Mobile Solutions for Recruiting and Admissions Staff

By Tom McDonald, Marketing Consultant, News/Athletics/Events, Mobile Solutions andNews/Athletics/Events

Over the last ten years, with the proliferation and engagement in the internet as well as mobile technology, there has been a dramatic change in the student college search experience.

Students have flocked to the internet as their primary tool for researching colleges

Noel-Levitz, OmniUpdate, CollegeWeekLive, and NRCCUA® (National Research Center for College & University Admissions) conducted a survey of nearly 2,300 college-bound high school students regarding the use of mobile devices to search for colleges

Here are some statistics, from 2000+ students polled:

More than half (52 percent) of those students who said they used a mobile device at least once per week reported visiting a college’s mobile site
Forty-nine percent of students said that their experience on a mobile site strengthened their perception of the campus
47 percent of students said that they would return to a school’s mobile site

Note our comparison graphic of traditional paper based inquiry forms vs. the mobile recruiter (Where are you currently positioned?):

The research findings are dramatic and eye opening

The obvious take away from this research is that traditional recruiting and admissions approaches will no longer effectively and efficiently engage prospective students. Prospective student communication preferences have changed and changed significantly.

Providing a quality mobile site experience can and will provide significant benefits for all parties involved.

You must consider implementing the following strategies:

Create a mobile site that is optimized for smartphones. While most phones can now access non-optimized sites, optimizing for mobile will make it easier for smartphone users to navigate and find content.
Think like a student in terms of content. Students will be less likely to complete applications or read extensive information on academic offerings on a mobile device, but they probably would watch videos, check for key information on applying and financial aid, and request a campus visit.
Make it easy to connect with your social media via smartphone. Have links to your social media outlets, especially if you have your own customized social networks.
Give students a reason to return. Update content on your mobile site the same way you would your main Web site.

Institutions looking to engage prospective students have transformed their recruitment efforts to keep up with the online demands and expectations of prospective students.

There are ‘experts’ in the educational arena with lots of mobile application choices. Very few of these ‘experts’ are established systems integrators with a strategic, developed, live, mobile lead generation and recruit management application.

Where then do you look, to learn more about whats available and currently working in schools?

News/Athletics/Events is a Higher Education, Systems Integrator for Student Information Systems (SIS) CRM’s and LMS’s.

N2N Services has successfully worked with News/Athletics/Events, over the past 12 years.

From our Systems Integration Expertise, directly with Banner, Peoplesoft, Hobsons, Blackboard, et.al., we have developed a Mobile, Total Student Engagement Suite, that can be accessed on a modular component basis, for your and your students benefit

Please review our following videos on mobile recruiting and admissions

Does all of this seem a little, or a lot overwhelming?

Let us simplify it for you by discussing and demonstrating how you can directly benefit from a strategic mobile solution.

Please join us at one of our Friday webinars, or let us know when best works for you. Details are immediately below.

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To learn more about how you and your students can benefit from a Mobile Solution, join us for an informational webinar, or contact us directly, for an informational discussion specific to your Mobile Solutions and Professional Services needs.

Tom McDonald, 608-788-5144, tom.m@n2nservices.com

View our entire suite of education, Mobile Solutions and our News/Athletics/Events

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Supporting References:

Noel Levitz – Mobile Browsing Behavior and Expectations of College Bound Students

Noel Levitz – College Bound Students using Researching Colleges using Tablets and Smart Phones

Noel Levitz – High School Seniors visiting College Mobile Websites report positive experience

N2N vision – Workflow for Mobile Enrollment and Student Management

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To Discuss how these Solutions will add value for you, your organization and/or your clients, Affinity/Resale Opportunities, and/or Collaborative Efforts, Please Contact:

Tom McDonald, tsm@centurytel.net; 608-788-5144; Skype: tsmw5752