Learn more about how a small college worked with limited resources and staff to do more with less and effectively serve a fast-growing, vibrant graduate student population. The session will discuss the recruitment challenges faced by small colleges and how to capitalize on the strengths inherent at smaller institutions, including cultivating customer service and working closely with faculty to offer a personal student experience. Presented by Paul Vaccaro, Claudia Pouravelis, and Jenene Romanucci from Regis College.

1. DAVID VS. GOLIATH
Overcoming Graduate Recruiting Challenges at Small Colleges
Paul Vaccaro, Claudia Pouravelis, Jenene Romanucci
Regis College –Weston, MA

2. David vs. GOLIATH
• Climate of Graduate Higher Education:
…in the US
…in Massachusetts
…at Small Colleges
• Regis College‟s Challenges
• Taking on Goliath:
▫ Customer Service & Personal Student Experience
▫ Meeting the Needs of Industry
▫ Graduate Program Marketing at Small Schools
▫ Fostering a Institutional Wide Commitment to
Graduate Education and Graduate Students

3. Impacting Factors on Graduate
Higher Education
• Decreasing Undergraduate Enrollment Nationally &
in New England
▫ 18-24 year olds graduating in New England peaked in 1998 and
decreasing through 2002 (College Board, 2011)
• Growth in enrollment lies with graduate education
▫ Over 6 million adult students enrolled in Undergraduate and
Graduate Higher Education
 more than total student enrollment in 1968

4. Impacting Factors on Graduate
Higher Education
“Higher education is a
competitive and continually
changing market, in which
colleges compete for
students, faculty, research
grants, athletic
titles, revenue, rankings, an
d prestige…and must take
risks to remain competitive
with their peers.”
“IS IT JUST ME , CLAUDIA, OR IS THE - Newman, Courtier, and Scurry
COMPETITION GETTING MORE FIERCE (2004)
THESE DAYS?”

5. The number of Massachusetts
Universities and Colleges Offering
Graduate Programs???...
73!

6. Regis College Graduate Department
2004 2011
• 5 Graduate Degrees; 3 • 14 Graduate Degrees; 12
Certificates Certificates
• Indistinct graduate • Clear graduate specific
programs & ambiguous brand with distinct &
marketing message industry focused programs
• 200 students • 1000+ students
• 2 Staff Members! • 3 Staff members!
▫ (100 students/counselor) ▫ (333+ students/counselor)

7. Regis College Graduate Program
Growth (by registrations)
4300
4100 4072
3900
3775
3700
3574
Registrations
3565
3500
3325
3290
3300
3100 3059
2900
2674
2700
2500
2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011
Academic Year

8. Commitment to Customer Service &
Student Centered Approach
• Personal Approach to Students
▫ All inquiries receive a personalized response, rather than an
automated response
▫ Inquiries are immediately connected with a Program Director
▫ All students given a “one-stop shop” approach
▫ Follow up with individuals who have taken time off
• Program Specific Assignments
▫ Specific counselor assignments based on program of application
with staff cross trained in each program
• Know the Applicant Beyond the Application
▫ Each student is interviewed by either an Admission staff member or
faculty member, depending on the program

9. Commitment to Customer Service &
Student Centered Approach
• Increasing the Ease of Application
▫ GRE waived with „B‟ or better in first two classes
▫ Application fee waiver for Information Session attendees
• Two Course Option
▫ Allows students to “test” classes prior to committing to
most programs, as well as waive the GRE
• Applicant/Student Networking opportunities
▫ „Come to Class‟ events allow applicants to sit in on a Regis
course – no cost marketing!
▫ Program specific networking events with prospects, current
students, alumni, and faculty

10. Attention to Industry Needs
Certificates:
- Health Informatics
- Clinical Research Management
- Gerontology
- Integrative Health
Degrees:
- Part-time BS in Nursing
- MS in Biomedical Sciences
- MS in Health Administration
Program specific recruitment
events:
- Program specific info sessions
- Come to Class Events
- Sponsoring/exhibiting at program
specific conferences/events

11. Marketing Graduate Programs
at Small Schools
“THE SCHOOL JUST INCREASED PAUL’S ENROLLMENT GOAL BY 30 STUDENTS AND
DECREASED HIS BUDGET BY 10%.”

12. Marketing Mix: 4 P‟s
• Promotional Mix
▫ Advertising
▫ Direct Mail
▫ Personal Selling
▫ Sales Promotion
▫ Publicity

13. Commitment to a Brand Identity
BRANDING: “The process for identifying the
goods and services of one seller or group of
sellers that differentiate them from those of other
sellers.” - American Marketing Association
▫ What is your niche?
▫ Do you have buy-in from the institution?
▫ Understanding of achieving a broader
reach, through the use of mass media in
messaging

14. Commitment to a Brand Identity
“I THINK OUR BRANDING IS WORKING, JENENE. WE’RE DEFINITELY
STANDING OUT IN A CROWD NOW..”

15. Branding vs. Targeted Promotion
• TARGETED PROMOTION: Involves breaking a
market into segments and then concentrating
your efforts on one or a few of those segments.
▫ What are you specifically promoting?
▫ Selected Reach
▫ Employs very targeted mediums in messaging

16. Branding vs. Targeted Promotion
Regis College Strategy: Allocation of Promotional Expenses
• Mass media advertising is
primarily used to promote Targeted
brand awareness in the Promotion
53% Brand
marketplace. Promotion
47%
• Targeted promotional activities
are used to increase interest
and enrollment for specific
programs.

17. Branding vs. Targeted Promotion
BRANDING TARGETED PROMOTION

18. Branding Outreach
• Advertising Allocation of Branding Expenses
▫ Newspapers
 Boston Globe, CNC Direct Mail
8%
▫ Internet
 Boston.com. Wickedlocal.com
▫ Radio
▫ Billboard
▫ Transit
Advertising
92%
• Direct Mail (Boston Globe, CNC)

19. Targeted Outreach
• Advertising
▫ Newspapers (College, Hospital)
▫ Magazines (discipline-specific)
▫ Internet (specialized sites)
▫ Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)
• Direct Mail
▫ GRE Search
▫ List buys
▫ CareerBuilder.com
▫ E-newsletters

20. Targeted Outreach (continued)
• Personal Selling
▫ On Campus Events
 Come to a Class Days
 Admitted Student Days
 Alumni & Prospect Networking Nights
 Program-specific Information Sessions
▫ Graduate School Fairs/Events/Visits
▫ Articulation Agreements/Partnerships

21. Targeted Outreach (continued)
• Sales Promotion
▫ Scholarships
▫ Graduate Assistantships
• Publicity
▫ Program-specific brochures
▫ Communications Planning

22. Allocation of Targeted Expenses
With Sales Promotion Without Sales Promotion

23. Communications Planning
The ABC‟s of Admissions:
Always Be Communicating

24. Contacts Rule
Infers that a marketer needs to make an average
of x number of contacts with a prospect in order
to close a sale.
The complexity of a product or service and the
amount of investment and financing necessary
by the prospect can influence purchase decisions
and therefore the number of contacts.
Source: IBC Marketing Group

25. What is “x”?
• “The average number of contacts needed to turn a visitor into
a customer is anywhere from 5-8 contacts.”
www.affiliateniche.com
• “It takes an average of 7 follow-up contacts to close a sale.”
www.marketingaction.com
• 48.2% of all inquires turn into sales for a product or service
inquired about. But that doesn‟t mean the inquirer will buy
from you.
• 81% of sales occur after the fifth contact with a prospect.
• 90% of all salespeople give up after the fourth contact.
Jody Hornor, Power Marketing Without Money

26. Contacts Rule
Infers that a marketer needs to make an average
of x number of contacts with a prospect in order
to close a sale.
The complexity of a product or service and the
amount of investment and financing necessary
by the prospect can influence purchase decisions
and therefore the number of contacts.
Source: IBC Marketing Group

27. The Benefits of Effective
Communications Sequencing
• Cost effectiveness
• Creates synergies between marketing and admission
functions
• Contribution to branding
• Allows for personalization to mass audiences
• Opportunity to tell your story
• Impact on yield

28. Effective Communication Plans
Vary the Message…
Vary the Messenger…
Vary the Mode…
 Avoid the “bomb” mailing
 Tell your story through a steady stream of communication

29. Vary the Message
Addresses hot spots in messaging
▫ Why do students enroll at your institution?
▫ What do your prospects want to know about?
Student Considerations:
FACTOR FULL-TIME PART-TIME
Program/Curriculum Essential Very Important
Prestige Very Important Less Important
Faculty Very Important Important
Location/Convenience Important Essential
Cost/Financial Aid Important Essential
Placement Important Not Important
Source: NAGAP

30. Vary the Message
Collateral Materials
What can you include in a communications plan?
▫ Admissions-related correspondence
▫ Admissions-related publications
▫ College publications
▫ Electronic publications
▫ Public relations hits
▫ Post cards
▫ College web site

31. Vary the Messenger
Building Credibility Through Your Spokespeople
Who delivers your messages?
▫ Admissions Office
▫ Faculty
▫ College leaders
▫ Career Services Office
▫ Financial Aid Office
▫ Current students
▫ Alumni

32. Vary the Mode
How should you communicate with
prospects?
• Direct mail
• Email
• Telemarketing

33. Vary the Mode
“The most powerful tool for marketing, the most
powerful tool for branding, the most powerful tool for
direct response and the most powerful tool for
building customer relationships turns out to be plain
old, ordinary ____.”
Email Marketing by Jim Sternee & Anthony Priori

34. Vary the Mode
“The most powerful tool for marketing, the most
powerful tool for branding, the most powerful tool for
direct response and the most powerful tool for
building customer relationships turns out to be plain
old, ordinary email.”
Email Marketing by Jim Sternee & Anthony Priori

35. Vary the Mode
Advantages of Email:
• Reduced cost for communication!!!
• Increases opportunities for outreach
• Targeted & very personal
• Allows for more timely, focused messaging
• Drives students to web site
• Adjust strategy on the fly
• Compliments traditional publications
Disadvantages of Email:
• Easy to delete
• Only as good as your email database
• Spam

36. Vary the Mode
“The most fertile soil Internet marketing lies
in that vast land between “yes” and “no”…
Getting permission is getting them to say
„maybe.‟ ”
Jerry Shereshewsky, Direct-yahoo

37. Vary the Mode
“WE’RE NOT SPAMMING, JENENE, WE’RE RECRUITING.”

38. Effective Communication Plans
Other important considerations:
• Always include a call to action
• Personalize, personalize, personalize!
• Present benefits that distinguish you against 2-3 of your
competitors
• Allow for prospects to re-qualify interest
• Don‟t stop communicating after the application is received
• Include P.S. notes, where possible

39. Effective Communication Plans
“We are living in an era of increasing competition
for the attention of fragmented audiences, and
leaving communications to chance is an
unaffordable risk. The lack of a thoughtfully
constructed communications plan is, in this era,
an unaffordable omission. Done well, the
payoffs far exceed the costs.”
Phyllis Larsen & Margaret Laureman
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Managing an Integrated Marketing Communications Process

40. Fostering a Institutional Wide
Commitment to Graduate Commitment from
Education and Graduate the Top!
Students Dr. Antoinette Hays, President
July 1, 2011
• New student checklist sent to all first
time Graduate Students
• Coffee hours during weekend courses
• Food and beverage options geared
towards Graduate Students
• Orientations with each new semester
• Wine and Cheese with the President

41. David – 7, Goliath - 0