How marketers can best influencethe student decision journey

Connecting with Today’s Prospective Students

How can higher education marketers impact the decision process of today’s

empowered prospect?

?

3LinkedIn Survey and Internal Data: August 2015

Understanding today’s higher education decision journeyWe surveyed 15,000+ respondents on LinkedIn

Brazil

Australia

India

Germany

UK

France

USA

Canada

Hong Kong

Singapore

Netherlands

South Korea

JapanSpain

This deck features Australia Results1,059 total respondents including:• 557 MBA / Masters Intenders• 502 MBA / Masters Grads

The Importance ofMaking the Shortlist

Source: Millward Brown Digital 2015 – Demystifying the consumer journey

Credit Cards Airlines Wireless Laptop/Tablet Insurance Auto0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Category influences time investment

LENGTHOFPURCHASEJOURNEYNumberofdaysfromstartofjourneytopurchaseforeachcategoryAveragedays

6

Credit Cards Airlines Wireless Laptop/Tablet Insurance Auto Higher Education0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Category influences time investment

LENGTHOFPURCHASEJOURNEYNumberofdaysfromstartofjourneytopurchaseforeachcategoryAveragedays

Source: Millward Brown Digital 2015 – Demystifying the consumer journey

Prospects are using multiple sourceswhen considering higher education

Institutionwebsite

Friends/Peers

ProfessionalNetworks

InformationSessions

54%42%

30% 27%

Professional networks are 3x more influential than personal networks

PersonalNetworks

ProfessionalNetworks

10%

30%Top influential sources when considering further education

7

Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=557)

The decision process is exclusive and critical

Only 3schools make theprospects’ shortlist

67%

develop their shortlistbefore reaching out to

a school representative

94%

end up enrollingat a school from

their shortlist

8

Base: MBA and Masters Grads (n=483)

Implication for Marketers:

Engage early in the decision process with

content that is relevant to your prospects

Understanding theProspect’s Mindset

11

The need to up-skill is the most influencing factor in Australia

The need to up-skill

Passion for learning

Seeking a higher salary

Develop leadership skills

Increased confidence in my current job

56%

44%

40%

33%

30%

Top 5 factors influencing the decision to undertake higher education

Millennials(18-34) GenX(35-49)Theneedtoup-skill Theneedtoup-skillSeekahighersalary PassionforlearningPassionforlearning DevelopleadershipskillsIncreasedconfidence Seekahighersalary

MillennialsandGenXersbothhaveastrongpassionforlearning,butfordifferentreasons

1

Base:MBAandMastersIntenders(n=557)

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

Topfactorsinfluencingdecisiontoundertakehighereducation

13

Develop leadership skills

Increased confidence in my current job

Passion for learning

Seeking a higher salary

The need to up-skill

29%

29%

39%

46%

51%

Base: MBA and Masters Intenders

Top 5 factors influencing the decision to undertake higher education

Singapore

Entrepreneurial Oppor-tunities

Increased confidence in my current job

Passion for learning

Seeking a higher Salary

The need to up-skill

25%

28%

37%

49%

50%

Hong Kong

The need to up-skill

Develop leadership skills

Passion for learning

Seeking a higher salary

Entrepreneurial opportunities

60%

43%

42%

37%

36%

India

Upskilling is important across APAC with slight nuances

14

University ranking

Employment rate of grads

Tuition fees

University reputation (overall)

Program format

Faculty/teacher quality

55%

55%

57%

78%

85%

88%

Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=557)

Respondents who intend to undertake a Masters or MBA

When deciding where to study, quality of learningexperience is more important than cost

15

Prospects seek flexibilityBut there are differences by age

Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=502)

49%41%

37%33%

18%11%

GenXers are 43% more likely to want online study options

Millennials are 120X more likely to want part-time local study options

16

More than 1 in 3 international prospects said they would be interested in studying in Australia

Australia

Want to develop new perspectives on academic subjects and real-world issues

Want to experience a different culture

Want to develop valuable career skills

37%

Top Reasons

Prospects from around the world see Australia as a prime location for higher education

CN35%

JP25%

HK26%

AU

IN35%

US41%

SG48%

UK18%

FR35% DE

35%

NL40%

Implication for Marketers:

Build a digital presencethat aligns with the

mindset of yourprospect and the

brand identityof your university

Creating Contentfor Every Stage

20

Top types of information sought by intenders in each stageof the higher education decision-making process:

Giving them relevant content at each stagewill help keep schools top of mind

AWARENESS DISCOVERY SELECTION

Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=502)

Staff and lecturer profiles

Information on courses and degree program's

Reviews of the institution

Career Advice

Institution rankings

Education and industry news

AWARENESS DISCOVERY SELECTION

21

Giving them relevant content at each stagewill help keep schools top of mind

MBA/Masters intenders on LinkedIn are highly engaged

2.7X more connected

5.8X more companies followed

Source: LinkedIn Internal Data, 2015. Index against average Australian member

6.5X more likely to share content

3.2X more engaged with the education section

Implication for Marketers:

Understand the nuances of your audience

and target them with relevant content at each

stage of the cycle

Leveraging LinkedIn’s datato understand your prospects

FixDex Inc., 201-500, Internet

Member of networking Groups

Individual Contributor

Christopher

San Francisco, CA USA

COMPANY

NAME

INDUSTRYSIZE

SCHOOL

LOCATION

JOB TITLE

SENIORITY

FUNCTION

MIT

FIELD OF STUDYComputer Science

DEGREE Bachelor’s

GRADUATION2007, 30AGE

CCNP, virtualization, cloud SKILLS

Network engineer

GROUPS

Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or

specific interests

Define the most desirable demographic segments

Understand the audiences that have already taken specific

actions on your site or converted

Identify and target your highest-value prospects

sights pixel

27

Implications for Marketers

Prospects are driven to higher ed. because of

the need to up-skill

Prospects seek specific content

at each stage

The prospects’ shortlist is exclusive

and critical

LinkedIn’s data can help you understand your prospects in depth

Thank You