Hear the key insights and learning's from Linked's latest Education research "Connecting with Today's Prospective Students". The research throws light on some key topics including: . The influencing factors for students when choosing where to study . What kind of content resonates at each stage of the decision making process . What motives students to educate overseas and why do they choose Australia

1. How marketers can best influence
the student decision journey
Connecting with Today’s
Prospective Students

2. How can higher
education marketers
impact the decision
process of today’s
empowered prospect?
?

3. 3
LinkedIn Survey and Internal Data: August 2015
Understanding today’s higher education decision journey
We surveyed 15,000+ respondents on LinkedIn
Brazil
Australia
India
Germany
UK
France
USA
Canada
Hong Kong
Singapore
Netherlands
South Korea
Japan
Spain
This deck features Australia Results
1,059 total respondents including:
• 557 MBA / Masters Intenders
• 502 MBA / Masters Grads

4. The Importance of
Making the Shortlist

5. Source: Millward Brown Digital 2015 – Demystifying the consumer journey
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Credit Cards Airlines Wireless Laptop/Tablet Insurance Auto
Category influences time investment
LENGTH OF PURCHASE JOURNEY
Number of days from start of journey to purchase for each categoryAverage days

6. 6
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Credit Cards Airlines Wireless Laptop/Tablet Insurance Auto Higher Education
Category influences time investment
LENGTH OF PURCHASE JOURNEY
Number of days from start of journey to purchase for each categoryAverage days
Source: Millward Brown Digital 2015 – Demystifying the consumer journey

7. Prospects are using multiple sources
when considering higher education
54%
42%
30% 27%
Institution
website
Friends/
Peers
Professional
Networks
Information
Sessions
Professional networks
are 3x more influential
than personal networks
Personal
Networks
Professional
Networks
10%
30%
Top influential sources when considering further education
7
Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=557)

8. The decision process is exclusive and critical
Only 3
schools make the
prospects’ shortlist
67%
develop their shortlist
before reaching out to
a school representative
94%
end up enrolling
at a school from
their shortlist
8
Base: MBA and Masters Grads (n=483)

9. Implication for
Marketers:
Engage early in the
decision process with
content that is relevant to
your prospects

10. Understanding the
Prospect’s Mindset

11. 11
The need to up-skill is the most
influencing factor in Australia
56%
44%
40%
33%
30%
The need to up-skill
Passion for learning
Seeking a higher salary
Develop leadership skills
Increased confidence in my current job
Top 5 factors influencing the decision to undertake higher education

12. Millennials (18-34) Gen X (35-49)
The need to up-skill The need to up-skill
Seek a higher salary Passion for learning
Passion for learning Develop leadership skills
Increased confidence Seek a higher salary
Millennials and GenXers both have a strong passion
for learning, but for different reasons
1
Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=557)
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
Top factors influencing decision to undertake higher education

13. 13
29%
29%
39%
46%
51%
Develop leadership
skills
Increased
confidence in my
current job
Passion for learning
Seeking a higher
salary
The need to up-skill
Base: MBA and Masters Intenders
Top 5 factors influencing the decision to undertake higher education
Singapore
25%
28%
37%
49%
50%
Entrepreneurial
Opportunities
Increased confidence in
my current job
Passion for learning
Seeking a higher Salary
The need to up-skill
Hong Kong
60%
43%
42%
37%
36%
The need to up-skill
Develop leadership
skills
Passion for learning
Seeking a higher
salary
Entrepreneurial
opportunities
India
Upskilling is important across APAC with slight nuances

14. 14
55%
55%
57%
78%
85%
88%
University ranking
Employment rate of grads
Tuition fees
University reputation (overall)
Program format
Faculty/teacher quality
Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=557)
Respondents who intend to undertake a Masters or MBA
When deciding where to study, quality of learning
experience is more important than cost

15. 15
Prospects seek flexibility
But there are differences by age
Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=502)
49%
41%
37%
33%
18%
11%
GenXers are 43%
more likely to want
online study options
Millennials are
120X more likely to
want part-time local
study options

16. 16
More than 1 in 3 international prospects said they would be
interested in studying in Australia
Australia
Want to develop new perspectives on
academic subjects and real-world issues
Want to experience a different culture
Want to develop valuable career skills
37%
Top Reasons

17. Prospects from around the world see Australia as a prime
location for higher education
CN
35%
JP
25%
HK
26%
AU
IN
35%
US
41%
SG
48%
UK
18%
FR
35%
DE
35%
NL
40%

18. Implication for
Marketers:
Build a digital presence
that aligns with the
mindset of your
prospect and the
brand identity
of your university

19. Creating Content
for Every Stage

20. 20
Top types of information sought by intenders in each stage
of the higher education decision-making process:
Giving them relevant content at each stage
will help keep schools top of mind
AWARENESS DISCOVERY SELECTION
Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=502)
Staff and lecturer profiles
Information on courses and degree program's
Reviews of the institution
Career Advice
Institution rankings
Education and industry news

21. AWARENESS DISCOVERY SELECTION
21
Giving them relevant content at each stage
will help keep schools top of mind

22. MBA/Masters intenders on LinkedIn are highly engaged
2.7X more connected
5.8X more companies
followed
Source: LinkedIn Internal Data, 2015. Index against average Australian member
6.5X more likely to share
content
3.2X more engaged with the
education section

23. Implication for
Marketers:
Understand the nuances
of your audience
and target them with
relevant content at each
stage of the cycle

24. Leveraging LinkedIn’s data
to understand your prospects

25. FixDex Inc., 201-500, Internet
Member of networking Groups
Individual Contributor
Christopher
San Francisco, CA USA
COMPANY
NAME
INDUSTRYSIZE
SCHOOL
LOCATION
JOB
TITLE
SENIORITY
FUNCTION
MIT
FIELD OF STUDY Computer Science
DEGREE Bachelor’s
GRADUATION 2007, 30AGE
CCNP, virtualization, cloudSKILLS
Network engineer
GROUPS

26. Identify the onsite behaviors that
indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable
demographic segments
Understand the audiences that
have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify and target your highest-value prospects
sights pixel

27. 27
Implications for Marketers
Prospects are driven to
higher ed. because of
the need to up-skill
Prospects seek
specific content
at each stage
The prospects’
shortlist is exclusive
and critical
LinkedIn’s data can help
you understand your
prospects in depth

28. Thank You