Recently I had the opportunity to participate in PSEWEB 2020, Canada’s yearly digital marketing conference for colleges and universities.
While it would have been great to go to sessions and fulfill guests personally (the conference was initially supposed to occur on the McGill campus in Developing Web’s house city of Montreal), it’s safe to say that the virtual version of the occasion was still a success.
Screenshot of the PSEWEB virtual streaming platform, with the chat open in the right-hand column. The streaming platform worked like an appeal, the chat and live Q&A functions added depth and dimension to each presentation, and the presenters nailed their sessions in spite of having to deliver them in front of a screen rather than a live audience.
As a beginner to the Canadian higher ed area, I truly delighted in the friendly neighborhood vibe surrounding the occasion. Attendees and speakers alike seemed truly excited to share their experiences and assist each other resolve the market’s special digital marketing difficulties. The only downside was having to pick between two synchronised sessions — but that’s constantly a problem IRL also.
I’ve tried to pick out a few highlights amongst the discussions I did get to participate in, but they represent just a portion of the insights and understanding that were shared over the two-day occasion.
Running Effective Massive Campaigns
In her discussion “I have actually got 99 audiences and I require them to be one — Breaking through the digital sound to reach your people”, McGill University’s digital technique director Taylor Valee shared her insights on how to focus your marketing efforts when you’re targeting a broad market.
Marketers, Vallee states, have a tough time defining specific audiences — specifically when it concerns things like large fundraising projects, which normally target a broad variety of users.
Through the story of McGill24, the university’s yearly 24-hour charity event, Vallee shared a relatable tale of fundraising teams wishing to target everyone, and how communications and marketing departments can help focus those efforts by defining specific audience sections.
So how should you tackle defining those audiences? The secret, according to Vallee, is to know the numbers. In this case study, the McGill team looked through numerous years’ worth of information and ended up pinpointing 4 key audiences to target. They utilized a variety of strategies across several channels to reach those audiences where they were and speak to them in an authentic method, with a typical objective of motivating donations.
The question they would ask is a simple however vital one: “What does this audience want to see, and how do they wish to see it?”.
The outcomes were clear: audience segmentation settles. The group’s data-driven targeting strategy led the way for the most significant day of donations in the history of the event.
Not Being Afraid to Start Over
McGill digital style manager Heidi Stroll’s presentation concentrated on how the university upgraded its homepage in 2019 … and then upgraded it again, that very same year.
The redesign was a pilot job for the university: it was the first of its kind to be carried out collaboratively between numerous departments. The double redesign of 2019 was a lesson in collaboration and stakeholder management, and it also taught teams about the significance of really comprehending the function of their work.
The significant takeaway: do not fall for the old sunk expense misconception. If something isn’t working, you need to take an action back, comprehend exactly why things aren’t going as anticipated, and take those insights back to the drawing board.
Creating Material Methods for Greater Ed
The University of British Columbia’s digital marketing strategist, Houston White, gave a fantastic session detailing his experience building a material technique for UBC. Recalling a year after beginning the strategy, he shared his insights on what worked and what didn’t.
For starters, the material group created a brand name wheel outlining important messaging parts such as:
This assisted them define an overarching message for their marketing efforts in addition to determine where they should be telling which stories. They then introduced a cross-channel brand name campaign whose goal was to bridge the gap between perceptions of the university and the truth of its brand story.
To do this, UBC focused on communicating an unified message but tweaking its shipment depending on the place of its audience. The university required to take a various approach when targeting local prospective students, who were currently familiar with the university as a choice for their studies, than for out-of-province audiences, for whom UBC was mainly unknown. The results of this multifaceted project were very favorable, with significant gains in brand name awareness amongst potential students in other provinces and a higher level of affinity with the UBC brand name among British Columbia residents.
Comprehending your users to develop better experiences
Evolving Web co-founder Suzanne Dergacheva shared some secrets to developing much better experiences using techniques from UX research study and material strategy. Including examples from two greater ed customers we dealt with recently, Princeton and McGill, her session described different tactics that every higher ed online marketer needs to have in their toolbox.
had the ability to see how the Evolving Web group mapped out the actions potential trainees usually follow when selecting a school, and discovered how to equate those findings into a persuasive, cohesive website experience.
The session also laid out the elements of a strong UX practice and explored how to interpret the results of user research study. Among the main takeaways was the significance of creating a process around your UX practice and sharing resources and results throughout school.
Determining the Smartest Way to Invest a Media Budget
Adriann Kennedy, interactions supervisor for University of Waterloo’s faculty of mathematics, shared a motivating — and humorous! — tale of trial and error in her presentation “Google can’t fix whatever (or, how we took advantage of our ad stops working)”.
A common thread in much of the sessions I went to was front and centre here: you need to understand the numbers. Kennedy, who works primarily with mathematicians and prospective math trainees, shared how crucial information is when it concerns assigning cash and resources to marketing and promotion.
Another crucial lesson learned is that little changes are better than no modifications at all. If you’re not 100% sure of the instructions you’re taking, make changes incrementally, then take an action back and determine the impact. Rinse and repeat up until you’ve constructed a complete campaign.
Kennedy advised the audience that you’re not alone in desiring to enhance how you’re promoting your story. Discover your champs, whether they’re students or faculty, and partner with them to tap into a wealth of genuine messaging that makes certain to resonate with the people you want to reach.
Top 3 Takeaways
If I had to select the 3 essential messages I removed from PSEWEB, it ‘d be these:
Is Your School’s Digital Existence Due for a Redesign?
In addition to speaking and hosting a workshop, our co-founder Suzanne represented Drupal at the conference on behalf of the Drupal Association. Drupal, an open-source CMS, sponsored PSEWEB 2020 as part of its Promote Drupal effort, which intends to get the word out about Drupal to the larger community. You can discover more about Drupal by joining our totally free upcoming intro to Drupal webinar. If you’re currently familiar with the platform and would like to contribute, check out the Promote Drupal effort.
If you didn’t make it to PSEWEB 2020, here’s hoping we’ll see you there next year! In the meantime, if you need a hand producing top quality online experiences for your trainees, potential customers, alumni and personnel, contact Developing Web. Our team of Drupal specialists specializes in style and development for large organizations like universities and colleges, and we ‘d like to find out about your next big project.
Leading banner image: Arts Building, McGill University, Montréal, photo by DXR/ CC BY-SA
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