Press Release
Prospective College Students Find Little Value in College Facebook Groups
(SAVANNAH, GA - May 4, 2009) - Prospective students report receiving no value from the college and university Facebook groups they joined. While the number one benefit in joining these groups was to meet other students, group members rated "no benefit" a close, and disturbing, second. This according to a new study released this week by DemandEngine, an interactive enrollment marketing agency for higher education.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate Students: Using Facebook in College and University Recruitment, the first white paper in the three-part Socially Connected Series™ to be released by DemandEngine this summer, reports the findings of this new study. A DemandEngine staff member reached out to students on those selected school profiles who were potential graduating seniors. Using Facebook as a conduit, prospective students who responded were qualified and then asked why they chose to join the profile, what benefit they received, how often they accessed the page, who would they like to provide content, and what specific information they would like to receive.
"With the growing focus on social networking by everyone ranging from celebrities to nightly news anchors, college and university administrators are anxious to join in the phenomenon," says Jennifer Copeland, General Manager of DemandEngine. "Unfortunately, many are reluctant to adapt their traditional 'push' enrollment marketing efforts for social networking environments that rely upon connections and conversations. As a result, these institutions are wasting resources on efforts that are providing little or no value to prospective students."
Do prospective students want colleges on Facebook? The answer is yes. Almost 75% of students indicated they preferred a mix of both student- and college-generated content on the Facebook group page.
"The goal of this latest white paper is to provide higher education marketers with a reality check about the necessity of considering how students want to engage with them on social networks and to give them the framework for success in a channel like Facebook," says Copeland.
The white paper is available at http://www.demandengine.com/research.
About DemandEngine
DemandEngine is an enrollment marketing consulting and services company dedicated to higher education. Combining talent, strategy, and technology, the firm helps colleges and universities find and connect with their students, influencers, and other constituents. DemandEngine blends best-in-class professional services – including interactive marketing strategy, search engine marketing (paid search and search engine optimization), email marketing programs, social strategy, and touchpoint management – to uncover demand, engage constituents, and generate desired results.
DemandEngine’s clients span leading higher education institutions such as Georgia Tech, University of the Sciences, Harvard University, and Young Harris College. The firm is headquartered in Savannah, GA.
Find out more at www.demandengine.com or contact us at 912-354-8007.
All media inquiries please contact:
Ashley Lee
Marketing Coordinator
912-354-8007
