Graduate admissions professionals are often tasked with promoting programs without an increase in marketing budgets. In this session we will explore how you can use word of mouth marketing and social media to engage prospective graduate students and retain the ones you have. This is not a theoretical lecture: you will leave with no-cost or low-cost tactics and strategies you can implement next week.

1. NO MONEY? NO PROBLEM
USING WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING
AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO ENGAGE
STUDENTS AND GROW ENROLLMENT
Matthew Painter
MBA Program Director, Texas State University
TXGAP Conference, UNT-Dallas
July 26, 2013

2. THE DISCONNECT
“We want you to increase applications
and enrollment!”
“Great. What about our budget?”
“Here, take some more branded pens!”

6. PRIVATE-SECTOR TAKEAWAYS
• Really good marketing isn’t necessarily
expensive
• People love to talk (and you can leverage
that)
• Word-of-mouth marketing is
powerful, free, and not a random
phenomenon
• Social media is a tool, not a universe

7. ©HughMacLeod
www.gapingvoid.com

8. 7 THINGS YOU CAN DO IN THE
NEXT 30 DAYS TO INCREASE
APPLICATIONS, RETAIN CURRENT
STUDENTS AND LOOK LIKE A ROCK
STAR IN THE PROCESS

9. 1. IDENTIFY YOUR TALKERS

10. • Alumni
• Current students
• Employees
• Industry leaders
• Advisory board members
• Brand evangelists
• Excited prospective students

11. 2. LISTEN

12. EVERY GOOD CONVERSATION
STARTS WITH GOOD LISTENING
Online
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Blogs
• Google Alerts
Live
• Alumni events
• Advisory boards
• Community functions
• Industry conferences & publications

14. 3. HAVE A CONVERSATION

15. "It used to be about who shouted the
loudest. The title with the biggest
marketing spend tended to get the
biggest audience.”
“[But] now it's about conversations
between developers and players
and, more importantly, between the
players themselves.”
Lee Schuneman, Studio Head
Microsoft - Lift London Studios

16. Remember:
The conversation about
your university, college
or program is going to
take place whether you
participate or not.

17. 4. IT’S NOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY

18. it’s SOCIAL media
not social MEDIA

19. 5. FEED YOUR TALKERS

20. • Relevant, free, portable content
makes your talkers look smart.
Replace your marketing boilerplate
with useful information.
• Swag is good, but don’t just brand-
provide conversation starters

22. • Make your best talkers into VIPs:
Loyalty and word-of-mouth will
ensue!

25. • Fantastic customer service is
worth talking about

30. 6. NEGATIVE COMMENTS ARE AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO
SHINE

31. • You will never have 100%
positive feedback, so don’t
expect it
• Don’t respond like a corporate
attorney
• Recognize the mistake
• Offer to fix it
• Thank them for pointing it out

32. • Remember you aren’t just
replying to one person in a
public forum: you are replying
to everyone that will ever read
the interaction
• You don’t need to win
• An over-the-top, amazing
response is incredibly valuable

33. 7. BE HUMAN. HAVE FUN. IT
SHOCKS PEOPLE.
© Hugh MacLeod
www.gapingvoid.com

36. 1. Identify your talkers
- They are your best marketers.
2. Listen
- Just like at a dinner party, if you aren’t listening
you won’t contribute much to the conversation.
3. Have a conversation
- Don’t yell. Don’t observe. Talk with people.
4. Recognize that technology is a means to an end
- Don’t get distracted or intimidated by the tools.
SUMMARY: THE 7 THINGS YOU
CAN START DOING NEXT WEEK

37. 5. Feed your talkers
- Be worth talking about, and make it easy for them
to have the conversation.
6. Negative feedback happens
- Respond. And respond in a way that disarms your
detractor and impresses your fans.
7. Have fun. Be human. Don’t talk like a robot.
- Students and prospective students expect
university-speak. Shock them by being friendly,
helpful and normal.
SUMMARY: THE 7 THINGS YOU
CAN START DOING NEXT WEEK

38. THANK YOU!
Matthew Painter
MBA Program Director
Texas State University
512-245-3591
mpainter@txstate.edu
Web: McCoyMBA.com
Facebook: facebook.com/McCoyMBA
Twitter: twitter.com/McCoyMBA
Blog: McCoyMBA.wordpress.com