Here we explain the current contact of uncertainty and we develop our analysis of what most business schools need to position their MBAs and Masters Program in a way to attract the best students and feature well in classifications.

1. Yves Zieba
Strategy and Innovation
Marketing of Business School Education

2. Agenda
A situation of uncertainty and turbulences for MBAs and Business Schools
With many players and little differentiation
Many problems in the way Business Schools engage with future students
Making it difficult for them to attract the best consistently
Many more problems with online presence and Alumni networks
And many more constraints and dependencies
Possibly some severe and unexpected implications
Dealing with a decrease in applications and challenging questions
Business Schools Needs and Wants
For a clearer strategic positioning
How we can help
By introducing innovative ideas and improvements

3. What we hear and see – The situation
131K applications for full time MBAs at Business Schools
With little differentiation and little ROI visibility
Students select based on location, business courses and subjects
They navigate and search for information but decide when meeting officials
Alumni are increasingly influential
They are critical to help students start up a business or to help them find a job
The website is not seen as a sales tool
It makes it difficult for students to engage
Positioning a Brand is difficult
And differentiate the positioning
Multiple Business Schools Inefficiency
Coming from all sorts of reasons

4. What we hear and see – The problems
An uncertain landscape where MBA continues to prosper overall (in Asia)
But some business schools are facing a decline in application
Students select based on location, business courses and subjects
They navigate and search for information but decide when meeting officials
There is a big problem with Alumni networks
Critical success factors but often misused, or not handled in an appropriate way.
The website is not seen as a sales tool and is very inwards focused
It makes it difficult for students to engage
Brochures are not available in the relevant languages
Missed opportunities to attract excellent candidates
Site Search, Speed and Navigation and Mobile Experience are not optimal
While students use them more and more on all sorts of devices

5. What we hear and see – More problems !
Boring copywriting, overly academic and oldfashioned style
But some business schools are facing a decline in application
Failure to address and differentiate the audience
Confusion between messages to parents, students, companies and donators.
Writing overly long sentences, too much text, not enough multimedia
While students simply care about costs, career prospects and campus experience
Lack of clear and concise summary
Makes it difficult for students to compare and contrast
Lack of freedom of expression and poor management of dependencies
Often MBA program information is managed from a central university database
Too many restrictions in the editorial guidelines
Messages are distorted because of internal fights

6. What we deduct - Implications
Lower tolerance to mediocre or out of date web and mobile sites
And cumbersome user experience
Expect challenging questions on ROI and teaching quality
Students do not believe in the correlation of fees and salary evolution any more
Mediocre branding positioning will lead to a decrease in applications
Students now expect a «brand» differentiator to their curriculum
Personal contact will become even more decisive
Students short list online but decide face to face
Decrease in business schools classification
Or inconsistency between reality and classification
Diluted messages or invisible brand
Branding and strategy efforts are wasted because of poor execution

7. What Business Schools need and want
Articulate a clear Strategy with concise messages on an improved CMS
By removing constraints and managing dependencies
Remobilising your alumni network
by contacting new partners and creating a value proposition for alumni
Feature better in relevant Business School classification
by understanding the criteria and acting upon it
Realise the planned Benefits of your Strategy
by program managing the chosen improvements
Create Competitive Advantage
with best in class measurement tools
Increase Your Efficiency
by listening to your students, professors and alumni

8. Contact us for a free diagnostic
contactus@greenspire.ch
www.greenspire.ch