With a new website and snazzy new buses, USM’s most recent marketing campaign has been hard to miss.
These efforts – and others – are part of a recent marketing campaign which includes television commercials, online ads, cinema spots, and increased recruiting efforts at high schools.
Julie Cameron, executive director of marketing and brand management at USM, says that the media campaign, which was initiated in Fall 2008, is directed at prospective, traditional-age, undergraduate students.
“Our media buy was targeting a 16-24 demographic. A traditional student is usually defined as 18-22,” she said.
The total cost for USM’s marketing campaign rounds out at about $370,000. These advertisements include two television spots, accompanied by music performed by USM students.
USM ads also appear in certain Regal cinemas as well as on dasher boards in Maine ice arenas.
According to Cameron, the marketing campaign has been successful so far, with web advertising “click-through rates” doubling in the past few months.
“Our media buy uses a company that specializes in appropriately targeting what demographic we want,” Cameron said.
When asked if click-through rates jump at this time of year anyways, Cameron says that because this is the first year they have done this, they have no data to compare to previous years. However, they continue to track rates, and have so far seen an increase of 400%.
The Department of Admissions received 935 admission applicants and 495 deposits as of Spring 2009.
This is a 3% and 2% jump, respectively. The Marketing department believes that their efforts are a major factor in increased applications and deposits.
Scott E. Steinberg, Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Chief Marketing Officer at USM says that some of the departments at USM that have seen an increase in applications are accounting, biology, electrical and mechanical engineering, and nursing, noting that there is “also a lot of interest in the liberal studies major”.
Steinberg thinks the rise in enrollement within specfic majors hints that students want a degree program that prepares them for a concrete job future. He elaborates that “it’s probably fair to say that students appear to be interested in programs for which they can ‘connect the dots’ to their post-college professional opportunities. I’m sure the economy has an impact, here.”
But USM ‘s student body is made up of more than just traditional students — those who are not under the age of 22. In this respect, those who had been accepted for a previous term and reactivated their application increased by 43% in applications and deposits.
Transfer students make up a significant portion of the student population at USM as well. Steinberg comments that compared to last year, transfer applications are up too, from both in state and out of state residents, adding to the rise in numbers.
Admission counselors have been hard at work voyaging to Maine high schools recruiting for USM. With 577 visits so far, and 18% more visits than last year, USM’s values have spread even further, through college fairs, postsecondary workshops and transfer fairs.
High schools such as Gorham and Portland have already received visits from President Botman. Through these visits the President hopes to better understand “local curricular issues” and student goals for the future. The result will hopefully be an active aspiration for higher education.
These visits are often “a general overview, for example, to high school juniors just beginning their college search process, with more detailed information provided for seniors who might be asking about particular majors and programs,” said Cameron.
Counselors visit about every high school in Maine, as well as other areas of New England and the East Coast.
Schools are selected based on a combination of past history. As Cameron says, “‘feeder’ schools,’ for example, that have sent a number of applicants to USM each year” and other schools that USM would like to receive more applications from are part of the selection process.
Despite USM’s budget crisis, Cameron says that they hope to follow-up with another marketing campaign next year.
“When the campaign is over by the end of June, we’ll be doing extensive evaluation. We know it’s working.”