1. A Pathway to Improving Enrollment Presented by Earnest Phillips Executive Director Communications and Marketing 3.11.15

2. More than 20 years of private- and public- sector experience 1993-1999 – Weyerhaeuser (External Communications Manager) 1999-2014 – UNLV (Associate Vice President of Communications) 2014-Present – Seattle Colleges Introduction

3. For our purposes today, I would like to define Public Relations as building relationships with key stakeholders. – It is NOT media relations. News media is audience and conduit. – The news media is not responsible for telling our story Definition of Public Relations

4. Working with college personnel to: Learn about the organization. Identify the enrollment process. First Six Months

5. I pulled together two groups: 1.Communication committee 2.Outreach committee For both, I: Sought representation from all colleges. Listened to concerns, learned about policies, and asked for recommendations on how the district can assist. Two Working Groups

6. Focused on coordination and collaboration – Connect every two weeks on phone – Monthly workshops Members – Sarah Dean (SVI) – David Sandler (Central) – Melissa Mixon (North) – Kevin Maloney (South) – Maria Lamarca Anderson (District) Communications Group

7. Focused on coordination and collaboration – Meet every two weeks as committee Identifying processes, products, and procedures to help with recruitment and enrollment. Looking to get best ROI on district and college communication efforts. Outreach Group

8. Members Leslie Aest (Central) Gina Nakamura (Central) David Sandler (Central) Susan Shanahan (North) Melissa Mixon (North) Kevin Maloney (South) Vanessa Calonzo (South) Maria Lamarca Anderson (District) Paulette Eickman (District) Judy Reed (District) Joyce Hansen (District) Outreach Committee

9. What steps should we take to improve and enhance our enrollment process? Enrollment

10. Today’s Approach to Enrollment

11. Some items I have noted: Noel-Levitz recommended a CRM. – I concur. Critical to reversing the slide. – CRM gives opportunity to define and measure recruitment efforts. – Our competitors are using it. Times have changed for community colleges and enrollment – Our consumers are smarter with more access to information. – The website is our 24/7 salesperson. Enrollment

12. For Seattle Colleges: Recruitment responsibilities found in different areas of each organization. Enrollment discussions revolve more around advertising (billboards, etc.) and less about process We are in a competitive market. We need to circle the wagons and shoot out, not in. Enrollment

13. Today’s Approach to Enrollment

14. External research – Working with Victor Kuo and college IR personnel to design instrument for external stakeholder survey. – Segment potential students, community leaders, business owners. Internal research – Going to use Judy Reed research for now. Need to develop other instruments. Step 1: Survey Research

15. Common look and feel for district and outreach collateral Colleges still maintain identity on college specific items – Education Master Plan – Navigator one-pager – Compass one-pager – Table drapes – Folders – Inquiry card Step 2: Communication and Outreach

16. Common Look and Feel

21. The website is our most important communication tool. – Website is our 24/7 salesperson. Enrollment needs to have most of the real estate. – It’s the No. 1 priority. Allows us to focus our advertising by using one website address. – Academic listing page to help students find their program. – Goal is to keep prospective students from enrolling in higher ed institutions outside of our district. Push to inquiry form Re-focusing the District website

22. District Website Comp

23. Advertising Working with college communicators to build a master calendar. Developing expectations for colleges and districts. – Eliminate duplication – Maximize ROI Advertising

24. Taking advantage of our great student stories – Video series of alumni Social media and web Reinforce our narrative – Ongoing program Create communication programs to convince key stakeholders into becoming ambassadors: – Alumni – Opinion Leaders and Decision Makers – Employees District Public Relations

25. Key component to the enrollment process. Building an inquiry form. – All inquiry info into one database. – Separate data by college. Inputs come from: – Web – Phone calls – Face-to-face – Inquiry cards Step 3: Inquiry

26. What is a CRM? Client Relationship Management program – Salesforce All have the same bells and whistles – Track touches – Automate responses – Put information in database Database (and possible move to CRM)

27. Response and Evaluation – Automate responses to those inquiring about your college. – Collect data. – Provide metrics for evaluating outreach efforts – Evaluate and inform outreach and communication strategy. – Engage faculty in the process Faculty can send emails to students interested in their program. What a CRM offers colleges

28. 1.Research – Done by CRM committee 2.Conduct RFP 3.Screening 4.Evaluation Our CRM Evaluation Process

29. Members Gina Nakamura (Central) Andrew Baldridge (Central) Lucas Reber (North) Susan Shanahan (North) Vanessa Calonzo (South) Michael Lock (District) Joyce Hansen (District) CRM Committee

30. Surveyed other community/technical colleges and private and public universities Key findings – Many struggle to get full potential due to resources. – Most are investigating a purchase. – Those who are using it well believe it is key to their success. Research

31. In order to implement colleges and district will need to: Assign resources Determine primary/general messages – Communication practitioners Manage responses – Possibly your current outreach personnel Implementing a CRM

32. Next steps in CRM evaluation – Screen RFP and pick two finalists Evaluate two finalists: – Student Services – IT – Communications Next Steps and a Request

33. Questions