McPhersonCollegeMarketingPlan20102014

Overview Themarketingandcommunicationsdepartmenthasdevelopedthisplantoprovidearoadmapof McPhersonCollegescurrentmarketingstrategy.Aswithanyplan,thisisnotastaticdocumentbut ratheronethathasbeencreatedtoreflectthecurrentclimateandobjectivesthatguidethe collegesmarketingefforts.Thisplanisbasedupontheongoingcontributionsandfeedback providedbyfaculty,staff,andstudents.Itwillbefinetunedandadjustedasnecessarytoensure thatthemarketingactivitiesarewellcoordinatedandcontinuouslyimprovedtocreatethemost impactwiththeavailableresources. ThisplanisbaseduponthesolidfoundationoftheMcPhersonCollegebrandandreflects qualitativeandquantitativeresearchcoordinatedthroughout2008,2009,and2010.Specific methodsemployedinthisresearchincludedfocusgroups,surveys,andoneononemeetingswith facultyandstaff.ImmersionintothecultureofMcPhersonCollegehasalsoservedasasolidbasis forthiswritingofthisplan. ThemarketingplanthatfollowsaimstostrengthenthereputationofMcPhersonCollegeand enhanceitsvisibility.Inaddition,itwillencouragealumni,friends,donors,parents,students, prospectivestudents,faculty,andstafftocherishtheirassociationwithMcPhersonCollege.Itwill inspirethosewhoarenotdirectlyconnectedwiththeinstitutiontotakenoticeofitsacademic reputationandcontributionstotheregionandbeyond.

BrandStatement Thefollowingbrandstatementisthefoundationuponwhichmuchoftheinstitutionalmarketing planwillbebuilt: Mission:Todevelopwholepersonsthroughscholarship,participation,andservice. MarketNiche:CareerOrientedLiberalArts HistoryandBackground Charteredin1887byleadersoftheChurchoftheBrethren,McPhersonCollegehasalonghistoryof providingexcellentliberalartsandcareerorientededucationshapedbytheessentialvaluesofits foundingdenomination.TheChurchoftheBrethrenisaChristiandenominationfoundedin Germanyin1708.ItacceptstheNewTestamentastheruleoffaithandemphasizestheinherent valueofallpersons,thecommunaldiscernmentoftruth,thenecessityofputtingfaithintoaction, andthebiblicalcallstosimplicity,nonviolence,nonconformityandtransformationthrough education.BrethrenstrivetocontinuetheworkofJesuspeacefullysimplytogether.
McPhersonCollegesprogramsintegratecareerguidanceandpracticalexperiencesintoa traditionalliberalartscurriculumthatupholdsthehigheststandardsofacademicexcellence.Our

goalistohelpstudentsdiscernavocationalcallconsistentwiththeirgiftsandinterestsandto preparethemforalifeofmeaningfulwork. CommunityiscentraltoMcPhersonCollege.Weaffirmdiversitywithinthecommunity, emphasizingunityandacceptanceratherthanjudgmentandrejection.Becausewebelievethatthe pursuitoftruthisacollectiveendeavor,andthatthepointofscholarlylearningistoadvancethe commongood,McPhersonCollegeaspirestobeahealthycommunityoflearningwherewhole personsnurtureandbalancetheirphysical,intellectual,andspiritualcomponents;developandlive inrespectful,reciprocalrelationshipswithothers;andarecommittedtoresponsibleservicetothe world. Toaccomplishourmission,McPhersonembracestheidealsofscholarship,participationand service. Scholarship:AllabsoluteTruthisGodsTruthandhumankindmustlabordiligentlyinthe pursuitoftruthwecanknow;thus,McPhersonCollegeupholdsthehigheststandardsof academicexcellence.Facultystrivestoteachstudentstothinkcriticallyandindependently, tocommunicateclearlyandeffectively,tointegrateknowledgeacrossthedisciplines,and toassessthevalueconflictsinissues.Thisisdonewithoutcoercion,lettingtheevidence leadthesearch,andwithrespectfortheconsciencesandvaluedifferencesofothers. Participation:Studentsapplyknowledge,practiceskills,anddeepenandbroadentheir understandingofthemselvesandothersthroughactiveparticipationindiverselearning experiences.Asmallercommunityrequiresgreaterparticipationfromitsmembers.For thesereasons,McPhersonCollegeiscommittedtobeingasmallcollegeandencouraging studentparticipationinavarietyofactivities. Service:GodsloveispersonifiedinthelifeofJesuswhocametoservetheworld.Through worksofpeacemakingandcompassion,humanityrespondstoGodsloveandbecomesan instrumentofGodsservanthoodintheworld.Therefore,McPhersonCollegeemphasizes servicetoothers,encouragingallmembersofitscommunitytogiveselflesslyofthemselves toothers.

(HistoryandBackgroundoriginallyfromtheMcPhersonCollegeStrategicPlan20082011)

TargetMarket Internalaudiencesinclude: Students Faculty Staff

Externalaudiencesinclude: Highschoolandmiddleschoolstudents Prospectivetransferstudents



Prospectivenontraditionalstudents Parents Alumni Community Media Donors/potentialdonors Highschoolteachers,guidancecounselors,andotheradministratorsintheschool system MembersoftheMCAlumniBoardandTrustees

ProspectiveStudentTargetMarketStatement(admissionsbased): Ourtargetprospectivestudentissomeonewitha1926ACTscore/3.03.3GPA.Heorshe desirestobeactiveandinvolvedoncampus,isoutgoing,andhasadiversebackground.Our targetstudentwantsindividualattentionandwishestobecomeapartofacommunityor family. Specifictargetmarketgroupsinclude: COBandalumnistudents Studentsfrommetropolitanareas Lowerincome,firstgenerationcollege Kansasstudents Internationalstudents Females* *In1965,20%ofcollegedegreeswereawardedtowomen.In2009,60%ofcollegedegreeswere awardedtowomen. Basedondemographicresearch(seeexhibits#15),thetwohighestprojectedincreasesin racial/ethnicgroupsareHispanic*(89.9%growthby2021)andAsian/PacificIslander(62.7%).We shouldaggressivelyrecruitbothoftheseethnicgroupsinordertoremainviablein2021.Hiringa Spanishspeakingadmissionscounselorshouldbeconsidered. *1/5ofallhighschoolstudentsareLatino. Inaddition,regionalprojectionsregardinghighschoolgraduationratesshowadeclineora stalemateonallthreegeographicregions(West,Midwest,andNortheast).Theonlyregionwithan increaseinhighschoolgraduatesin2021istheSouth.Aggressivesouthernrecruitmentshouldbea priority. Thenumberofhighschoolgraduatesandcollegeboundhighschoolgraduatesisalsoonthedecline oratastalemateensuringtheneedforaggressivemarketingandrecruitingeffortsintheyearsto come.

TheCompetition

ForMcPhersonCollegetoremaincompetitive,technologyshouldactasadriverbehinddecisions maderegardingthefutureofthecollege. Marketingandcommunicationsshouldremainawareoftheemergingalternativestoatraditional educationalenvironmentandfindeffectivemethodsofpromotingMcPhersonCollegeinaclimate thatischangingrapidly.Asexpectationsforaccessingeducationchangetoreflecttheondemand 24houradayaccessprovidedbyonlineenvironments,marketingcommunicationsshouldconvey thebenefitsofMcPhersonCollegetoappealtotheseshiftingvaluesandpreferences. Inaddition,staffandfacultyinvolvedwithrecruitmentshouldbecognizantofandpromotethefact thatthecostofaMcPhersonCollegeeducationiscomparabletothatofthetwo,largepublic universitiesinKansas. OurfocusoncareerorientedliberalartssetsusapartfromotherprivateKansascolleges.In promotions,wehaveandwillcontinuetofocusonthisaspectinordertoshowourdistinctiveniche withinthelocalmarket. AswepromoteMcPhersonCollegesuniquevaluetoprospectivestudents,wemustremain knowledgeableregardingthestrategiesandbenefitspromotedbythefollowingcompetitors: 1. KansasCommunityColleges(PrattCommunityCollege,HesstonCommunityCollege, HutchinsonCommunityCollege,DodgeCityCommunityCollege,BartonCommunityCollege, et.al) 2. FourYearPublicInstitutions(KU,KState,WSU,FortHaysState,EmporiaState) 3. FourYearPrivateInstitutions(Bethany,KansasWesleyan,Bethel,Friends,Sterling,Tabor, et.al) 4. Onlinecertificateanddegreeprograms+(UniversityofPhoenix*,DeVryUniversity,Capella University,FortHaysStateet.al) +By2014,onlineheadcountwillbe20%ofallcollegestudents. *In2009,UniversityofPhoenixenrollmentwasat423,000.Theyhavefoundaneednot beingmet.Anyoneonlinecanbeinternational. (seealsoexhibits1213forafurtherlistofcompetitorsbasedonFAFSAinformation)

ProposedMarketingObjectives Ourstrategyinthismarketingplanistoemphasizeourdistinctiveprogramsandmembersofour collegecommunity,whichmakeMcPhersonCollegetheuniqueandspecialinstitutionthatitis. SeveralofficesanddepartmentsatMcPhersonCollegewillhavekeyrolesinimplementingthisplan becauseoftheirvisibility,theirinteractionswithkeyaudiences,andtheirrolesatthecollege.These are:Admissions,MarketingandCommunications,AcademicAffairs,StudentServices,and Advancement.

Goal#1: Increaseenrollmentby50studentsfor20102011usingenrollmentnumbersfrom20092010asa baseline.(Increasefrom550to600)Overthenext4years(20102014),increaseenrollmentto700.

Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Admissions Strategiestocommunicatewithprospectivestudents: WebsiteDevelopment TheMcPhersonCollegewebsiteisthefirstcontactthatmostprospectivestudentswillhave withthecollege.Therefore,thiscommunicationchannelshouldbeutilizedasoneofthe collegesmainmarketingtools.Thereisqualityevidencetosupportthedirectcorrelation betweenacollegewebsiteandthelevelofstudentenrollment.* *TheStamatsannualTeensTALKstudyindicatesthatnearly85%ofstudentsconsideringa collegevisitedtheinstitutionswebsitebytheirsenioryearofhighschool. *NoelLevitz2009study,80%ofstudentssaidtheywoulddropaschoolfromtheirsearchor bedisappointedwithaschoolifthatinstitutionswebsitedidnothavethecontentthe studentsneeded.70%ofstudentscompletetheirapplicationsonline,16%inperson,1%by phone,12%bymail. *Also,refertoexhibit#6.80%offemaleand76%ofmalestudentsusewebsitesregularlyto findproductinformation. TheMarketingandCommunicationsdepartmentiscurrentlyinstitutingacompletewebsite redesignwhichwillpresentMcPhersonCollegeinanintegratedandengagingformat. Incorporationoffaculty/staffblogs*,Facebook*,andTwitterwillbeanimportant componentofthesite.Thefocusofthesitewillbeonthestudentexperience(i.e.student life,testimonials,andatmosphere).Thecompletionsdateforthisphaseofthemarketing planwillbeJuly1,2010. *Seeexhibit#6.58%offemaleand44%ofmalestudentsusesocialnetworkingsitesas sourcesforproductinformation.22%offemaleand19%ofmalestudentsuseblogsas sourcesforproductinformation. CollateralMaterials Thefollowingprintedpiecesareimportantcomponentsofourrecruitmentefforts.They shouldremainapartoftheoverallmarketingplanwhilefundsspentonadditionaltrifolds, postcards,andpostersshouldbesignificantlyreduced. (Seeexhibit#6.Nooneindicatedprinteditemsasdesirablesourcesforproductinformation. Also,infocusgroupsheld/surveysgiven,studentsindicatedtheyoftenfeltoverwhelmedby mailfromothercolleges.Theirpreferredmethodsofcommunicationswereemailsand handwrittenletters.) SearchPiece(oneperyear) MyMCMagazine(twoperyear) FinancialAidBrochure(updatedperyear) ChristmasCard/BirthdayCard(updatedperyear)

 GuidesforStudents,Parents,andInternationalStudents(updatedasneeded) FourDirectMailers(sentevery3months,updatedperyear) DepartmentBrochures(updatedaschangesaremadetothedepartments,otherwise, everytwoyears) Maintainapresenceinstate/localmediaoutletstoattractaqualifiedanddiversestudent population.Focusonbuildingmediarelationshipsandcontacts,notjustsendingtoablind box.Dontinundatecontactswitheveryrelease.Selectthemostappropriateandmost importantreleasestosend.HireaDevelopmentCommunicationsCoordinator. Buildourdatabaseofprospectivestudentemailsthroughofferinggiveawayitemsat collegefairs.Monitorstudentsastheyarefillingouttheirinquiryformstoensurewegeta validemailaddress.Call/FB/textstudentsforwhomwedonothaveavalidemailaddress. Utilizeouremailblastserviceswehaveforcontactregardingpresidentialscholarship days/bulldogvisitdays. Haveaneventpermajoreachyeartogetstudentsoncampus.(75%ofstudentswhovisit deposit).ModeltheseeventsaftertheMathCompetition,BehaviorMania,andtheGraphic Design/Artworkshops. Guidancecounselorbustourhaveadmissionscounselorsdriveandmeetwithguidance counselorsintheareastheyserve.Distributecollateralmaterialsatthistime.Build relationships. Itishighlyencouragedthatfacultyandguidancecounselorsreincorporatehandwritten letters/cardsintotheirrecruitmentpractices.(Itwasnotedinafocusgroupthatnoneofthe studentsreceivedfollowupfromtheirambassador/guideaftertheirvisit.Inaddition, anotherstudentnotedahandwrittencardfromSteveGustafsonwasawatershedmoment whendecidingtocommittoMC.) Realizingthatonehalfofourstudentsareathletes,collaborationbetweenathleticsand marketingwillbecriticalforfutureefforts. Ingoal#2,wewillfocusonincreasingsocialmediausagewhichwillalsosupporttheabove referencedgoal.

Goal#2: Increasesocialmediauseamongfacultyandstaffoncampus.(specificallyFacebook,Twitter,and blogging.)Improvethequalityandfrequencyofourinteractions.* Responsible:Admissions,MarketingandCommunications,AcademicAffairs,StudentServices,and Advancement Amajorcomponentofthewebsiteredesignistheincorporationofblogs,Facebook,and Twitter.Ournewsitewilllinktoeachdepartmentssocialmediaoutlets.Thiswillallow individualdepartmentstopostauthentic,realtimeinformation,videos,andphotos.

Nancy/Brianwilltrainstaff/faculty(inmultiplesmallgroupsettings)onhowtosetupand usethevarioussocialmediatoolswithinthenextfivemonths.Wewillsharebestpractices forupdatingthesepageswithinteractiondrivenposts. MarketingandCommunicationswillcontinuetomaintaintheMcPhersonCollegeFacebook FanPageandusethispageasamodelforotherFacebookfanpages. Begintrackinginteractions/fansfortheMcPhersonCollegeFacebookpage.Increasethese numbersyearlyby5percentfrom20102014. Continuetoread,attendtraining,andfollowsocialmedianewsandupdatesinordertostay aheadwiththeseconstantlychangingtools. IncorporatecostperclickadvertisingonFacebookinordertodrivefansandtraffictoour website. ExploreLinkedIn,Ning,andSkypeasfuturetoolstobeginutilizing.

*SeealsoExhibit10.The3554yearolddemoisgrowingfastestforFacebook,witha276.4% growthrateinovertheapproximate6monthssincewelastproducedthis report.(seewww.istrategylabs.com)The55+demoisnotfarbehindwitha194.3%growthrate.The 2534yearpopulationonFacebookisdoublingevery6months. Goal#3: Improveouralumnibase,interactions,andrelationshipstoincreasedonorreceiptsby5percent duringthe20102011schoolterm.Usedatafrom20092010asabaseline.By2014,increasedonor receiptsby10percent. Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Advancement Ingoal#2,wewillfocusonincreasingsocialmediausagewhichwillalsosupporttheabove referencedgoal.WiththehighestgrowingdemographicinFacebookbeingthe3554year oldand55+notfarbehind,wecantaffordnottobuildrelationshipswithalumniand friendsonFacebook.Brian,Nancy,andSallyarecreatinganalumniFacebookfanpageover thenexttwoweeks.ItwillbeupandrunningbyFebruary5,2010.Withthispage,itwillbe vitaltohavealumniinteractingandfeelinggoodabouttheirexperienceswithMcPherson College,andwewillincorporatepostingstrategiesthatwillaccomplishthisgoal. ContinuetheReviewpublicationtwiceperyear.Incorporatemorefeelgoodstoriesthat highlightwhatcurrentstudentsaredoingsothattheywillsupportusfinancially. Incorporatemorefeelgoodphotos.Makethisamorewarmpiece. SendanannualPresidentsreporttoalldonors. AggressivelyinvolvealumniininitiativesliketheStealthletterseriestoencouragegood feelingstowardsthecollege.

Bytheendof2010,incorporateaMcPhersonCollegeAlumniandFriendsTwitteraccount. Seeexhibit#11.Makeitembeddable,linkable,clickable,andshareable. Continuetodevelopanddistributeprintedmaterialstosupportdevelopmentinitiatives.

Goal#4: Increasetheeffectivenessofourpromotionaleffortsthroughtheincorporationofsuccess metrics/costbenefitanalysis. Responsible:MarketingandCommunications,Advancement,Admissions Foreverycontactmade,whetheritisdevelopmentoradmissions,trackthesourceoflead. AskWheredidyouhearaboutus?Whatledyoutocontactus? Trackthisinformationusingabasicspreadsheetthatlistsallappealsandresponses.(For example,whenwesendoutanaskpostcardliketheTobiasbabypostcardfor development,howmanydonationsarereceivedfromthatpiece?Howmuchdidthepiece costvs.howmuchwegotinreturnforit?Howmanyinquiriesdowegetoffofthe admissionssophomorepostcardsentinMarcheachyear?Howmanyinquiriesdoweget fromtheMyMCmagazineinAugust?Someoneineachdepartmentneedstotrackthisdata inordertocreateacost/benefitanalysis.Everythingcanandshouldbetrackedto determinewhatworksandwhatdoesnt.)

Goal#5: BegintrackingourwebsitetrafficthroughGoogleanalytics.Analyzemetricsandinstituteactions thatwillimprovesearchengineoptimization. Responsible:MarketingandCommunications Analyzebouncerates,webtraffic,demographics,andotherimportantdata.Compareto previousdata.Incorporateimprovementsbasedondataanalysis. Trainstaff/facultyonsearchengineoptimizedblogging.Explainanddemonstratecross linking. IncorporateaMcPhersonCollegegeneralblogthatincludesallpressreleases.Crosslinkthe content. Submitpressreleasestoonlinereleasesitesforsearchengineoptimizationpurposes. IncorporateaMcPhersonCollegeTwitteraccount.Createtweetsthatwillmaximizesearch engineoptimization.Generatetweetsthatareembeddable,linkable,clickable,and shareable.