Higher Education Records ROI for Social Media

Here is another study, Higher Ed Documents Social Media ROI: New Communications Tools Are a Game Changer, by Nora Ganim Barnes and her colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research. They have been watching trends in social media usage at US colleges and universities since 2007 providing unique longitudinal data. Here is last year’s study - Social Media Use Continues to Expand in US Higher Education.  They also look at social media use in business (see for example her 2102 study - The Enduring Nature of Blogs and Blogging).

In their latest work latest study of US four year accredited undergraduate schools for the first time social media is found to cut costs for Admissions Offices.  As a result, schools are planning to increase investments in social media initiatives they feel are more efficient in reaching their target audience. .Admissions Directors report that social media is now more efficient than traditional media and 78% report that these tools have changed the way they recruit. The most useful tools for recruiting undergraduates include Facebook (94%), YouTube (81%), Twitter (69%) and Downloadable Mobil Apps (51%).   Mobile apps are a favorite of top MBA programs with 82% citing them as an effective recruiting tool.

Only 29% of the schools surveyed report having no social media plan in place for their Admission Office and an additional 15% report not knowing if there is a social media plan in place. I guess these are the clueless ones.  Here is another concern as less than half of colleges have s social media policy and19% of the undergraduate admissions officer report they did not know if any such policy existed at their school. More in the clueless group.

Another concerning trend is that monitoring the schools name and relevant online conversation has declined over the past few years.  In 2009-2010, 73% reported monitoring their brand.  In 2010-2011, that number dropped to 68% and now is reported to be 47%.

Despite the lack of plans and policies by some schools, 92% of undergraduate admissions officers agree that social media is worth the investment and 86% plan to increase their investment in social media next year. They are also reducing costs for traditional media are attributed to use of social media.   Schools report 33% less spent on printing, 24% less spent on newspaper ads and 17% less spent on radio and TV ads.  This follows the general spending reductions in traditional media that is seriously impacting these industries.

Thanks to Nora and her team for another useful report. 

 

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[Charlie]

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