Up front and personal
by Roger Sametz for University Business
When I applied to colleges forty years ago, I wrote letters to six schools, received a view book from each with a friendly cover letter, an invitation to visit the campus, an application, and a pointer to an alum or two who would be glad to sit down with me and discuss my future.
In the intervening four decades, purchasing leads and college fairs have become a bigger deal and, of course, Web sites and other e-communications provide options beyond the classic printed view book. But how academic marketers think about connecting to prospective students–– and to those who influence their decisions––often doesn’t leverage what newer technologies offer, connect new with old, nor take advantage of practices that increase personal connection.