Community Colleges are struggling with enrollment nationwide…
In an effort to create a more relevant and appealing conversation with prospective students in central Michigan, Kirtland Community College embarked on a bold new innovation in college marketing.
The AVATAR Listening PROJECT
Starting from scratch to bake more effective marketing messages, *Kirtland Community College conducted a comprehensive and innovative listening project to discover the personas (avatars) and motivations of Gen Z and other students from 23 college programs in 2020 and 2021.
Based on “ideal client” marketing practices from the private sector that are rarely applied in community college settings, the process was guided by Meriah Kruse (Life Force Marketing) in collaboration with Kirtland’s marketing leadership. Structured listening to students, advisors, faculty, and employers produced increasingly relevant messages for digital and traditional advertising that appeal to target audiences and resonate with Gen Z students.
*The Kirtland Community College main campus is in Grayling, Michigan, with an additional campus in Gaylord. In existence since 1966, Kirtland is the largest community college geographically in the state of Michigan covering approximately 2,500 square miles.
WHAT IS THE AVATAR?
The Avatar is another word for ‘Persona.’ To determine the best way to communicate with prospective clients, businesses often embark on various forms of ‘listening’ to learn more about the deeper motivations and needs of the new customers they hope to attract. With a more thorough understanding of what’s driving people, it’s easier to speak directly to their needs — IF what you have to offer is relevant to them.
BARRIERS TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES’ USE OF “IDEAL CLIENT” MARKETING PRACTICES
A community college is very different than any other kind of business. However, the most glaring reason why it’s challenging to develop avatars in college settings is that colleges don’t attract just one kind of prospective student! The person who’s thinking of getting into a Cosmetology program is very different than someone who’s interested in Cyber-security or Cardiac Sonography. In other words, it takes an investment of time and personnel to develop an avatar for EVERY program a community college may offer. Many community college marketing departments don’t have the manpower (or woman-power) to do so; they are busy with the myriad other tasks involved in marketing their institutions.
That’s where a consultant who specializes in this area can be useful to a community college as it frames new and more relevant messages for new websites, advertising efforts, and outreach.
LISTENING METHODS and WRITING Relevant Copy
In the Kirtland Avatar Project, we employed several different approaches in an effort to learn about Kirtland’s students from 23 different programs.
First, we circulated a student survey with the help of the Director of Institutional Research. This questionnaire was developed specifically for the occasion and consisted of over 20 questions, the majority of which were open-ended. Incentives were provided by the President to encourage students to complete the questionnaire. Over 300 students responded, over 20% of KCC’s enrollment at the time.
Second, the Webmaster, in coordination with a technical adviser, arranged a series of focus groups for each program (conducted via Zoom). Each group consisted of a student, faculty member, advisor, and member of the marketing staff. These “avatar workshops” were facilitated by Meriah Kruse and were recorded. Transcripts were then made available for analysis.
Thirdly, another meeting was conducted between Meriah, the marketing staff, a faculty member and advisor, and often a Dean, to discuss the findings that were emerging and considerations for copywriting. In this meeting, the greatest emphasis was on gleaning faculty impressions of students as, in many cases, they know the students better than anyone else.
Fourth, Meriah submitted both completed Avatar Descriptions and website-ready copy to the marketing staff for inclusion in the upcoming website renovation and for use in on-demand program brochures.
Kirtland Community College AVATAR EXAMPLES
(thanks to Dr. Tom Quinn, President and Marj Esch, Webmaster, for allowing me to share this information. These Avatar Descriptions are reduced in size for brevity’s sake.)
- Automotive Avatar
- View website copy
- View an abbreviated version of the Automotive Avatar Description
- Nursing Avatar
- View website copy
- View a sample of the Nursing Avatar Description
- Cardiac Sonography Avatar
- View website copy
- View the Cardiac Sonography Avatar Description
- Cybersecurity Avatar.
- View website copy
- View the Cybersecurity Avatar Description