Board Report
Board Report July 2017
Clarus Digital Advertising
(currently running)
COCC's digital advertising campaign in June 2017 targets students from feeder high
schools, along with current applicants to promote Wickiup Hall.
Ten out-of-area high schools were targeted. Schools were selected based on success
in recruiting past graduates.
In addition, we delivered ads to 747 COCC Fall 2017 applicants who were under the
age of 21 and from outside of the Central Oregon region, including out-of-district,
border state and out-of-state students.
Digital advertising allows COCC to deliver ads to the phone and other electric devises
of individuals who use have previously used those devices while at or near the schools.
Impressions: 138,500 to date
Clicks to COCC
website: 340 to date
COCC's Facebook page has more than 8,000 followers and this channel is used to promote
events, share successes and broadcast opportunities and notifications.
Advertising campaigns on Facebook typically focus on encouraging registration and raising awareness, with both traditional and non-traditional prospective students. COCC has run the following Facebook campaigns (each with a specific target audience) in 2016-17:
- Promotion for Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer terms
- Promotion for Redmond, Madras and Prineville campuses each term
- Health Careers
- Residence Hall
- Plan Your Spring Break College Visit, prospective students
- Plan Your Spring Break College Visit, parents of prospective students
Combined results of these campaigns, 2016-17:
Impressions (number of
times ad was viewed): 838,598
Reach (unique views of
individual campaigns): 225,555
Clicks to COCC
website: 4,886
Newspaper
During the past academic year, COCC has run monthly Student Success ads featuring graduates to raise community awareness. Ads run in The Bulletin, The Source, Redmond Spokesman, Madras Pioneer, Central Oregonian, Newberry Eagle and the Nugget Newspaper.
Radio
Radio advertising is used, primarily, to reach non-traditional prospective students before each term to promote registration. In 2016-17:
Combined Communications
The Twins (98.3 Classic Rock), The Bull (99.7 Country), The Beat (107.7 Top 40): 442 30-second commercials, 570 60-second commercials
Bend Radio Group
KSJJ (102.9 Today's Country), KXIX (Power 94) and KRXF (92.9, Local/Independent): 942 commercials
Pandora
COCC's Pandora advertising campaigns reinforce other marketing efforts (high school visits, college fairs and Facebook ads) targeting prospective students to Wickiup Hall, 2016-17:
Residence Hall
Impressions: more than 1.9 million
Reach (unique listeners): 110,000+
Clicks to COCC website: 4,500+
COCC Pandora Ad - Residence Hall
This spring, COCC also used Pandora to promote Health programs:
Health Programs
Impressions: over 1.5 million
Reach (unique listeners): 24,000+
COCC Pandora Ad - Health Careers
One of the many challenges faced by COCC is keeping the website, particularly each of the instructional program pages, up-to-date and at a standard expected by prospective students. No matter the ad campaign digital, Facebook, newspaper, radio, Pandora - our call to action is to have the viewer/listener go to our website for more information. Unfortunately, many of the pages were not created with a marketing eye, and are often out-of-date and visually unappealing. Without a cohesive, consistent website, prospective students receive a scattered impression of us that we often can't overcome, no matter how strong our marketing efforts.
This year, we contracted to have updated websites created for all of our Health Careers programs. See Pharmacy Technician draft page.
Additionally, we contracted to have marketing-focused videos done for the Pharmacy Technician and Dental Assisting programs. See Pharmacy Technician Video - Dental Assisting Video to be published soon.
Another challenge is that the majority of our touch points with students are happening through intensive, manual processes. COCC is unable to up its game without a CRM as current resources and technology solutions are operating at max capacity.
Having a consistent, coordinated and strategic approach to marketing and recruitment is essential. When these efforts are promoted by multiple college departments, we create confusion and frustration with our community partners, particularly our local high schools.