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?