PS&L Blog

There are a few years of your life when it seems all you do is attend weddings.  Then it is all about babies.  It seems I have come to the age where many of my friends have teenagers –both the high school and college age versions. Being ‘in the biz” I am regularly asked for advice and guidance on colleges.

For the price of this advice and guidance, I conduct a little research of my own. What they tell me is anecdotal, but the basis for these stories often back up the statistically sound research we do for our client colleges.  In addition it gives me stories to tell. I’d like to share one.

Recently, a friend told me her oldest son was off to college in 18 months. Both parents are college educated, but we all applied to college in a very different era – I call it BW – Before Web.

The son, let’s call him Paul, is bright, gets excellent grades, and has standardized test scores most parents (and kids) can only dream about.  They are looking at schools in their region (less than 200 miles form home) at both public and private institutions.

We know statistically that about 85% of high school students start their search with a review of websites.  This family was no different.  What they found were

• Images of students having fun and doing academic stuff on a nice looking campus
• Testimonials from students about faculty that care
• Faculty with awards and notoriety for scholarship, teaching and research
• Clubs, activities, and active student life
• A selection of majors and program offerings

What they didn’t find from the majority of these websites, is what made this particular college distinctive, how it differed from all the others, and as a result, why Paul should continue to pursue his interest in one, all, or none of these colleges.

Paul dutifully went to the admissions page and filled in a “request information” form.  On the Admissions websites he also found the following

• Application instructions and requirements
• Application form
• Opportunities to visit the campus
• Information specific to student type, (transfer, international, etc)
• Links to financial aid opportunities
• Contact information of email and phone number

I looked at the admissions pages of 5 of the colleges that Paul is considering. If you covered the banner at the top of the page with your hand, it really could have been almost any college.  Nothing on most of the main admissions pages differentiates one college from the other.

Paul’s story confirms what we know at Paskill Stapleton & Lord through quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups:  few colleges are setting themselves apart utilizing the tool that most prospects use to decide where they will apply for admission.

That is not to say that using common naming conventions makes your website generic or less distinctive. All the data says “admissions”, “academics”, “apply”, “visit”, are terms that prospects gravitate towards and understand what they mean – it is what lies beyond the labels that makes the college distinctive.

So, go to your own website and at least 3 competitors websites.  Put your hand over the banner with the name of the college. Ask yourself the following questions looking at the home page and the main admissions page:

• What do I know about this college from 30 seconds on the home page?
• What unique attributes can I glean from the home page or main admissions page?
• What makes the place special from a physical plant, academic, social perspective?
• Does it make we want to learn more?
• Can I tell from the admissions page if I am a good candidate for this college?
• Are there other people like me here?

If you don’t see what makes your college distinctive, if you don’t see differentiating qualities (quickly), if you don’t see reasons why a student would choose to apply to your college, then maybe it is time to take a closer look at your website.

Think about your college’s brand and how well it is communicated by the website.  Think about the marketing messages you have spent so much time and energy developing.  Then think about how best to thoroughly assess the merits and shortcomings of the website.  An assessment of the website will tell you a great deal about navigation and functionality, but it will also tell you if you are reaching your audience and differentiating the college from your competitors.

Paul is still uncertain as to where he is going to apply, but the print communications are flowing into the house. I’ll keep you posted on his progress through the cycle.