PS&L Blog

Are all the slices in your orange the same?
With this kind of headline I can draw upon metaphors related to pies, fruit, department stores, etc. Rather than get into all that, I am going to get right to my point: market segmentation works.
In the past year I have seen two very successful political campaigns utilize market segmentation, and win. The first, is the campaign to elect Barack Obama as President of the United States. The day after the election was over, and in the weeks to follow, the airwaves were buzzing with the effectiveness of the campaign strategy. In the end, every article and every paper that was armed with data, boiled it down to one simple marketing strategy: Segmentation.
In Massachusetts, where I live, we just elected a Republican Senator to replace the seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy. Someone once told me that Massachusetts was “the bluest of the blue states.” So how did a Republican win? Segmentation.
It is important to remember that both campaigns were well strategized. Both campaigns had messages for the public, and both addressed not the public as a whole, but as individual populations with specific needs.
In higher education, when we address the segments of the population, we need to do the same. “Win” more students not by sending out one mailer, or one message, but by crafting that message to the needs of that segment of the population.
Parents, high school sophomores, working adults, military personnel, – these are all segments of the population that have very different needs. If we have a message to send about the quality of our academic programs, for example, we are not going to deliver that message in the same way to all constituents. Parents need to know if programs are accredited, and what that means in the marketplace after graduation. High school sophomores are more interested in the interactive learning component of that quality education, the working adult more interested in the reputation of their chosen program rather than the overall reputation of the institution, etc.
At its core, segmentation is simple.
1st, listen to the needs of people in each of your segments. It’s not about what you want to tell them but about what they need.
2nd, learn what is important to them. It’s the old story of the elephant and the blind men – each segment sees the topic or issue from a different point of view.
3rd, help them to see your institution in the right light. Become a partner in the process; someone who understands where they are coming from, cares, and is willing to assist.
Lastly lead them through the admissions process knowing that this is a college that meets their needs.
If the politicians can do it successfully, so can colleges and universities.