Qs Online Seminar Nafsa 08

Attracting and engaging international candidates Online Marketing & Candidate Administration NAFSA 2008 Annual Conference Nunzio Quacquarelli, Managing Director, QS 28 May 2008

Agenda About QS Engaging “Generation Y” Who are they? The marketing lifecycle Online marketing Candidate Management Tools Introducing QS TopApply Case Study: Candidate Administration at Sciences Po Managing exchange programs Creating a CV book Copyright © 2008 QS (www.qsnetwork.com)

About QS Founded in 1990 More than 80 representatives worldwide London, Paris, Alicante, Singapore, Beijing, Johannesburg, Sydney, Washington DC Mission T o enable motivated people around the world to fulfill their potential, by fostering international mobility, educational achievement and career development Main activities Primary research Leading-edge editorial & publications Developmental events Web solutions Copyright © 2008 QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited (www.qsnetwork.com)

QS events, publications & services QS World Grad School Tour QS World MBA Tour QS Top Universities Guide QS TopMBA Career Guide QS APPLE QS Education Trust QS Intelligence Unit THE-QS World University Rankings

QS online QS web sites www.topuniversities.com www.topgradschool.com www.topmba.com www.topexeced.com www.global-workplace.com QS online products TopMBA Careers TopMBA Scorecard TopApply Prospect Manager TopApply Application Manager TopApply Exchange Manager TopApply CV Manager

Agenda About QS Engaging “Generation Y” Who are they? The marketing lifecycle Online marketing Candidate Management Tools Introducing QS TopApply Case Study: Candidate Administration at Sciences Po Managing exchange programs Creating a CV book

Who are “Generation Y”? Impatient Team players Hungry for feedback Don’t hold back Fearless of technology Seek stimulation Believe in themselves Sceptical

Who are “Generation Y”? 97% own a computer 94% own a cell phone 76% use Instant Messaging. 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day 34% use websites as primary source of news 28% own a blog and 44% read blogs 49% download music using file sharing 75% of US students have a Facebook account 60% own portable music or video device e.g. iPod Source: Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's College Students, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa (2007)

Don’t forget their parents “ Helicopter parents" are increasingly key influencers Millennials have a near-zero generation gap Parent-child co-purchase decisions are common Consider creating a parallel process to market to parents

International differences Culture & etiquette Greetings Humour Punctuality Competitiveness Local references Currency Language Different online media e.g. search engines China: Baidu 62% Russia: Yandex 62%

International English? Source: Mind Your Manners by John Mole, 1998 “ Invaluable political and psychological profiles of each nationality” - Business Week “ International” meaning Possible confusion Example delay period of lateness F: period of time a three week delay qualified partial, conditional F: total a qualified success quite very UK: not very he’s quite reliable table put on the agenda US: take off agenda table a proposal hear hear UK: disagree I hear what you say

Segmentation Select and prioritise messages to fit market segment(s) Age group Nationality Education Qualifications Employment Family Finances Interests Expectations Aspirations

Defining the message Proposition(s) Differentiators and USPs Value and evidence Messages to attract.. support.. convert REPUTATION CAREER PLACEMENT PROGRAMMES SPECIALIZATION RoI RANKINGS COST FINANCIAL AID LOCATION CAMPUS DIVERSITY VALUES INNOVATION STYLE FACULTY ALUMNI

Media balance Campus sessions Traditional tools Innovative tools Institutional voice Print media (Brochures, flyers, posters…) Websites Press ads e-PR (online press) Online ads (search advertising, banners…) Blogs, Chats, Forums, Wikis, Podcasts… Corporate blogs, chats, forums, podcasts… PR (mags, newspapers…) Fairs Rankings, guides, (FT, QS, BW…) Testimonies Other sites Different voices School site Web tools (personal rankings, virtualisation…)

Online marketing objectives Target Reach global market Focus on selected segments Attract Tune messages Be responsive to applicants Select Engage with selected candidates Improve conversion rates Optimize Utilise staff expertise effectively Respond to market feedback

Online marketing mix Web sites Search engines Banners Networking, Wikis, Blogs & Answers Videos and podcasts Virtual worlds, avatars and bots E-mail Online applications

Web site Design & navigation should reflect objectives and brand Landing page(s) should match visitor source & status Get visitors to return Get visitors to tell their friends

Search Engine Optimisation Search engines all work differently and change frequently Ensure site is search engine friendly – but avoid using tricks Titles, headlines, content, meta tags, site maps Page titles should also attract human users: clear & provocative Research keywords and phrases used by your prospects Include synonyms, plurals and misspellings Keyword tools Wordtracker, Yahoo! Suggestion Tool, Google Tool Links Number, reputation and popularity Industry hubs and directories Press releases and free articles or feeds Blogs, Forums and Social Networking

Paid advertising Relevant numbers are key More than 1 million visitors expected in 2008 More than 2 million visitors expected in 2008

Banner advertising tips Identify and measure objectives Branding Traffic Conversion Media plan Target market Related sites Sites with similar demographics Design Clear message – 7 words or less Eye catching but not obtrusive Don’t overdo animation Test

User generated content Social networking Facebook, MySpace, Bebo Professional profiles LinkedIn, Ecademy, Naymz Bookmarking & voting Digg, Stumbleupon, Del.icio.us Information, reviews & questions Wkipedia, Yahoo! answers Blogging Blogger (Blogspot) Rich media YouTube, Flickr, iTunes Virtual Worlds SecondLife, The Sims Online

Networking sites Highly targeted and viral marketing possible “ Beacons” visible within friends newsfeeds MySpace 192 million Facebook 41 million Bebo 34 million LinkedIn 12 million Doostang 250,000 Ryze 250,000

Blogs Prospective students Read and share opinions and expert advice Self-regulated; positive and negative comments Opportunities for schools include: Allow applicants the chance to engage and ask questions Allow academics & alumni to add details of their experience Increase profile of good-case-practices from your school Source: Noel-Levitz, Inc. E-Expectations 1000 US College Students Class of 2007 Report Would if they could Have done Read blog written by faculty member 83% 17% Read blog written by current student 63% 30%

Rich media Video – advertising, interviewing and profiling Video has unique qualities Take advantage of your location Reduce distance barriers Let the internet take the strain Decrease your Carbon Footprint Podcasts Audio visualise your web content Use your alumni to share experiences

E-mail marketing Identify tangible objectives and measurements for campaigns Branding Conversion Message content Keep it simple with a clear call to action Ensure relevance of landing page(s) E-mail design Keep it simple – limit use of images Check spelling and grammar Privacy and security Opt in / Opt out Restrict access to personal data

The role of online applications Select Identify key information about your prospects Focus resources on your preferred candidates Target Access to prospects in process of applying at key times Target resources on meeting diversity objectives Optimise Build relationship with candidate throughout their application Use a mix of communications media: e-mail, web, mobile Streamline processing of applications; Faster response / Less resource Measure the results of your marketing activity Improve conversion rates

Online applications Research suggests that responsiveness is the single most important factor in choice of school Number of applications Time to respond to enquiries

TopApply product family Supports all phases of prospect management and recruitment, and enhances student satisfaction Products are effective individually or as an integrated solution Adapted and tailored to suit school’s procedures Readily integrated with existing systems Prospect Manager Application Manager Exchange Manager CV Manager

TopApply client feedback “ Thank you QS. I really appreciate the ease with which the system can be modified to meet our needs and your willingness, without hesitation, to provide prompt service.” Cheryl Millington, Director of Marketing and Admissions, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto “ Having TopApply really helps. We can immediately see the effect of our marketing on our enquiries and applications and we can ensure we follow up with the right people.” Oliver Matthews, MBA Marketing Manager, University of St. Gallen “ TopApply has not only solved an admissions problem but has also helped me to achieve HR, management and several marketing objectives. We achieved an ROI on TopApply in just over two months.” Kris Leroy, Marketing and Admissions Manager, Grenoble Graduate School of Business

TopApply client feedback “ TopApply makes it possible to manage our prospect information in a more timely and coordinated manner.” Fernando Mora, Marketing Director, Hult International Business School “ TopApply was instrumental in helping us reform our admissions procedure with five distinct orientations and separate admissions committees.” Michael Haliassos, Deputy Dean for International Relations, Goethe University Frankfurt “ At ESCP-EAP we have been using TopApply for just one year and we have already seen a big increase in applications from international students which is having a major impact on the diversity in our classes.” Rachel Maguer, MBA Marketing Manager, ESCP-EAP

Case study – Sciences Po Founded 1872 Traditionally educated decision makers from the public and private sector 7,500 students of which 2,400 foreign from over 40 countries

Sciences Po – Recent reforms Compulsory year abroad for students of the undergraduate degree Multilingual programs in French, English and other languages Bologna processes set in place to create an European higher education area: Sciences Po implemented a 3 years undergraduate degree and a 2 years graduate degree

Sciences Po – Admission processes Reformed process Widened admissions policy Alternative recruitment methods for students with an international background International applicants 200 applicants for the Master’s program in 2002 Increased to 800 in 2007 – growing 400% in 5 years

Sciences Po – Challenges Application forms in different languages: English & French Coordination of programs on different campuses and at partner institutions Numerous exchange programs Attracting international candidates Demands on administration staff Limited marketing budget

Meeting the challenges at Sciences Po Different languages Application forms Referee forms E-mails to prospects applicants referees Back-office

Meeting the challenges at Sciences Po Coordination of programs and campuses Support for multiple programs accessed via different web sites Look & feel tailored to each site Multiple back-office interfaces User permissions based on responsibilities

Meeting the challenges at Sciences Po Focus on international candidates Customisable reports to view breakdown of current applicants and enable marketing efforts to be adapted accordingly

Meeting the challenges at Sciences Po Demands on administration staff Monitor application progress Follow-up individuals and groups Targeted e-mails e.g. to applicants in the process of applying Process applications Detailed reporting

Meeting the challenges at Sciences Po Limited marketing budget One tool to manage relationships with all prospects Effective e-mail campaigns Schedule interviews Establish RoI and trends

Sciences Po – Exchange programs and satellite campuses Nearly 300 partner schools worldwide 5 additional undergraduate campuses in France Dual Master’s programs with: Columbia University London School of Economics Freie Universit at Berlin University of St. Gallen Moscow based MGIMO Warsaw School of Economics University Bocconi in Milan Georgetown University FGV Sao Paulo HEC Paris

Importance of international student exchange programs Erasmus Mundus Fulbright Program Socrates Erasmus

TopApply Exchange Manager Facility for managing international exchange programs Simplifies communications between host institution, their partners and exchange students Both host and partner institutions can manage and track exchange students Powerful reporting tools

TopApply Exchange Manager - Benefits Reduction of the administrative overhead Partner schools and students become your ambassadors Enhancement of your international reputation Simplified planning of exchange programs

Summary Engaging “Generation Y” Mix of online and offline marketing to attract and effectively target today’s generation of candidates Candidate Management Tools QS TopApply family of products meet the challenges faced by admissions, enabling simple selection of candidates and optimum use of resources

Nunzio Quacquarelli [email_address] Thank You Please complete a feedback form

Qs Online Seminar Nafsa 08

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