Post on 19-Jan-2017
Creating a Dynamic, Reactive Communication Model from Scratch Paul Allen, University of South Carolina
• Strategic Recruiting
• Communication Modelling
• Email Development
Paul Allen Director of Recruiting University of South Carolina Professional MBA Program
About Me
• Over 5,000 undergraduate students
• 1,000+ graduate students
• Ph.D. programs
• 4 Masters programs
• 3 unique MBA programs
Darla Moore School of Business
• ApplyYourself • Connect
Products
Darla Moore School of Business & Hobsons
Records Filters E-mail Templates
168,000+ ~300 475
Agenda
• Professional MBA Case Study
• Process of Building a Model – Evaluation – Planning/Design – Development – Implementation
Today’s Conversation
• Advice
University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business
Professional MBA Program
Case Study
Limited Staff
Where did we start?
Underutilized CRM
1 manual email sent from Outlook once per week
0 automated emails being sent
Metrics: • 7 active plans • Average of 6-8 touches per plan • Over 45 live, unique communications
Where are we now?
Where are we now?
50%
20-30%
75%
8%
• Fully automated, fully reactive, multi-staged communication model
• All 4,000 prospects receive a personalized communication plan
o 50% average open rate o 75% or higher open rate on key communication nodes
(some are at 85% or higher)
o 20-30% average interact rate across entire plan
o Enrollment is up 8% o Conversion rate from started app to admitted is up 17% o Yield (admit to enroll) is strong at 85-92%
Success metrics
Success!
How do you create a communication model?
Process
Process
Step 1
Evaluation Questions • What do you have now? Is it working?
• Is the current model meeting the needs of
students?
• What is your competition doing?
Step 2
Planning/Design
List Your Goals • Automated
• Reactive
• Comprehensive
Bought a house? Been married? Shopped on Amazon?
Have you ever?
Funnel Approach: • What is the desired outcome of each
part of the funnel? • Define key behavior that helps student
reach the goal • Create communications that encourage
those actions
Design Your Model
Planning/Design
Step 3
Development Important Considerations • Naming conventions
• Email Creation Workflows
Naming Conventions
CP 12.1a
Automated message, not one a “one timer”
Stage in the funnel
Specific plan in a group of plans
Email or communication in that plan
Variation of that email if it exists
Development
Idea
Copy
Edit
Code
Filter
Test
Implement
Step 4
Implementation
What is important when implementing? How do you know if you’re successful?
Remember • Write down processes • Communicate processes • Create reports • Measure success over time • Keep lots of notes!
Implementation
Success Factors • Open rates • Interact/click rates • Opt-out rates • Progression through the
funnel • Trends over time
Key Metrics
Pro Tips
Bit of Advice
Know your student Give them the communications they need, not what you want to
give them
Plan, plan, and plan some more!
Be organized Be flexible
Paul Allen Director of Recruiting paul.allen@moore.sc.edu @ptallen63
Questions?