosupporttheabovereferencedgoal.WiththehighestgrowingdemographicinFacebookbeingthe3554year

oldand55+notfarbehind,wecantaffordnottobuildrelationshipswithalumniand

friendsonFacebook.Brian,Nancy,andSallyarecreatinganalumniFacebookfanpageover

thenexttwoweeks.ItwillbeupandrunningbyFebruary5,2010.Withthispage,itwillbe

vitaltohavealumniinteractingandfeelinggoodabouttheirexperienceswithMcPherson

College,andwewillincorporatepostingstrategiesthatwillaccomplishthisgoal.

ContinuetheReviewpublicationtwiceperyear.Incorporatemorefeelgoodstoriesthathighlight

what

current

students

are

doing

so

that

they

will

support

us

financially.

Incorporatemorefeelgoodphotos.Makethisamorewarmpiece.

SendanannualPresidentsreporttoalldonors. AggressivelyinvolvealumniininitiativesliketheStealthletterseriestoencouragegood

feelingstowardsthecollege.


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Bytheendof2010,incorporateaMcPhersonCollegeAlumniandFriendsTwitteraccount.Seeexhibit#11.Makeitembeddable,linkable,clickable,andshareable.

Continuetodevelopanddistributeprintedmaterialstosupportdevelopmentinitiatives.Goal

#4:

Increasetheeffectivenessofourpromotionaleffortsthroughtheincorporationofsuccess

metrics/costbenefitanalysis.

Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Advancement,Admissions

Foreverycontactmade,whetheritisdevelopmentoradmissions,trackthesourceoflead.AskWheredidyouhearaboutus?Whatledyoutocontactus?

Trackthisinformationusingabasicspreadsheetthatlistsallappealsandresponses.(Forexample,whenwesendoutanaskpostcardliketheTobiasbabypostcardfor

development,howmanydonationsarereceivedfromthatpiece?Howmuchdidthepiece

costvs.howmuchwegotinreturnforit?Howmanyinquiriesdowegetoffofthe

admissionssophomorepostcardsentinMarcheachyear?Howmanyinquiriesdoweget

fromtheMyMCmagazineinAugust?Someoneineachdepartmentneedstotrackthisdata

inordertocreateacost/benefitanalysis.Everythingcanandshouldbetrackedto

determinewhatworksandwhatdoesnt.)

Goal#5:

BegintrackingourwebsitetrafficthroughGoogleanalytics.Analyzemetricsandinstituteactions

thatwillimprovesearchengineoptimization.

Responsible:Marketing

and

Communications

Analyzebouncerates,webtraffic,demographics,andotherimportantdata.Comparetopreviousdata.Incorporateimprovementsbasedondataanalysis.

Trainstaff/facultyonsearchengineoptimizedblogging.Explainanddemonstratecrosslinking.

IncorporateaMcPhersonCollegegeneralblogthatincludesallpressreleases.Crosslinkthecontent.

Submitpressreleasestoonlinereleasesitesforsearchengineoptimizationpurposes. IncorporateaMcPhersonCollegeTwitteraccount.Createtweetsthatwillmaximizesearch

engineoptimization.Generatetweetsthatareembeddable,linkable,clickable,and

shareable.


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Documents

Marketing Plan 3-11-10