Marketing & Advertising?

[DocMarvin362]

Why else would the local high schools re-schedule their games for Thursday night?

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[dchi72]

Have any specific suggestions? I know for a fact that admissions staff lurk or talk to people that lurk here.

I have given them several long lists. The first ones deal with:

1. Return phone calls within 1-2 business days not two weeks later.
2. Reach out to the kids. Both my kids filled out information cards at the high school college nights. My oldest in 2012, 2011, and 2010. My youngest in 2012. They have NEVER recieved an email, letter, postcard, text message, facebook notification or phone call. The oldest son gets 8-10 emails a day from universities. Most of which he has never reach out to.
3. Engage the kids in conversation at the college night. Engage the parents at college night. Talk about the positives of Tech. Cost, starting salary, Tier 1, something. Dont just fricking stand there waiting on them to fill out the information card.

Tech is being left so far behind in recruiting that is sickening. Students = revenues. It is as simple as that.

[JuBru]

Welcome to 2012. Advertising through billboards, tv and ESPECIALLY print are dying. If you're looking for your word of mouth through these mediums, still, you're far behind the times. Most of the country, now, gets their news through social outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc). Tech is doing just fine in keeping up with the Joneses here. Not to mention, every one of those outlets are free. The word is out. You guys just are looking in the Dinosaur ads for them. They aren't there. And...they probably won't be there again.

I don't disagree, but there is still a large segment who does not rely on social media for news. It's not time to completely abandon the old sources of information. There are at least two generations who will be slow to ever get involved in social media. Those generations have BUNCHES of money.

Advertising is as much about targeting the parents of students as students themselves. We are ignoring a lot of people by not using "dinosaur" advertising. Billboards, newspaper adds, magazines, other informational packets, etc. are just one more thing that gets people's minds on a product. Just need to make sure that we are presenting ourselves in the best light, and I don't think we are.

[BRINGTHEPAIN]

Advertising is as much about targeting the parents of students as students themselves. We are ignoring a lot of people by not using "dinosaur" advertising. Billboards, newspaper adds, magazines, other informational packets, etc. are just one more thing that gets people's minds on a product. Just need to make sure that we are presenting ourselves in the best light, and I don't think we are.

The problem with print ads is that there is no way to measure the amount of reach that they produce, nor are they as cost efficient as social media ads.

I can tell you that the reach from 227 registered Top Dog Rewards users is almost 2.4 million views on Facebook alone. If you add in the twitter stats, the number increases to over 3 million. That is 3 million times that info about Tech athletics has been seen.

Billboards are the most inefficient way to advertise, and are good for nothing but bragging rights. Billboards are meant for gas stations, restaurants, and other entities that thrive on highway traffic and impulse decisions. Few people, if anyone, ever drive by a billboard, and says, "Oh, let me call to buy season tickets." or "Was that a Tech billboard? That's where I want to go to school now."

At some point you just have to stop spending money on things that do not work as well. When is the last time you saw a new audio or video cassette being sold? People continued to use tape players because the cassettes were still available. When they stopped being a viable option, did people stop buying music? No. They bought CD players.

I do not think print ads should be completely cut off at this point, but the newspaper industry is dying because not as many people read the newspaper as they used to. Why pour money into a dying medium that will reach fewer people when you could spend less and reach more?

[Dawgpix]

It's about demographics and who has the money to spend and what medium (or media) are they affected by.

[firedog]

The problem with print ads is that there is no way to measure the amount of reach that they produce, nor are they as cost efficient as social media ads.

I can tell you that the reach from 227 registered Top Dog Rewards users is almost 2.4 million views on Facebook alone. If you add in the twitter stats, the number increases to over 3 million. That is 3 million times that info about Tech athletics has been seen.

Billboards are the most inefficient way to advertise, and are good for nothing but bragging rights. Billboards are meant for gas stations, restaurants, and other entities that thrive on highway traffic and impulse decisions. Few people, if anyone, ever drive by a billboard, and says, "Oh, let me call to buy season tickets." or "Was that a Tech billboard? That's where I want to go to school now."

At some point you just have to stop spending money on things that do not work as well. When is the last time you saw a new audio or video cassette being sold? People continued to use tape players because the cassettes were still available. When they stopped being a viable option, did people stop buying music? No. They bought CD players.

I do not think print ads should be completely cut off at this point, but the newspaper industry is dying because not as many people read the newspaper as they used to. Why pour money into a dying medium that will reach fewer people when you could spend less and reach more?

Add to this that Facebook ads can be targeted demographically, keeps stats, and you don't have to waste money preaching to the choir (ex. target people whose friends are/are not connected to Tech, target people with a specific interest, etc.). If you are a fan of the official Tech Facebook page, you might not see an ad promoting an event because Tech already gets you the info on your Wall for free. When you share/like/retweet posts on Facebook and Twitter, you are helping promote the university for FREE.

The Top Dog Rewards program provides incentives for people doing this free advertising. Social media advertising is a great way to reach the masses and it is fairly cheap. It can cost as little as a few pennies per 1000 impressions for a Facebook ad. I think we do a good job with print ads, the only place I see we lack in the newspaper department is ads on the newspaper websites.

TV commercials are great, but since DVRs came around commercials rarely get watched.

[mjl006]

Add to this that Facebook ads can be targeted demographically, keeps stats, and you don't have to waste money preaching to the choir (ex. target people whose friends are/are not connected to Tech, target people with a specific interest, etc.). If you are a fan of the official Tech Facebook page, you might not see an ad promoting an event because Tech already gets you the info on your Wall for free. When you share/like/retweet posts on Facebook and Twitter, you are helping promote the university for FREE.

The Top Dog Rewards program provides incentives for people doing this free advertising. Social media advertising is a great way to reach the masses and it is fairly cheap. It can cost as little as a few pennies per 1000 impressions for a Facebook ad. I think we do a good job with print ads, the only place I see we lack in the newspaper department is ads on the newspaper websites.

TV commercials are great, but since DVRs came around commercials rarely get watched.

Great response.

[mjl006]

ESPN posted this on the Atlanta Falcons today. Give it a read then think about Tech. It all takes time and consistency.

"ATLANTA FALCONS

The team has had a 23-percent increase in television viewership during its 5-0 start. That’s not surprising. Winning attracts attention. Although Atlanta is a huge market, the franchise didn’t have a flattering history until the arrival of coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan and I think the region really is just starting to embrace the Falcons. As I walked into the Georgia Dome before the last home game, I could sense a more festive atmosphere. Just looking at the jerseys people were wearing, I also sensed that Ryan has finally grasped this town. I saw a lot of his jerseys and none of the guy (Michael Vick) that came before him, which is a departure from recent years."

[PawDawg]

It all takes time and consistency.

Yes, but that's not all it takes. Social media is definitely important, but until the baby boomers die off there will be a generation or two who refuse to totally tap in to the social media. Those potential fan$ $houldn't be ignored.

[mjl006]

Yes, but that's not all it takes. Social media is definitely important, but until the baby boomers die off there will be a generation or two who refuse to totally tap in to the social media. Those potential fan$ $houldn't be ignored.

I never once said that we should just kill traditional media outlets today. But the time has come to start moving into the modern forms of advertising and communicating. Hell, I've made plenty of newspaper ads for the Falcons. I just think that screaming for newspaper ads is not the way to do it. Some ads? Sure. Begging for ads? I dunno. I don't really see how taking out newspaper ads will increase fan attendance. I honestly think Tech is hitting at their loyal fan base already. The 'new' fans probably won't come from newspaper or billboard ads. They'll likely be younger fans, whose attention span is about .5 seconds long. To reach them you almost HAVE to do targeted social media. These are the fans that are more likely to be on the ESPN blogs, tiger droppings, bbb or something like that. Ads through Pandora would likely be a big hit. These are targeted through music likes and geolocation tagging. Email blasts and twitter are the best social media outlets. Facebook is cool, for sure. But that's more for people who are already on Facebook and may scroll to the right and click on something. The ads from Tech will only appear if that person already 'likes' Tech. So integrating twitter and Facebook are huge. 'Quick hit' videos have been huge for the Falcons. They can be something as simple as taking an Iphone onto the field, recording the team running out, then uploading to Facebook. It gets 'likes'. Friends of friends see the likes, watch the videos, so on and so on. You see my point.

[PawDawg]

I never once said that we should just kill traditional media outlets today. But the time has come to start moving into the modern forms of advertising and communicating. Hell, I've made plenty of newspaper ads for the Falcons. I just think that screaming for newspaper ads is not the way to do it. Some ads? Sure. Begging for ads? I dunno. I don't really see how taking out newspaper ads will increase fan attendance. I honestly think Tech is hitting at their loyal fan base already. The 'new' fans probably won't come from newspaper or billboard ads. They'll likely be younger fans, whose attention span is about .5 seconds long. To reach them you almost HAVE to do targeted social media. These are the fans that are more likely to be on the ESPN blogs, tiger droppings, bbb or something like that. Ads through Pandora would likely be a big hit. These are targeted through music likes and geolocation tagging. Email blasts and twitter are the best social media outlets. Facebook is cool, for sure. But that's more for people who are already on Facebook and may scroll to the right and click on something. The ads from Tech will only appear if that person already 'likes' Tech. So integrating twitter and Facebook are huge. 'Quick hit' videos have been huge for the Falcons. They can be something as simple as taking an Iphone onto the field, recording the team running out, then uploading to Facebook. It gets 'likes'. Friends of friends see the likes, watch the videos, so on and so on. You see my point.

Is there a way to indent on that smart apparatus you are using?:icon_wink:

I don't like newspaper ads. Newspaper has been the first "old school" media outlet to go away.

I believe you reach non-conforming baby boomers through TV and Radio. There are not many baby boomers left who don't have email accounts, but email is still not as personal as getting a letter with a stamp on it. Personal mail request with a follow up call is THE best way to gain support from a large segment of the baby boomers.

[Tech77]

I never once said that we should just kill traditional media outlets today. But the time has come to start moving into the modern forms of advertising and communicating. Hell, I've made plenty of newspaper ads for the Falcons. I just think that screaming for newspaper ads is not the way to do it. Some ads? Sure. Begging for ads? I dunno. I don't really see how taking out newspaper ads will increase fan attendance. I honestly think Tech is hitting at their loyal fan base already. The 'new' fans probably won't come from newspaper or billboard ads. They'll likely be younger fans, whose attention span is about .5 seconds long. To reach them you almost HAVE to do targeted social media. These are the fans that are more likely to be on the ESPN blogs, tiger droppings, bbb or something like that. Ads through Pandora would likely be a big hit. These are targeted through music likes and geolocation tagging. Email blasts and twitter are the best social media outlets. Facebook is cool, for sure. But that's more for people who are already on Facebook and may scroll to the right and click on something. The ads from Tech will only appear if that person already 'likes' Tech. So integrating twitter and Facebook are huge. 'Quick hit' videos have been huge for the Falcons. They can be something as simple as taking an Iphone onto the field, recording the team running out, then uploading to Facebook. It gets 'likes'. Friends of friends see the likes, watch the videos, so on and so on. You see my point.

Pretty good stuff, except I don't believe Tiger Droppings will be of much use to us.

[mjl006]

Pretty good stuff, except I don't believe Tiger Droppings will be of much use to us.

I believe the contrary. The goal is exposure right? LSU has a huge fan base. Last week, or the week before, they linked to this board. Whether it's good or not, they got those fans to come here and look at the Tech brand. I guarantee some of those fans had that stick with them and paid attention to Tech since. You can't tell me that they aren't looking at us being 5-0 now, and playing A&M (their conference mate) this weekend....on national tv. THAT is exactly the way this works without us even trying.

Also, radio (what is that?) and snail mail? Really? You didn't say this but Maddawg did. I got a letter in the mail from Tech yesterday. I opened it, saw the enormous body copy and tossed it. I don't even know what it said. You HAVE to grab people's attention fast now and get your point out even faster. And when asking if the smart device indents....REALLY? Who cares?

Now calling, I do love that. I really enjoy when Tech calls me, even to try to sell me tickets I already have. Personal touch there is cool. It's short and direct. But I don't want snail mail. Ever.

[firedog]

I never once said that we should just kill traditional media outlets today. But the time has come to start moving into the modern forms of advertising and communicating. Hell, I've made plenty of newspaper ads for the Falcons. I just think that screaming for newspaper ads is not the way to do it. Some ads? Sure. Begging for ads? I dunno. I don't really see how taking out newspaper ads will increase fan attendance. I honestly think Tech is hitting at their loyal fan base already. The 'new' fans probably won't come from newspaper or billboard ads. They'll likely be younger fans, whose attention span is about .5 seconds long. To reach them you almost HAVE to do targeted social media. These are the fans that are more likely to be on the ESPN blogs, tiger droppings, bbb or something like that. Ads through Pandora would likely be a big hit. These are targeted through music likes and geolocation tagging. Email blasts and twitter are the best social media outlets. Facebook is cool, for sure. But that's more for people who are already on Facebook and may scroll to the right and click on something. The ads from Tech will only appear if that person already 'likes' Tech. So integrating twitter and Facebook are huge. 'Quick hit' videos have been huge for the Falcons. They can be something as simple as taking an Iphone onto the field, recording the team running out, then uploading to Facebook. It gets 'likes'. Friends of friends see the likes, watch the videos, so on and so on. You see my point.

Correction: it depends on how the ad is set up.

Example 1: promoting a game. Run the ad for anyone within a 50 mile range of Dallas, Tyler, Shreveport, Ruston, Monroe, El Dorado, Alexandria whether they Like the Tech page or not.

Example 2: promote a new grad degree. Target everyone in a specific region that is labeled as a college grad.

Example 3: promote freshman admissions. Target people between 15 and 55 (high school students and their parents) in a given area.

Example 4: Promote the Tech name/brand. Target friends of people who already Like the Tech Facebook page, but don't target people who already like the page (why waste ad $$ on people who already follow you?).

[detltu]

I believe the contrary. The goal is exposure right? LSU has a huge fan base. Last week, or the week before, they linked to this board. Whether it's good or not, they got those fans to come here and look at the Tech brand. I guarantee some of those fans had that stick with them and paid attention to Tech since. You can't tell me that they aren't looking at us being 5-0 now, and playing A&M (their conference mate) this weekend....on national tv. THAT is exactly the way this works without us even trying.

Also, radio (what is that?) and snail mail? Really? You didn't say this but Maddawg did. I got a letter in the mail from Tech yesterday. I opened it, saw the enormous body copy and tossed it. I don't even know what it said. You HAVE to grab people's attention fast now and get your point out even faster. And when asking if the smart device indents....REALLY? Who cares?

Now calling, I do love that. I really enjoy when Tech calls me, even to try to sell me tickets I already have. Personal touch there is cool. It's short and direct. But I don't want snail mail. Ever.

Wow, I am the complete opposite. I hate when I get calls, I like the effort but I rarely have time to take calls during the day or even early afternoon. But I enjoy getting mail. I got the same letter you probably got and it was the first thing I opened out of my mail. I get tons of junk mail, but I always read it when it comes from any of the schools I have attended.

Email has become a bit of a hassle for me as well just because of the shear quantity of junk mail that I get. I recieve probably 75 emails a day. Most of my time spent on email is clearing out junk mail so that I can look at important things when I get the chance.