Welcome UC Career Fair Participants

Welcome to all the job-seekers we met today at the University of Charleston Career Fair. Thanks for your interest in Maple Creative... and a career in the marketing profession.

We could tell you tons of boring stuff about how great we are. That's really not our style. So, instead, we've chosen to share with you this story about potholes.

This time of year, in the midst of the worst winter weather in many, many years, if you're driving at all, you have encountered some new potholes. Ever wonder how a pothole is formed? It's a bit of a mystery, really. No one has ever seen a pothole form. And they grow and expand so rapidly, defying observation. One day, no hole. The next day there's a grand new pothole large enough to engulf your entire right front tire. Perplexing.

There are two theories about how potholes form. You're about to learn both.

The first theory is embraced largely by left-brain types ... scientists, physicists, engineers and accountants. This theory attributes the formation of potholes to thermal factors. Extreme temperatures cause pavement surfaces to expand and contract. In some instances a crack occurs in the top layer of asphalt. This uneven surface is struck repeatedly by the wheels of cars and trucks as they pass by. The crack turns into a chip. More car tires strike the chip and increasingly larger chunks of asphalt are displaced. Eventually that crack is transformed into a hole. The material within the hole is easily displaced--and so the hole becomes wider and deeper. Voila--a pothole!

The second theory is more popular with creative types. This theory holds that there are brigades of tiny pothole monkeys, encamped along roadways everywhere. These monkeys reside in subterranean villages, just beneath the shoulder of the road. Natural born miscreants, these pothole monkeys have impeccable timing, which enables them to judge perfect opportunities for pothole-making. Working under the cover of darkness, when traffic is absent, they dispatch onto the road surface. Imagine a small army of tiny pothole monkeys, toting their jackhammers, picks, drills, shovels and buggies. They are incredibly well organized and efficient. In the span of about three minutes, a typical pothole monkey crew (PMC) can excavate a pothole of 74 cubic inches or more.

Which theory do you embrace?

And here's hoping that you encounter no potholes in the course of your job search and career path!

What's the relevance of potholes to marketing? one might ask. All marketing is a story, well told.

Higher Education Online - More Great Insights from Contributor Jennifer Wood

In case you missed the fabulous first part of this mini-series from Jennifer Wood, Web site and enrollment marketing coordinator for the University of Charleston, you can check it out here. Last month, Jennifer took us inside of her audience. Here, she gets into the nuts and bolts of marketing a university to prospective students. Jen is a longstanding member of the Marketing Genius family and a genius marketer in her own right. We're thrilled to have this guest contribtuion from Jen!

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How

If you ask the important question of “How did you hear about us?” then you will have insight into how students find you. If you realize they are not finding out through electronic means, then I would say that you need to look at what strategies you’re carrying out electronically. If your web presence is lacking or difficult to find or navigate, your chances that students find out about you via electronic means is probably fairly slim. Tracking communications of who you send what to, how they receive it, how many conversions you have (applicants / deposits / registrants), you can find which tasks result in good leads and enrollment. This question can help you figure out where you should spend, cut, reallocate, etc. It’s interesting how much information and insight you can obtain through one question.

In higher education marketing, it’s now becoming evident that students are applying for college differently than before. In the “good old days”, students filled out an inquiry card or completed an online form to receive more information about the school in a follow up communication. We have seen a shift from that original process. Now students go right for the online application and avoid the other means of initial contact, at least electronically. Our web analytics show that students who complete online applications are twice as likely to be new visitors instead of returning visitors. So what does that say about our marketing strategy? How do we shift our promotional materials to accommodate that shift? Honestly, we’re still figuring that out.

As I write this blog post, I’m rethinking our electronic marketing strategy here at UC. Many times, daily operations take precedence over other marketing aspirations and get put on the back burner. I use that “excuse” all the time. My goal now is to find out what our resources are to improve our tracking system of applicants or “customers”. This of course, it will need to be an integrated effort with admissions, student life, communications, the registrar, and probably the IT department (to make appropriate changes to our systems).

So, I’d like to hear from folks out there….Anyone else experiencing this shift to “secret” or “discreet” customers? They don’t browse around first…they go right for the application or shopping cart? What is your conversion rate of these folks?

I’d love to find out how other industries are coping with this shift and how they are marketing through this new process. Not all questions in life can be answered merely by asking them. However, in marketing, many customers want to have a dialogue about their choices.

And for a bit of fun and humor on your way out, check out this really illustrative YouTube video, "Breaking Up," which shines some light on marketing dialogue.

I look forward to hearing from you with a comment here, or via e-mail:
Jennifer Wood
jenniferwood@ucwv.edu