Data-driven decisions has been a phrase I’ve heard over and over again in higher education marketing.
Coming from a previous communications shop and background, I struggled with what data I should be using to help inform what decisions.
I also feel like sometimes there’s so much data that we become paralyzed by it and are unable to make any kind of decisions. Over the past several years, I’ve been working on better understanding what data is important for MarComm leaders.
While not exhaustive — here’s a chart I use to help me think about what data I should be looking at and when I should be looking at it.
I shared this in the pre-conference workshop Melissa Farmer Richards and I co-presented at AMA this fall.
If you’re just getting familiar with data — this is a good primer.
Market Research Data – Inputs
I noted these are inputs because they inform the first steps that you make. This is what people know about you and what they”re bringing to the current situation. It’s good baseline data to have before you begin any work. For my friends in the PRSA world, this is good research data about where we have opportunity.
At a minimum, this is data that you should look at before beginning work each cycle. It’s key to look at then because it helps you articulate your position in the marketplace and helps you understand what people think of your university more broadly.
Prospective student survey results – This includes data such as programs of interest, concerns the class may have, and desired campus experiences. Having this data can help you align your content and message strategy to what is important to the class. It will vary slightly each year, so this is important to revisit annually for each demographic you serve.
Focus group results – Focus groups are not fully transferable, so I avoid making strategy decisions based off of one or two focus group conversations, but this is a great way to get insight on smaller decisions. I’ve had great success in using focus groups to understand giveaway preferences and style preferences on content. I would suggest more than one group before applying the insights.
Competitor analysis – Looking at the competition annually helps you make message adjustments that differentiate and clarify your position. It helps to know what the competition does well and where they struggle. Having this insight can help us craft more effective messages, minimize harm, but also frame decisions that happen in the cycle.
Other Thoughts
There are two other parts of data that I’ll share more insights about in a future post but wanted to start building a good primer of data that can help us all be successful.
What other input data should we be looking at each year?
And Carrie On 