1. 50 Campus Visits
In One Year:
The Highs and Lows
Jeff Kallay, Experience Evangelist, TargetX
Kevin Kropf, Director of Admission, Albion College
2. Let’s Manage Expectations
- Much to cover in short time - I strive to overwhelm
- “Big Picture” thinking - it’s about change
- Experience Economy 101
- Recap Ten Steps that make the difference between
a tour and an experience
- The Lows (let’s hope your school isn’t featured)
- The Highs (featuring a near perfect experience)
- Questions along the way and at close of session
- Give-a-ways (did you submit your business card?)
- PDF available online
3. “I Love My Clients!”
- I’ve got the greatest job thanks to them and TargetX
- I couldn’t do what I do without them
- They are the ones with courage and vision to bring
me to their campus and listen to my consultation
- The Lows - they know already and are correcting
- The Highs - more often than not
- All have highs and lows
- Did I say, how much “I love my clients!?”
4. The Experience Economy 101
on
Experiences
ssi
gre
ro
cP
mi
Text
no
Service
co
fE
yo
r
eo
Th
Industrial
Agrarian
6. Experience marketing
is about:
1. Repelling commodization
2. Charging a premium price
3. Persuading consumers to pay
when they never did before
4. Selling “Memories”
7. Remember,
“The experience is the marketing.”
Arts & Science Group Student Poll 2004
Arts and Science Group
8. The experience is higher
education marketing
- 84% use the web most heavily in
researching colleges
- 71% say the campus visit is the
most trusted source of information
Eduventures 2007 Survey of 7,867 High school junior and seniors.
Reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education “Prospective Students Rely on Campus Visits and Web Sites to Learn About Colleges, Report Says”
Arts and Science Group
9. 10
Ten Steps that make
the difference between
a tour and an
experience
10. 1. Integrate the four E’s
Higher Education is the experience economy: 4 E’s
Absorption
Entertainment Education
Passive Participation Active Participation
Esthetic Escape
Immersion
Strategic Horizons, LLP
11. 2. Craft a mini campus experience
- Customize the Experience
We all want what we want - accommodate the various
levels of interest of guests to your campus
Text
- Eliminate negative cues
- Accent positive cues
- Look for missed cues
Elon University
12. 2. Craft a mini campus experience
- Mix in the memorabilia - “ticket stub”
California Lutheran University
13. 3. Set the expectation
- Before guests arrive (online, email, & mail)
- Explain route (will and won’t be seen)
Map courtesy of
Lenoir-Rhyne University and Sketches
Lenoir-Rhyne University
14. 4. Spend no money
- Engage the “sense of the butt”
Albright College
Millsaps College
The Saint
Hampshire Joseph’s
College University
15. 4. Spend no money
- Engage the “sense of the butt”
Albion College
16. 5. Tell stories not statistics
- Stories render authenticity
Hendrix College
Albright College Lenoir-Rhyne University
17. 5. Tell stories not statistics
- Stories render authenticity
Albion College
18. 6. Reveal your school’s nomenclature
7. Keep it real - do what’s authentic to
your campus and experience
Millsaps College California Lutheran University
19. 8. Do you have a signature moment?
Albright College
Cerritos Library
Milsaps College
Westmont College
Hampshire College
20. 8. Do you have a signature moment?
Albion College
Albion College
22. 10. Top Ten Tidbits for Tour Guides
1. Interact as if you’re giving your sibling a tour
2. Answer questions honestly and directly, but remind them it’s your perspective
3. Watch your pronouns - “We” is exclusive, “You’ll “is inclusive
4. Tell stories - yours and your friends’
5. When you walk backwards they look at you, not the campus
6. If you feel negatively about any other school - don’t name names
7. “Tour guides” is boring - you’re bright, come up with a memorable name
8. Find connections with your audience and ask open-ended questions
9. Is asking “Do you have any more questions?” the best way to end a tour?
10. Have Fun!
24. Expectations Not Managed
- Difficult to find “Visit” information on
websites “How many clicks?”
- No email, phone, or mail confirmation
- Not fully explaining how long to be on
campus and what all a visit entails
- Just kind of sit and wait in office or
visitor’s center
25. There’s better parking in Hell
- No visitor parking
- Not enough visitor parking
- No wayfinding signage
- Country Mile from Admissions
26. Am I in a Doctor’s office?
- Or a funeral parlor?
- Dark, depressing Admissions Offices or
Visitor’s Centers
- Harsh fluorescent lighting
- Chairs around the walls or crowded
- No music, computers, or refreshments
- Nothing you want to read or look at
39. Expectations Managed
- Easy to find “Visit” information on
websites “1-2 clicks?”
- Email, phone, or mail confirmation
- Explaining how long to be on
campus and what all a visit entails
- Engaging pre-tour experience in office
40. It’s like parking in Heaven
- Easy to find visitor parking
- Tons of visitor parking
- Wayfinding signage Southern
New
Hampshire
- Close to Admissions
Occidental Occidental
41. I’m not at the Doctor’s office!
- Authentic look and feel
- Bright, comfortable Admissions Offices
or Visitor’s Centers
- Indirect and pendant lighting
- Furniture clustered in groups
- Music, computers, refreshments
- Stuff you want to read or look at
48. Not a Doctor’s office!
Hobart and William Smith
Hobart and William Smith
Hobart and William Smith
See more at: and William Smith
Hobart
http://picasaweb.google.com/ExperienceEvangelistCollegeAdmissionAndVisitorCenterImages
59. It takes an entire campus:
“Whatever we accomplish belongs
to our entire group. A tribute to
our combined effort”
- Walt Disney
“People may not remember what
you did or said, but they will
always remember how you made
them feel.”
- Jeff Kallay
60. Recommended reading
TargetX Knowledge Center
targetx.com “click knowledge center”
The Experience Economy & Authenticity
Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore
Brand Sense
Martin Lindstrom
The Experience Evangelist Blog
