An old idea Most of you know for the past ten years my firm has produced annual audits of admissions outreach marketing material, the results of which we have published in Marketing Higher Education newsletter.
Professionally done To assemble my findings, I randomly select different types of schools (public, private and secondary: urban and rural; big and small. etc.) in the U.S. ... and Canada and compare and evaluate their marketing efforts. This popular service gives our readers a chance to judge their marketing approaches as compared to those of their colleagues based on criteria such as effectiveness, timely responsiveness, personal attention, continuity, copy, design, evidence of use of research.
For your eyes only I now offer this as a confidential (for your eyes only) service individualized for you and your admissions department.
How does your school compare? If you wish to have your recruitment materials evaluated, as compared to your competitors, from a professional marketing point of view, just contact me by e-mail, providing the land-mail address of your admissions department and those of your competitors. As a potential student, I will write your school and your competition, asking specific questions shaped to evaluate the quality and content of the responses and tracking the time it takes to receive a response at my site in California. Then I will return an e-mail written critique letter to you. My critique will include how well you rate in comparison to your competitors! It will provide valuable suggestions for how to improve the marketing effectiveness of your admissions recruitment materials including suggestions for how to position yourself amongst your competitors. A web site review is also available.
Amazing findings to help you An external audit such as this can reveal amazing information. For example, in response to a recent inquiry a school sent me its materials. Included was the mandatory business reply card-but it was a reply card already filled out by another student! Not a big deal, but such an error certainly tainted the quality of the response. As a result of my experience, the admissions office corrected its processing methods to assure this would not happen again.
Is your school responsive? This professional comparative admissions audit can let you know your school's responsiveness rate as compared to your competition. It can inform you of how well-positioned you are against your competition. This audit is like a visit to the doctor. You will find out what is wrong, what is working well, and what may happen in the future.
Request an Admissions Marketing Audit for your School! E-mail Bob Topor at topor@marketinged.com, requesting a Comparative Admissions Marketing Audit (CAMA), giving the name and address of your school and your competitors. I will complete the audit within a week after the last school answers (40 day cut-off) and e-mail a comparative report to you. It will describe your comparative marketing strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.
Cost The cost for this professional comparative marketing audit is a modest $250 PLUS $175 for each competing institution you want me to compare yours to. If you attract one new student, it will pay for itself many times over. Send me a purchase order number, and I will invoice your purchasing department. Or I will automatically invoice you electronically when I send your audit.
The Comparative Admissions Marketing Audit Process:
A service of Topor Consulting Group International in Mountain View, CA. Bob Topor, professional marketing consultant, author of eleven books on marketing higher education, CASE lecturer, Seminar-By-The-Sea organizer and faculty member. Over 40 years experience in higher-education. Pass on this message to your admissions director. He or she may not be aware of this valuable competitive marketing audit service. Thank you!
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Last Update: 3/3/99 |