Managing The Alumni Experience Online

July 13, 2007

We saw this press release from online marketing agency Kintera, and thought it worth passing along.

The University of Notre Dame uses Kintera technology to manage its alumni experience, including sophisticated social networking and engagement capabilities, as well as fundraising.

With about 120,000 graduates active in more than 300 alumni clubs, we imagine the challenge is rather complex.

So, while this isn't a product endorsement, we suspect Kintera's “Alumni Engagement Center” platform is worth a look. Even if just to expand your horizons as to what is possible tactically with a robust customer relationship management system customized to the purposes of alumni engagement and fundraising.

Increasingly, college grads are going to use social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to maintain their school, social and professional relationships. These sites are both robust and user-friendly.

Why hang around a stodgy alumni site when you can enjoy all the comraderie and bells & whistles of Facebook … without being dunned for a contribution?! Alumni groups will need to step up their online game big time if they expect their grads to hang around.

Kintera and Notre Dame are hosting webinars on July 17 and 20 if you'd like to learn more.

Roger & Tom

Posted by admin | Filed Under Don't Miss these Posts, higher ed marketing, online fundraising, social networking | Leave a Comment 

Colleges Fail At Online Marketing

May 25, 2007

Tell us it ain't so!

According to Primary Research Group's 2007 Survey of College Marketing Programs, cited here, based upon interviews with 55 American colleges, it appears that college marketers are still at the stone tablet stage.

As reported by interactive marketing consultant Hollis Thomases, PRG says that only 47% of colleges use online advertising in their marketing campaigns. About 18% engage in search engine marketing, with 14% using any form of paid advertising service from Google.

Observes Thomases, who has a number of higher ed clients:

“In an age when higher education students are among our most wired online populace, the people who make the marketing decisions for those institutions are still in need of the most elemental education. At traditional higher education institutions, it's tough to pitch online media strategy when they're barely acquainted with the fundamentals of online marketing.”

The Agitator has lots of “.edu” readers. We hope some of you might tell us she's got it wrong, and we'd be even more delighted if you offered an example of your own whiz-bang online marketing.

On the other hand, if you're marketing a higher ed institution to prospective students or fundraising from alumni, and online tactics are not part of your core strategy, you oughta be fired.

Roger & Tom

Posted by admin | Filed Under You Oughta Be Fired, higher ed marketing | 1 Comment