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International Student Recruitment Shifts towards Social Media Strategies New York, NY (October 27, 2009) - World Education Services identifies social media as an area of promise and challenge for institutions that are pursuing international students in its first recruitment research study this fall. A little more than half of the respondents indicated that they recruit using social media because almost all (91% of those responding) believe prospects are using it. The most used social media platforms are Facebook (95%), Twitter (54%) and Youtube (43%). The main reason social media is not being used was indicated as lack of staff resources. Two thirds of the research respondents (66%) indicated that their website was the most important channel for their outreach programs with online advertising a far second at 18%. However, the largest allocation of the marketing budget is for printed materials, accounting for 11-25% of annual budgets. Not surprisingly, the two greatest challenges for recruiters in achieving their international enrollment goals were the availability of financial aid (37%) and travel budget concerns (34%). “It’s clear that, in a tough economy, colleges and universities are trying to be as creative and cost effective as they can with limited resources. Social media is one way that 50% of the respondents indicated they could effectively reach their target market. WES clients want information to help them develop the most effective strategies to meet their recruitment goals.” said Betty Wong, Deputy Executive Director, Customer Insight. This research is just one of many initiatives WES will be launching to help U.S. and Canadian institutions find the right students for their campuses. WES has planned a series of products and programs, including interactive webinars and workshops, beginning this November to assist recruitment and credential evaluation professionals. The WES iGPA™ Calculator and IDP (degree preview) services for institutions, launched this spring, have helped U.S. and Canadian institutions assess international students’ qualifications quickly and cost-effectively. Over 200 U.S. and Canadian private and public educational institutions participated in the WES research study during September-October 2009. Respondents ranged from research institutions to community colleges, from small to large institutions and represent both the “for-profit” as well as the “not-for-profit” sectors. The idea for this research came from attendees at WES’ annual recruitment workshop. For more information about the services WES offers educational institutions, visit www.wes.org/educators. |
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