The vast majority of today’s University websites still provide the same static experience to every visitor. Learn how personalized experiences can drive better experiences for users, and better outcomes for your institution. Discussion points: • The myth of personalization in higher education • How to approach segmenting and prioritizing the many higher education audiences • The opportunities and challenges unique to higher education

1. a
Personalization in Higher Education:
Start Small. Think Big.
October 16, 2014
Jeff Cram @jeffcram
ISITE Design, Co-founder
In partnership with

2. a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

3. a
Source:
h+ps://www.threadless.com/product/2396/Math/
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

4. a
h+p://www.uncg.edu/mat/sermon/2007/campusmap.jpg
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

5. a
Source:
h+p://xkcd.com/773/
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

6. “Things people go to the
site looking for”
a
peo·∙ple
/ˈpēpəl/
noun
Human
beings
in
general
or
considered
collecGvely.

7. “Things people go to the
site looking for”
a
These
people?

8. “Things people go to the
site looking for”
a
Or
these
people?

9. “Things people go to the
site looking for”
a
Or
maybe
these
people?

10. “Things people go to the
site looking for”
a
How
about
this
person?

11. a
Source:
h+p://xkcd.com/773/

12. a
Things on a
University
website
Parents
ProspecGve
Students
Current
Students
Media
Alumni
Things these
“people” are
looking for
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

13. The case for personalization
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

14. “The more digital we get, the
more human a
we must be”
Gatum Ramdurai, Google Creative Lab
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

15. Personalization is trending
(outside of EDU)
a
Source: Adobe Digital Roadblock Report
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

16. “Amazon is so confident of its
ability to personalize the site for
each user that the company
hardly ever creates classic
customer-segment personas,
such as ‘soccer moms’ or
‘gearheads.’ Such marketing
standbys are too imprecise for
Team Bezos.”
a
- Forbes, April 2012

17. The personalization myth
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

18. a

19. a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

20. Personalization becoming
native to CMS and Drupal
a
h+ps://www.acquia.com/products-­‐services/website-­‐personalizaGon
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

21. The web is made of people
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

22. Personalization’s Perfect Storm
a
Content
Strategy
Technology
Management
Analytics &
Testing
Customer
Insight
Connected expertise
(Unicorns: Apply within)
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

23. a
Start Small

24. Thinking about Day 2
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

25. Personalization starts
with a hypothesis
If we can deliver this
[content] to this [segment]
a
at this [touchpoint], then
we can improve the
experience by measuring
this [metric].
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

26. a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

27. The button test
a
??????

28. The button test
a

29. The winner
a
282% form conversion increase
57% site-wide lead increase
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

30. Cumulative lift
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

31. The homepage battleground We’re moving the
digital goal post
a
The homepage battleground

32. a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

33. Call-to-action targeting
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

34. Types of Personalization
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

35. What to Personalize?
Theme
What
is
it?
Key
Dimensions
a
Geo targeting / location
Display specific content (text, images, downloads, apps,
etc.) based on the user’s geographic location.
Geo-location, Referring domain,
User preferences, Company,
Campaign
Campaign .& landing
experiences
Content is customized based on exposure to or
engagement with a campaign, often on a landing page.
Campaign, Inbound channel,
Recency, Lifecycle
Recommended content
Similar content is shown to the user based on content
already viewed during that visit or a previous visit.
User preferences, Lifecycle,
Referring domain, Campaign,
Company, Industry
Lifecycle
Content and calls to action are served up based on where
a user is in the journey or buying cycle.
Lifecycle, User preferences,
Recency
Account/industry
Display industry-specific content, company-specific
content, or competitor-specific content after identifying
the company and/or industry of the user.
Industry, Company, Referring
domain
Call to action
Messaging, tag lines, and calls to action on the site are
customized and change based on user behavior,
preferences, and response rate.
Geo-location, Industry,
Company, Campaign, Inbound
channel, Engagement score,
Referring domain, Lifecycle,
User preferences, Recency
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

36. International students require
different experiences
a
“International students are often in an online
wilderness as they search for universities to apply
to…they run into confusing websites…and contact
us pages that may not effectively connect them
with admissions counselors.”
h+p://chronicle.com/blogs/planet/2012/04/08/new-­‐twists-­‐in-­‐online-­‐recruiGng-­‐of-­‐internaGonal-­‐students/
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

37. Personalization in the Wild
a
Source:
Non
Linear
case
study
presented
at
Digital
Pulse
2013
h+p://www.cmsmyth.com/2013/10/customer-­‐experience-­‐management-­‐is-­‐geZng-­‐real
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

38. Segmentation and geo-targeting
a
SolarWorld Americas increased conversion by 200%
with audience segmentation and geo-targeted
landing pages
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

39. Better Experiences
for Stealth Applicants
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

40. Engagement Scoring
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

41. Personalized portals
a
Source:
h+p://www.slideshare.net/gbegin/its-­‐not-­‐all-­‐about-­‐facebook-­‐defining-­‐your-­‐own-­‐private-­‐community
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

42. Connected to the
student journey
a
Source:
h+p://www.slideshare.net/gbegin/its-­‐not-­‐all-­‐about-­‐facebook-­‐defining-­‐your-­‐own-­‐private-­‐community
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

43. Measuring success:
Our window to the world
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

44. “All data in aggregate
is crap.”
a
- Avinash Kaushik, Google

45. Analytics segmentation
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

46. How can this apply to you?
If we can deliver this
[content] to this [segment]
a
at this [touchpoint], then
we can improve the
experience by measuring
this [metric].

47. a
Think big

48. a
If we connect and extend our
pre-launch customer-insight
thinking to post-launch
management, then we can
significantly improve the
performance of our digital
programs and value to our
users.
The hypothesis

49. Pre-launch: We love users!
a

50. Post-launch: Argh, the technology!
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

51. a
Digital Pulse - October 17, 2013
Jeff Cram @jeffcram
Co-founder ISITE Design
Publisher, CMS Myth

52. Bending the launch curves
a
Customer
gain
Technology
pain
Website
launch
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

53. Mapping the Student Journey
a
Source:
h+p://wagner.nyu.edu/students/journey/guide.php

54. Starting with people
a

55. Documenting the journey
All of the steps the customer takes
logs in
to website
a
Steve receives
statement
in mail
throws
statement
on desk &
ignores
sees
charge
that looks
wrong
tries to get
details
about
charge
looks for
customer
service
number
calls
customer
service
talks
to CSR
All of the touchpoints the customer interacts with
tweets
in
frustration
opens &
reads
statement
paper
envelope statement
website
mobile
phone IVR
Twitter
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

56. Prioritizing experiences
a
Business
Benefit
Customer
Benefit User Impact Overall
Scale
1=low,
2=medium,
3=high
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

57. Assessing feasibility
Idea Effort Status Clarity Risk
a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

58. a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

59. Aligning with Student Lifecycle
Management initiatives
“Supporting learners during every
stage of the student lifecycle is a
“must have” competence, required of
any successful higher education
institution a
in today’s demanding
environment. Providing a valuable
experience at every stage of the
student lifecycle allows institutions to
advance their mission and achieve
strategic goals in the areas of growth,
intelligence, quality, and efficiency.”
h+p://www.hobsons.com/blog/blog-­‐detail/the-­‐importance-­‐of-­‐student-­‐lifecycle-­‐management
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

60. Student Lifecycle Management
a
“Known as “Student Lifecycle Management” (SLM),
this initiative now involves 10 different committees
of faculty and professional staff working to instill a
new approach focused on building relationships
with students that start years before they come to
Drexel and continue through and after graduation.”
h+p://www.drexel.edu/now/features/archive/2014/January/Student-­‐Lifecycle-­‐Management/
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

61. “A tool used for experience design is
now an important a
input to strategy.”
~ Christine Chastain, R/GA
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

62. a
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design

63. Thank you
a
Jeff Cram
ISITE Design
617-401-2295
jcram@isitedesign.com
ISITE Design
www.isitedesign.com
CMS Myth
www.cmsmyth.com
For more information on
Acquia Lift
https://www.acquia.com
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design