10 Ways For Schools To Connect With Generation TXT (Part I)

By Jerry Allocca

You have an attractive view book.
And a cool website.
But are you really connecting
with the digital generation?

Students live in a different world. One of text messages, blogs, chat rooms, myspace, youtube, yahoo, podcasts and mobile devices. It takes more than just a cool college website to connect with your target audience. You've got to tap into their social network. Listen to their thoughts. Join in the conversation. Be a part of their world.

To fuel growth and sustain a competitive advantage, schools need to tap into the popular technologies and social networks that are now an everyday part of students' lives. In this article we'll explore 10 ways to make such important technologies as personalized interactive websites, blogs, myspace, facebook, youtube, google, yahoo and text messaging work for your school.

Here are 10 ways for schools to connect with Generation TXT
1.)   Search Engines
2.)   Blogging
3.)   Social Networking
4.)   Podcasting
5.)   YouTube
6.)   Permission-based Email Marketing
7.)   Mobile Phones
8.)   Forums and Chat Rooms
9.)   Websites
10.)  Personalized Digital Catalogs

Part I of this article talks about points 1-5.
Part II of this article talks about points 6-10.
Request Part II of this article here on our website,
or share it with someone who would benefit.
www.coreacademics.com/10ways/

1.) Increase qualified leads from search engines
Students use search engines like google, yahoo, msn and ask to find information. By optimizing your website to be more search engine friendly you can increase the amount of natural or unpaid listings you receive. These are free referrals from search engines right at the point when the potential student is actively searching for the information. In most cases these opportunities are lost because the college website is not optimized for search engines.

An addition to the free listings, there is also paid search advertising. With an effective pay-per-click (PPC) search advertising program you can precisely target prospects while controlling your ad spending with daily budgets. Your website can be a powerful source of highly qualified and very inexpensive or even free leads, if you create the right search engine strategy and implement it.

2.) Use blogs to share your thoughts and listen to theirs
Blogs are one of the most effective ways to develop meaningful connections with your target audience and get real, honest feedback. They can also help improve search engine optimization (SEO). What's more, it is usually very inexpensive (or free if you do it yourself) to get started. The most challenging part is knowing how to make your blog effective, and how to keep it in front of the right audience.

3.) Tap into the social networking craze to build your brand online
As of October 2007, tens of millions of young people logon to websites like MySpace.com, Facebook.com and hi5.com everyday to connect with old friends, make new ones, discuss interests, share news and get advice. Did you know that the 3 social networking sites I mentioned above are all ranked in the top 10 of the most highly trafficked sites according to alexa.com, the authority on the subject. Get into the social networking game and get people talking about your college.

4.) Get the word out with powerful, relevant podcasting programs
If managed properly, podcasts can be an extremely engaging and cost-effective way to get your message out to your target audience using short audio segments. Develop an ongoing, effective podcasting program that conveys useful, interesting information for prospective and existing students. It's another great opportunity for you to connect with your prospects in a way that they can easily relate to.

5.) Harness the power of YouTube to reach your target audience
The tremendous success of YouTube has opened up a completely new, and virtually untapped, way for colleges to improve recruitment efforts. Create and upload viral videos to reach out to your target audience with relevant content. After watching the video and sharing it with their friends, these viewers can be directed to your MySpace profile for more information.

This concludes Part I of
10 Ways For Schools To Connect With Generation TXT
In Part II of this article we will explore points 6-10
Follow the link below to request and download Part II of this article
and experience what permission-based email marketing is.

www.COREacademics.com/10ways/

6.)   Permission-based Email Marketing
7.)   Mobile Phones
8.)   Forums and Chat Rooms
9.)   Websites
10.)  Personalized Digital Catalogs


This article was written by Jerry Allocca, President of CORE Academics. An award-winning internet solutions firm, CORE helps colleges and universities leverage new technologies to increase leads and enrollments. To get Jerry and CORE on your team, visit www.CORE.bz, or send an email to Jerry@CORE.bz