Pure is Better

Despite our dog's mournful cries when we cut her nails, my family and I always ignored the television when the Pedi-Paws commercials came on. But my wife bought a one after her mother sent a video via email. Viral videos work, they’re "purer" than standard advertising, distribution can be free, and the videos may have tremendous reach. But can virals be harnessed by higher ed?

CAUTION: THE FOLLOWING IS AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION

Consider the ROI for running an ad in a magazine that targets college-bound high school students. Say you've spent $10,000 for a back cover and it reaches 250,000 high school students. Some might think you've spent only $.04 per student, but out of that quarter million, you get 1,000 inquiries, 100 of which are viable candidates. Since you have a smart Admissions office, they focus their energy on the 100 and 10 actually become matriculated students. So in reality you spent $10,000 to reach 10, or $1,000 per student.

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG.

This may sound like a pitch from the late Billy Mays, but what is it worth to you, to get an extra 5 or 10 matriculated students out of the 100 viable candidates? It may be surprisingly inexpensive to do so, if you get your students to speak for you. Student-produced virals are pure recommendations because they don’t come from the institution--and pure is better. The production value will be low and the writing may be poor, but neither is a problem for YouTube.

Many campuses already have student-lead film festivals, where student work is displayed, judged and prizes are awarded. Frequently the student organizations are underfunded and need extra support to put on events like this. An enterprising marketing office can sponsor the entire event or single categories, which provides input for determining the message, genre, and length.

Student-produced virals may only cost the price of an iPod.

ONE MORE THING . . .

Fellow U Marketing Guru, John Paff, responded to my last post and asked if the distribution of a viral video can be planned and I didn't answer fully. The answer is "yes" and "no." Channels of distribution like YouTube can be set up and "viral" distribution via email can begin with an orchestrated campaign. However there is no way to predict with certainty the number of views that any video will receive. But our goal isn't to get a large number of views. Viral campaigns, like any of higher ed promotional campaigns, are pointless if they don't result in more potential students inquiring about the school. Therefore, a viral only needs to inspire the connection or bolster an existing link.

The Beauty of Cheap

After working at McDonalds many years ago, I promised myself that I would not eat there again. My negative feelings about the food won't be swayed by TV commercials. Assuming they want my business, this leaves McDonalds in a quandary. Aside from the obvious (making better burgers), what can they do to reach people like me? McDonalds has to get people that I trust to recommend their restaurants. This is a purer recommendation than one coming from the company itself, and the purer the better. There are a few methods that institutions can use to deliver pure recommendations, but for my first posts on U Marketing Guru, I’ll focus on “viral marketing.”

Rather than assume you know the definition of viral marketing, I’ll explain it briefly. It’s called viral due to the way the marketing message spreads, mimicking the growth of a virus. It starts with one person who sends it to their friends, each friend doing the same, until countable thousands (or millions) have received it. Viral videos are effective because of the purer method of distribution and the recommendation it implies.

Virals spread a marketing message faster, to a wider audience, and for must less money than ever before. Virals are working for Ford, Subaru, Nike, Burger King, et al. The beauty of viral campaigns is that you don’t have to a Coca-Cola-sized budget or get 1,000,000 views for it to be successful. Colleges and universities can launch viral campaigns with a very small investment.

Next time: Pure (and free) is better.