F U T U R E
F O R W A R D
E-mergence of
E–Marketing The
By Karen Davidson
What does it take to stand out in a crowd? Just ask the team in university e-marketing. Crowds don’t come much bigger than the Internet, and if you want to connect with a generation of students who use the web as the primary tool in their college search, you’re going to need more than just a web site. That’s where the skills of e-marketing come in. A crucial partner in the university’s integrated approach to marketing, the team has been helping the university implement sophisticated technologies to advance enrollment, boost fundraising, and build strong ties with alumni and parents.
Matchmaking: Content + Audience Director of E-marketing Carmella Manges puts it this way: “From the beginning, we’ve been using segmentation and measurable analytics to help us build meaningful relationships with university audiences.” Translation: Getting the right message to the right person at the right time is essential and possible with the right tools. The team targets prospective students, alumni and parents with electronic communications that supply personalized and relevant information. St. Edward’s is ahead of the curve in this regard, says Manges. Studies show that less than 5 percent of universities use market segmentation and web analytics to ensure their audiences get the information they need and want. In addition to sending HTML e-mails, e-marketing also helps the university stay connected with targeted e-newsletters like the biannual E-News for Parents, which informs parents about the latest campus happenings and academic deadlines, and SEU Connect, which helps alumni keep tabs on former class-
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mates and learn about alumni chapter events across the country. Using software that tracks and measures performance, e-marketing can determine which information has the most relevance to its readers. “It’s a more thoughtful approach,” says Manges. “Web analytics allow us to continually refine our publications and deliver content our audiences are really asking for.”
Strategic Collaboration While this “thoughtful approach” to content carries across all e-mail and e-newsletters, it
doesn’t stop there. Last year, the university launched admission web sites for graduate students (www.excelatstedwards.edu), undergraduates (www.gotostedwards.com) and New College (www.discoverstedwards.com). Developed in collaboration with Information Technology, Undergraduate Admission and the Center for Academic Progress, these new content-rich sites make it easier for prospective applicants to find the information they need. They also help ensure that a virtual visit to the hilltop is as close to the real thing as possible. ■