Developing a Relationship Management Model
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The document outlines a customer relations management strategy for the College of Saint Mary, emphasizing the importance of building strong relationships with students and stakeholders to ensure mutual success and long-term loyalty. It details the college’s recent marketing initiatives aimed at improving brand awareness and engagement through targeted outreach and events, as well as a newly refreshed communications plan. The overall goal is to establish the college as a trusted advocate in the community while enhancing student retention and recruitment outcomes.
Developing a Relationship Management Model
- 1. Customer Relations Management in an Enrollment Universe Joe Szejk, VP for Enrollment & Marketing College of Saint Mary
- 2. Who are We? College of Saint Mary is a private, Catholic, all-women’s university in Omaha, NE. Very Mission-Oriented and Student-Centered o Niche Programs and Scholarships o Extremely nimble and flexible to serve needs of students Top of Mind Awareness Challenges o ASQ Competitors very different “pulls” Positive Changes (2000 vs. 2010) o Financial Strength o Student Demographics o Academic Profile
- 3. CSM Enrollment Model Snapshot Fall 2008 Enrollment Services Model o “Recruiters” o Telephonic Focus o Extremely limited travel o < $1000 on events per year o SPGP. . . .say what? o Messaging largely the same regardless of audience o Quantity of contacts, not quality
- 4. “We Don’t Know You.” Anecdotal evidence + micro-level reports = trend(?) Previous Marketing Campaign o Intentionally “General” Images & Messaging July 2009 o Market Analysis conducted by independent research company o 400 qualified adults in region o Top-of-mind awareness, perceptions of CSM, quality of academic programs, cost, etc. Conclusions o Perceptions were largely positive (45%) or neutral (52%) o Outside of “Catholic,” “All-Women’s,” and “Nursing” little else was known.
- 5. Action Plan Leverage Best Assets o Community members o Campus Engagement on numerous fronts Segmented Messaging o Student Populations o Influencers Thought Leadership & PR Efforts o “Splash” stories, faculty reports, keynote speakers, industry events, free webinars, Blogs, community organizations, etc. New Marketing Campaign & Communications Plan o Refreshed Brand o Tv, radio, billboard campaign o Viewbook and Microsite (launch Aug. 2010)
- 6. Goals of Relationship Management {to}identify and establish, maintain and enhance relationships with customers and other stakeholders, so that the objectives of all parties involved are met; and this is done by mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises over an extended period of time. The key point about relationship marketing is the recognition that customers who make repeat purchases have a high lifetime value. Building close relationships with key customers should be mutually rewarding for both the customer and the company. At our heart, small colleges should all be champions of relationship management!
- 7. Transactions vs. Relationships Transactional Marketing Relationship Management Single sale focus Customer retention focus Focus on product features Focus on customer value Short-term promotions Long-term relationships High price sensitivity Price sensitivity addressed through established trust Discontinuous customer contact over Continuous customer contact on a long short term term Commitment to “sale” Commitment to “promise” Quality is an operations issue Quality is paramount to all employees The ultimate goal is to convert everyone to a CSM “Advocate!”
- 8. Enough Theory. . . . Get to the good stuff! New Initiatives Outreach: Hitting targeted stakeholders through a variety of means that intend to share our expertise or resources to their benefit. Aimed at committing to the needs of the community, this is huge in New establishing trust factors. Initiatives Events: Engaging students and/or influencers in a more visceral, affecting way. These can be on- campus and off-campus but always with a clear and deliberate goal and message in mind. Influencers Thought Leadership: Actively positioning CSM as an organization of authority, a resource, and a trusted advisor on issues such as: women’s leadership, service learning, diversity Enrollment Goals of perspectives, creative thinking, peer mentoring, etc. Influencers Concerted effort to affect those who influence college choice View them as customers with an extremely long “lifetime value.”
- 9. Put to Practice First Stakeholder Groups: Secondary School Educators the Archdiocese Community College Educators Business Community Each plan includes: Overview o Why is this group important? Themes o Key Messages Specific Initiative Department Responsible Timeline & Outcomes Other items to include can be cost, timeline to implement, priority, etc.
- 10. Example Subgroup Target Initiative Divisions Messaging Desired Priority Cost Group Involved Outcome Community Articulation Academic •Transfer- 35 CC 1 (high) $1250 College Luncheon Affairs & Friendly attendees; at (lunch Enrollment •Affordable least 10 and •Academic program “thank Excellence directors; 10 you” gifts) new CC contacts Community Guest Academic •Academic Five faculty 2 (mid) NA College Lecturer Affairs Excellence per year Days lecture on special topic Community Articulation Academic •Transfer- Travel to the 3 (low) NA College Days Affairs, Friendly colleges Enrollment, •Affordable regarding Financial •Academic transition to Aid Excellence CSM Community Partnerships Varies Varies Leveraging 2 (mid) Varies College resources cross- institutionally
- 11. Commercials O L D S C H O O L From slide six: intentionally “general” images & messaging
- 12. Versus. . . . N E W S C H O O L Relationships extend to all media!
- 13. Redemption or Ragnorak? Three “New” Events for CSM and some outcomes. . . . Event Attendees Acceptances Matriculants Health 17 13 10 Occupations Day Science Day 18 10 5 Athletic Open 23 23 9 House We’ve also seen growth in key areas along with recruiting stronger students academically. Indicator 2008 2009 2010 Avg. GPA 3.37 3.41 3.49 Avg. ACT 20.7 21 21.5
- 14. Nuggets If this is a wholly new approach for the institution, it may take years to reap the rewards. Patience! Over time, your recruitment efforts should come easier and yield higher quality students at a lower discount rate as your target community knows, and values, your institution. The best approach to establishing a strong relationship with any group is through a multi-layered channels. Ideally, you will pool resources from various departments to work with the stakeholder community as a whole, not just one. The campus community may appreciate the new initiatives but not fully understand the depth of what’s required: o Train on how to message, esp. Features/Benefits/Outcomes. o Cross-departmental communication will be at a premium, particularly on event management & planning. o Events should be as interactive and hands-on as possible. o New evening and weekend hours or travel may be cause for concern among other departments. o Hone budgetary requirements, outcomes and messaging well in advance.