How the Internet is Changing Alumni Communications Strategies

Presenter: Andy Tiedmann, Harvard University

“What percentage of your staff’s time, resources, and energy is being spent on traditional communications strategies versus the Internet and e-mail? What impact is Web 2.0 having on alumni affairs and development? Explore these and other related questions. Take a look at what some of our peer institutions are already doing in these areas.

Main point: Alumni communications is now multichannel and personalized — it used to be like a bullhorn; now, it’s a collaboration.

Communications goals

• Build awareness.
• Change behavior.
• Strengthen relationships.

Using the data

• Measure effectiveness.
• Guage resource productivity.
• Target segments with programs.

Trends

• Audience: mass to niche.
• Cost: high (print and mail) to low (Web-based).
• Engagement: passive to active.
• Voice: institutional to personal.
• Communications group role: publisher to moderator — if you don’t moderate the discussion, someone else will … good or bad.

Key concepts

• Set business objectives.
• Usability, design, and content.
• Creatively use new tools.
• Be selective.

Book recommendation: “Don’t Make Me Think” (Steve Krug)

What are your business objectives?

• Ensure online alumni community is best in class.
• Leverage community to strengthen relationships.
• Raise awareness of alumni making a difference in the world.
• Increase alumni activity.

Usability study

• Interviews.
  • 45 participants (1.5 hour each).
  • Multiple geographic locations.
  • Representative demographics.
• Survey
  • Web-based survey publicized by e-mail and posted on your site.
  • Keep it short (25 questions).
  • Site audits of your peers/industry leaders

Behavioral models/user types

• Harvard developed six primary personas across three scales:
  • Career status: recent grad, mid-career, retiree.
  • Location: local, regional, far away.
  • Activity: high, low.

Moving to new channels

RSS

• Easy to set up.
• Push content.
• Not well understood.
• Slow adoption rate. [JC: not intended for end-users.]

Blogs and wikis

• User-generated copy.

Video

• Producing is now pretty inexpensive.
• Quality is less important.
• Keep it short.

Staffing and resource implications

• Communications staff structure changes.
• Shifting budget: print vs. Web (Harvard: 80% print, 20% digital).
• CMS options: WordPress.com; Drupal.org; WebPaint.com; QuickBase.com
• Video hosting: Brightcove.com; YouTube.