Image and Marketing2005-2006

A Mid-Year Report

Fall 2005

New undergraduate recruitment publications Advertising (print) Video production Viral marketing concept and production Web site enhancement Graduate School open house and search materials

Undergraduate recruitment publications

Search (150,000) and travel (50,000) brochures Viewbooks and envelopes (60,000) Acceptance package folders and guts (10,000) Undergraduate fact sheets Admissions Web site (in production)

Advertising

Print: Strategy—large ads in hometown papers, 8 consecutive weeks, raise visibility, drive to Web

Niagara Gazette (circ. 51,539) Batavia Daily, (circ. 14,000) Livingston Co. News (circ. 6,800) Rochester area

13 Messenger Post papers (Sunday/weekly subscription, 79,000) City Newspaper (103,000 readers each week)

Syracuse area Eagle papers, 15 Central NY papers (54,635 paid circ., 158,441 readers)

Buffalo area ArtVoice (63,000 copies, 280,000 readers each week) North Buffalo Rocket, West Side Times, Riverside Times (40,000 copies) Bee newspapers (38,000 copies, 108,000 readers)

Others: NextStep magazine, Transfer Guide; Peterson’s Guide; music educators publications

Video production

High visibility project; three 2-minute videos for high-demand programs (education, forensic chemistry, interior design); focus on the academic strength and competitive advantages; these will be delivered via the Web; also cut down to 30-second television spot (image, visibility), drive people to the Web

L&P Media, Troy, NY: On-campus visit in September; outline of features developed with faculty members; scheduled shoot

Filmed more 50 people over 52 hours in 4 days, on campus and off (Campus West, Visual and Performing Arts, Niagara County Crime Lab)

Audio files completed by end of November, video editing in December

Will be able to track downloads, forwards

Viral marketing

Viral marketing (e.g., see something interesting on a Web site, pass it along) Word-of-mouth marketing (tell a friend)

www.womma.org

Goal: Create a Flash segment to be delivered on the Web targeting 13- to 18-year olds, promoting the unique aspects of the college

Hired Andy Beedle (Franklin and Marshall, Kettering University projects) in June; visited campus in October

Concept and script in November; expect comps for review in December

Launch date to be determined

Will be able to track downloads, forwards

Web: Most important marketing tool

Chronicle of Higher Education, chronicle.comTo Size Up Colleges, Students Now Shop Online (June 10, 2005)

National Association for College Admission Counseling, www.nacacnet.orgState of College Admission Report (2005)

Art & Science Group, StudentPOLL, www.artsci.com/studentonline.htmThe Use of Technologies in College Choice (January 29, 2003)

No Digital Divide (April 17, 2003)

Lipman Hearne, www.lipmanhearne.com/resourcesWeb Site Effectiveness Study (2002)

Harris Interactive, The Harris Poll (Trends & Tudes), harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_k12.asp

How Do High School Students Select a College? (January 2005)Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year Olds (May 2005)

American Advertising Federation, Higher Education Marketing Newsletter, Communication Arts

Web: Most important marketing tool

New features (last 6 months)

Accepted students site and electronic bulletin board (http://wwwu.buffalostate.edu/forum/index.php?act=idx)

Google-Mini, new search engine

Student mail page (http://webmail.buffalostate.edu/)

Student computing section (http://www.buffalostate.edu/computing.xml)

Student quick polls (http://www.buffalostate.edu/students.xml)

Podcasting (http://www.buffalostate.edu/podcasts.xml?podcatid=15)

Blogs (http://blog.buffalostate.edu/theater/)

Web metrics

http://www2.buffalostate.edu:9999/ Login: guest; password: guest

2004-2005: average 356,348 “sessions” per month; daily average 11,715 visitor sessions

A ‘session' is defined as a series of clicks on your site by an individual visitor during a specific period of time. A session is initiated when the visitor arrives at your site, and it ends when the browser is closed or there is a period of inactivity.

September 490,707; October 588,784; November daily

visitor sessions average 21,089

Web metrics

October 2004 365,315 total visitor sessions 226,832 visitors NOT from Buffalo State IP

October 2005 588,784 total visitor sessions 354,356 (60%) visitors NOT from Buffalo State IP address

Examples of specific data available: From ECC: 324, from UCLA: 324; from Buffalo General Hospital:

255; from U.S. military: 744

Web metrics

Web metrics

Ability to track response to postcard mailings

Web metrics: lots of data available

Web: Final word

Constantly assessing and improving the Web experience Web usability studies Online user survey (http://www.buffalostate.edu/spotlights.xml#163) Continual client (faculty, chairs, students) feedback

SUNY, regional, national recognition 2005 University & College Designers Association Award of Excellence

2005 CASE District II Bronze; 2004 CASE District II Silver

Recognition on national sites: 11/14/05: Slate has listed Buffalo State in its “Podcast Roundup” along with schools like Harvard and Stanford. Find out more about publishing your own podcast or downloading Buffalo State podcasts—like WBNY's All-Talk Monday shows or campus poetry readings—through Apple's iTunes Music Store today!

Dartmouth used our CMS plan as a model

Spring 2006

Advertising (print, tv, outdoors): March Viral marketing launch Videos available on the Web site; promotion

Yield campaigns Mug mailing Postcards to accepted communication, forensic

chemistry, criminal justice, and education majors Outreach and visibility in high schools

Pennants(!) Graduate School

Advertising

Print (8 weeks, mid-February through mid-April) Same style ads Same media outlets as fall plus

Criterion Long Island (Newsday [5], Long Island Press) Community college papers or local papers in selected

regions Buffalo News [5], NACAC college fair guide

Advertising

Television (mid-March) 30-second spot ads for 2-week period

Buffalo Niagara region Rochester region

Advertising

Outdoors (March) Third medium for reach and frequency (high visibility)

5 large boards on major highways in WNY 290 E, 33 E, 33 W, 190 N (by NCCC), Milestrip Road (by ECC

South)

Yield direct mail campaigns

Communication, criminal justice, forensic chemistry (continued from last year)

Education

General mailing to accepted students Reduce premiums in package; possibly tie to yield events

Outreach and visibility in high schools

Orange felt Buffalo State pennants for guidance counselors

Possibility: Series of posters (working with 2 concepts) May also be used in community colleges

Graduate School

Spring 2006 Open house or information sessions

Print, radio, direct mail?

Fall 2006 Comprehensive information brochure

Replacement for fact sheets, fall 2006

Program-specific marketing (e.g., SPA, Creative Studies, Museum Studies) Purchase lists, direct mail, advertising

Planning for 2006-2007

Considering the cost and effectiveness of replacing undergraduate fact sheets with a series of more substantial brochures that could double as direct-mail pieces (working on prototype)

New Admissions and Graduate School Web sites

Continue to raise awareness and build image in Buffalo Niagara, Rochester, Central NY, and Long Island through advertising

2007-2009 Undergraduate viewbook and collateral materials: update and reprint, make some design and copy changes, or completely redesign?

Intellectual Foundations requirements: need all new materials

E-mail search campaigns

Planning for 2006-2007 Need to make decisions, begin creative process, production and placement

decisions six- to 12-months in advance of implementation 150+ other publications and projects on CR list, need to prioritize

How can you help? Keep College Relations informed:

Events, research projects, awards, interesting student and alumni stories

Anything that speaks to the academic excellence of our faculty, students, and programs: Need to demonstrate academic excellence, not just say, “we’re good”

Proud Points on the home page, articles for Insider, 1300 Elmwood, items for undergrad admissions materials

Keep Web sites up to date (we’ll help!) Let us know how we can help you, but we need lots of advance

planning and production time!