To persuade…quantify value
While we all think about energy conservation now and then, it’s not top of mind for most. Businesses and consumers still take electricity for granted. 1E is out to change that. 1E is a software company that pioneered the concept of IT Power Management. They have a mission to address PC energy waste, and have developed products to address the issue.
But engaging energy buyers can be a real challenge for marketers. To get their attention, you have to quantify value, and when it comes to this, 1E is a true artist.
This company came to my attention when I started to wonder what it costs to leave my home computer on overnight. An online search turned up their PC Energy Report 2009. What an eye opener. In their report, you’ll learn that half of US employees don’t turn their computers off every night, and companies with over 1000 computers waste about $26,000 per year in energy. They project that if every single PC in the world was turned off for one night, we’d save enough electricity to power the Empire State Building – inside and out – for more than 30 years. Wow.
1E’s report draws from the research of Harris Interactive, and consciously speaks to the wide variety of individuals who may be in a position to influence a sale…the IT leader, general consumer, corporate energy buyer, social responsibility officer…every audience gets something functionally relevant. They use their research data to great persuasive effect, cutting through any conceivable objection or complacency.
By the time you finish the scannable 17-page report, you’ll want to join the cause and turn off your PC at night. But you’ll also have a model for a very persuasive whitepaper that uses research to quantify value…and elicit an almost visceral response.
Be a retention hero
When you objectively look at your institution through the filters of a new student’s perspective, you will see enormous opportunities to better engage students and enhance their experience by anticipating their communication, information, and resource needs. That’s the subject of our recently published whitepaper Retention and Beyond: Building Stronger Relationships with High-Touch Communications.
This new resource gives you an insider’s look into a planning approach that any institution can apply, and a series of best practices to guide efficient execution of a retention communication program that can:
- Ensure consistent experiences
- Anticipate specific needs
- Optimize staff time, resources, and perceived value
- Prove effectiveness and return on investment
Plus, you’ll get a thought provoking forecast of how higher education must continue to evolve to meet generational needs. Download our new whitepaper here.
Midwest states innovating to boost degree completion
The AP reported yesterday that twelve Midwest states are trying to decide if they will offer multistate college-credit exchange to make college completion easier for residents who have some higher education credits. The Midwestern Higher Education Compact has an innovative idea that may allow colleges across these states to compete for the students. Apparently, the group isn’t yet sure about the demand for this exchange, or how it may be structured, but their goal is to try to head off a huge deficit in degreed workers in the near future.
Their effort does dovetail nicely with the fact that we’re on the waning edge of Gen Y entering college. Higher educators will have to turn more attention to degree completers in order to fill classes.
I’m intrigued. If colleges customize offers to individual students based on their completed credits and work experience, and offer them a low cost, fast completion program, what do they do to their value perception…for both students and employers?
Build on Living/Learning Community success
Way back when I was a high school junior, one of the brightest stars in our tiny town went away to a prestigious college. Less than a year later he was back, working for the family business. He was accustomed to being a whale in our little pool, but in college he felt he was a step down from krill. I remember thinking if he couldn’t cut it, what hope did I have of succeeding?
I now know that there is so much more to his story. The experience of being a first year college student was baffling, overwhelming and isolating. Since my own trial by fire, lots of innovative programs have been tested to smooth the transition for freshman. Some of the most successful are LLPs – or Living/Learning Programs.
Higher ed institutions of all types–large public universities to selective liberal arts colleges–are benefitting from “living/learning communities” programs that put first-year students into small groups with those who share similar interests like environmental stewardship or entrepreneurship. In “Large universities changing freshman experience”, AP reporter Alan Scher Zagier shares success stories from University of Missouri and University of Michigan, two schools on the forefront of the LLP landscape.
Aside from providing these ready-made peer groups, schools are also proactively pairing students with support and guidance resources. Read more here.
These programs are boosting academic performance and increasing graduation rates…but they are also providing schools with a precious opportunity to define culture and demonstrate a differentiated experience.
Higher Ed marketers can build on this success by bringing these programs to life for prospects, parents and counselors. We also see abundant potential to invite alumni, local employers and special interest donors to participate in these communities.
The Hazards of Affiliate Marketing
Every once in a while I come across something so ironic, I really must share. I was doing some research this morning on the topic of employer acceptance of online degrees, and revisited a site called www.collegeripoffs.com; purportedly published (at least in part) by a former admissions advisor of a major for-profit online university.
Right smack in the middle of a vitriolic “expose” of his former-employer’s business practices, there appeared a very large ad for that same former-employer. Plus a Google Adwords ad directly adjacent. The content was published over a year ago.
This Wordpress site is more than just a terrific example of how you can monetize your blog…it’s a case of evil genius. As a veteran of the higher ed marketing arena, the publisher knows exactly how to profit from the tactics of affiliate marketers.
It can be very tempting to hand your marketing budget over to one of these marketers. They are really good at making sure that your ad is going to be where your competitor’s ads are. They get paid by the lead, it’s virtually hands-free for you…too good to be true? Especially when your brand appears where you’d least want it to.
Small tactic…big impact
Maybe you’ve read about the recent fiasco involving a teenager who executed a Facebook survey that was in extremely poor taste. But you’ve got to give the guy or gal some credit.
Okay, admit it…weren’t you the least bit curious about the results? Unscientific though they may be, I am always drawn into these one-question online surveys. It’s just a teensy bit of harmless fun – kind of like checking my horoscope every morning. A quick click and I can see how I line up against similarly anonymous responders to such weighty questions as “Should (fill in name of politician/entertainer/businessperson) apologize for (fill in preferred egregious behavior)?”
These single-question online surveys rank very high in reader participation, and they can (obviously) be the catalyst for generating awareness and conversations. And while they are not credible market research, they are a great engagement tactic to use in all electronic media.
I’m sure relieved to know that the precocious pollster (and their parents) will not be prosecuted. Properly channeled, a little enterprising curiosity will take them far. Who knows…they may soon be uncovering consumer insights that will steer strategic marketing successes of the future. It’s a good thing they learned this valuable lesson early. Even simple online polling should be well thought out.
