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College Recruiters Use E-Business Strategies
March 8, 2007
by Francine L. Huff
Business Programs Columnist
Today's high school students are more technically savvy than any other generation. That's why a growing number of colleges are adopting some e-business strategies to recruit potential students online and give them a virtual taste of college life.
Text Messaging to E-Recruit
Berkeley College and Bloomfield College, both located in New Jersey, recently sent out text messages to students inviting them to open houses, according to an article in the Star-Ledger newspaper. "We want to communicate with them in the same way they are communicating with each other," Kristin Cohen, vice president for enrollment management at Bloomfield College, told the Star-Ledger. "We think it's worth it," Cohen said. "We've seen a 20 percent increase in freshman applications and our acceptances are up."
College Web Pages Use E-Business Strategies
Bloomfield College also allows prospective students to create personalized Web pages and read blogs written by current students. A recent study by the nonprofit Research Center for College and University Admissions found that 43% of college-bound students polled had created a profile on a college or university Web site, much like those found on social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook. Of the 1,000 students polled, 46% said they would like to create that type of profile. About 63% of the students said they would read a faculty member's blog and 54% said they would download a podcast from a college or university Web site.
E-Businesses Build Communities
Many students are looking beyond traditional college marketing campaigns and glossy brochures. As a result, more colleges and universities may need to borrow from some of the techniques e-businesses use to create online communities and offer users a more unique experience. Seton Hall University, for instance, is working on a new multimedia virtual tour on its Web site that will allow viewers to guide their own tour and hear video clips of students and professors.
Colleges as E-Businesses
Using e-business strategies is something more schools will have to do to be competitive. Just as many e-businesses are using cell phones to market themselves, so are some institutions of higher learning. "As cell phone technology continues to advance rapidly and offer students an increasing number of communication options--from Web browsing to e-mail to text messaging to phone calls--colleges and universities need to be ready to explore the use of these technologies in their recruitment efforts sooner rather than later," says Kevin W. Crockett, president and CEO of Noel-Levitz, which co-sponsored the study.
Sources
About the Author
Francine L. Huff is a freelance journalist and the author of The 25-Day Money Makeover for Women. She has appeared on a variety of TV and radio shows.
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