So last week while I was having lunch with Kathie, Sean Beck came up and was like “Hey guys, wanna help us with a Chapel Programs video!?” And All I could think of was “OH MAN! I’ve ALWAYS wanted to be in a Chapel Video!” I love the randomness of Cougar Walk.
So we went out and I decided to get some behind the scenes footage!
Check out the video this Friday in Chapel!!
APU iPhone Web App
Aside from the call drops and the limited battery life, I love my iPhone. Now that I have it, I find myself using its capabilities all the time–where to find a good carne asada burrito near campus, how to spell dénouement, or the name of the song playing in the office next to mine. But my love for the iPhone isn’t why several very talented people in University Relations are hard at work on developing a native iPhone app (we have a version of the APU website already available at www.apu.edu/m).
APU has chosen to develop an app for the iPhone over other mobile platforms because in the last year, total page views of the www.apu.edu from a mobile device are upwards of 137,000 (9-01-08 to 9-25-09). And of those views, 86.2% are accessing it from an iPhone or iPod Touch.
We have ideas for what to put in our iPhone app, but what do you want? What kind of tools would be helpful for you as a student, alumnus, parent, professor, or fan of APU? We would love to hear your ideas.
Ye Olde Map Interface
Last week marked the launch of our new “online campus map” interface—now with 100% more Google integration!
While our previous map viewer served its purpose well, it was completely custom-built, and therefore wasn’t the simplest thing to update or add features to. Therefore, based on the fact that Google Maps are at this point a fairly standard way for websites to present their map-based data, and because Google continues to expand the available capabilities of the system and makes sure it’s up to date with current technology, we decided it was time to upgrade.
The New Interface
Thanks to some foresight a couple of years back, our entire database of campus building locations was actually already based on GPS coordinates. Because of that, no major reworking of the data was required to make the upgrade to a Google-based system. We simply needed to build a new front-end (using Google’s tools) that interacted with the database in almost exactly the same manner as our previous map interface did.
The only downside at the moment is that Google’s current satellite images don’t include some of our newest additions to campus—most notably the Segerstrom Science Center, which I had to add manually by drawing a rough placeholder-simulacrum over the satellite image.
Just like Google!
On the other hand, the switch to Google Maps also included one major benefit that we’d been wanting to include for a while: driving directions. Now, any time you’re viewing information on a particular building or area of campus, simply enter your starting address in the field provided, and the system will output a set of standard Google directions. (Note: Since they are driving directions, they’re designed to get you to the most appropriate university entrance; it’s assumed that you’re not already on campus.)
Well, here it is: APU Online Campus Map. Go ahead and way-find to your heart’s content.
The landscape of higher education has changed dramatically the last 10 years. Some might argue that the last five years have been even more monumental as education is becoming commoditized like many other industries. When a product reaches that point, marketing and advertising become major players in determining your niche and creating value for customers. Unfortunately, advertising/marketing costs money.
The Office of University Relations fields questions all the time regarding our marketing strategy and the venues we choose. Even with new and social media outlets, there has been a shift back to traditional advertising channels. Because of this, we evaluate daily, via various metrics and tools, what is working and what type of marketing are causing customers to take notice of Azusa Pacific and its offerings. To complicate matters, our product has a 6-18 month buying cycle. This means we have to be in front of our customers in various forms for more than a year. At that point, our goal is to be in their top three choices for school, giving us a 33% chance to get their business.
The only way this is possible is to be aggressive in all media, as people have different preferences for receiving information. This proves challenging as we are bombarded daily by more than 4,000 messages. To date, we have been aggressive in television, radio, search, paid search, natural search, college newspaper, traditional newspaper, e-blasts, direct mail, targeted websites, social media outlets, billboards, movie theatre ads, and targeted trade publications.
Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t a silver bullet. Rather, the recipe for success is stretching your dollars to utilize all media, as one size does not fit all. Further, mixed media messaging types compliment each other. For example, I might hear a radio spot numerous times, then see a billboard or a print ad, but it was a conversation with a co-worker that drove me to apply. However, that referral alone wasn’t the driving factor rather it was the marketing mix combination that resonated over time helping me to reach that decision.
Students have a variety of options when making the decision of where to go to school. We need to shift our thinking in academia and understand that we are selling $25,000 graduate products or a $120,000 undergraduate experiences. Think about your large purchases and the amount of thought you put into them, as well as the value you expect from them. To quote Warren Buffett, “Price is what you pay; value is what you get.”
In my next post, I will try to share how we use television to promote the Azusa Pacific University image.
It seems everyone you talk to has a different perspective or view of social media. They may love or hate it, consider it a waste of time, or maybe even think it’s the only part of the marketing strategy that matters. Regardless, I’m a believer in social media. The more I engage in the different mediums, the more I find that a high majority of interaction comes from a very specific approach or strategy. There are two different ways you can communicate: a push strategy or a pull strategy. Push and pull strategies are not new to the world of marketing, but the introduction of social media at such a high level has definitely added a new dimension to the ways we go about our advertising.
Push
Some marketing is right there in your face. You may get direct mail postcards, email blasts, phone calls, etc. for information you never signed up for in the first place. It is not uncommon for companies to buy lists of names that fit a specific audience they think will want their product in an effort to gain more market share. That is more of a push strategy in that they push the information to you, whether you are looking for it or not. These strategies are typically used for quick sales and awareness, or to promote a new product or service the consumer may never hear about otherwise. A good example of this would be a direct mail postcard advertising a special interest rate for a Labor day weekend sale, or a new perfume that has yet to hit the market.
Pull
Some marketing relies exclusively on valuable content, promotions, and convenience. Often you find this type of marketing on social sites where people monitor their own content feeds. In social media, you typically have the ability to choose who you want (and don’t want) to receive content from. You choose to follow someone on Twitter, or maybe become a fan of a company, organization, or educational institution on Facebook. You might see a status update, tweet, or something similar saying, “Sign up for our newsletter and get a free shirt” or, “5 sideline passes for tonight’s game to the first 5 people who show up to the athletics office.” Many of the big corporations you receive push marketing from often have a presence on these sites as well, offering a completely different type information as these consumers (and rightly so) tend to be more fickle.
If the consumer has decided to receive your content, they have already decided two things: First, you offer something valuable, and second that you’re trustworthy. So long as you continue to do these two things, they’ll be loyal. This can best be described as a pull strategy, where you pull people to you through reliable content distribution.
The Balancing Act
The challenge continues to be finding the balance between push and pull strategies. Because of the privacy/invasion of space issues, I believe it’s important to work the pull angle in social media. If they choose to follow you on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or reply to your blog, they’re essentially giving you permission to keep providing them with valuable information. It will always be about having the right content in the right places, where people can find you and get the answers they need.
The first bi-focaled administrator
One of the most difficult challenges we as university administrators have is balancing the reality of the present (doing the work), with what is necessary to ensure a successful and sustainable future. It reminds me of first wearing bi-focal spectacles – I needed one type of lens for reading, and the other for distance.
As APU’s leaders we have to do the same, focus on today but be able to “see” into the future. To do this with excellence, we need to know what is keeping us a Christ-centered comprehensive university heading in the right direction. Students and knowledge guide this direction. I am probably not the most knowledgeable on the student factor, but I have strong convictions around knowledge. I have just read an interesting article on “The Dynamic of Knowledge”₁ – let me try and apply it to APU.
APU as a university (1) generates and integrates knowledge through scholarship, both teaching and research. With wisdom, our mission and values we then (2) disseminate and apply this knowledge through teaching, research, publications, speaking engagements etc. (3) We are required to be trustees of knowledge through libraries, special collections and the curricula we develop. (4) We validate knowledge through a level of discernment, that enables us to identify what we teach, value, and then credential through the awarding of degrees. Maybe this is a historic approach to further education – do you think the role has changed? Comment on this blog and let us know!
1 American Council of Education (2009). The Dynamic Nature of Knowledge: Future challenges and opportunities for college and university leaders. Washington, D.C.:ACE
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