You know how this time of year goes — before you can even put your Halloween costume away, department stores will be all decked-out for the holidays and radio stations will be spinning The Waitresses 24-7.*

But while the premature holiday push can be frustrating, it does remind us that the end of the year is coming on fast.

So today I’d like to remind you to start making plans for any special holiday campaigns you’d like to execute in the next few weeks — especially if they involve creative services.

I know it’s early, but you’ll need the time to brainstorm, refine your concepts and get the right people involved (before it’s too late).

Here are a few ideas to help kick your creativity into gear this season:

• Roll out a series of holiday-related questions on your Facebook page or private social network.  Think “What’s your favorite Thanksgiving side-dish and why?” “What are you grateful for this year?” or “What’s the best holiday song?”

• Consider a page on your school’s website or admissions microsite that details what’s happening on campus over the holidays.  Include dining hall menus, photos and/or video content (especially from the dorms) and a schedule of campus events.

• Create (or have us create) an html holiday email.  While I’m a huge advocate for simplicity, the holiday e-card is a nice chance to do something a bit more “festive.” Just keep it short and authentic to you!

• Try boosting engagement with a contest.  Topics like “Submit Your Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe” or “Holiday Photo Contest” can work well.

As with all campaigns, be sure you’re prioritizing storytelling and revealing your school’s traditions.  Remember the goal is to make it as easy as possible for prospects to imagine themselves as part of your community.

This year, create your plan for the holidays early and give yourself plenty of time to execute it.

Then you can relax and enjoy the parties and well-deserved treats (instead of being stuck in your office sending out emails;)

Adrienne

*P.S.  Don’t get the reference to “The Waitresses?”  Congrats — you’ve somehow been spared the cantankerous (yet highly contagious) ballad that is “Christmas Wrapping.”
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Don’t miss our “Xpert Roundtable” Webcast on November 13th.  Learn more and register at:
www.targetx.com/webcasts

It’s that time of year again — spring cleaning has blossomed into full-blown summer planning.  And we all know fall will be here quicker than you can say “college fair.”

To help you make the most of this much-needed planning time, here’s a quick list of TargetX-related “stuff” it’s time to refresh:
Read on…

“This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.” - Bill Murray as Phil Connors in Groundhog Day (1993)

We’re officially into the second month of the new year — and already another Super Bowl is history and the soothsaying rodent has had his moment in the sun (literally).

But regardless of the prediction from Punxsutawney, on campus, the Spring semester is well under way.  And for us admissions folks, that means on to more important things — like yield.

Have you given much thought to your upcoming yield initiatives?
Read on…

Last week’s tip touched on the hot topic of adding a staff member to handle interactive and social media efforts for admissions.

I was glad to see my client and friend Nikki Chun from the University of Miami join the discussion. As Miami’s “eManager,” Nikki has a fair amount of experience in this type of role. She shared a bit of what she does and how she came to be queen of all things “e” for the Hurricanes.

In her post, Nikki wrote: “I actually wonder if my job will be kind of obsolete in about five years. If things keep going in this direction, everyone on the admission staff could be an eManager in some way, shape or form.”

It’s a great point. These days, most Admissions Counselors come readily equipped with “Web 2.0″ skills. Most are already well-versed in blogging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, IM, Wikipedia, etc. — and it’s only natural for them to want to use these tools to connect online with prospects.

But will these tech-savvy staffers make jobs like Nikki’s obsolete?

They shouldn’t. Not if you’re serious about effective marketing.

While you may have an entire staff of folks who can host chats, design emails, write a blog and participate in a social network, it’s the thoughtful coordination and promotion of these efforts that make them successful. Sure, the rest of the staff can (and should) participate — but someone has to be in charge.

Consider the example of an office where each staff member is responsible to send his or her own email campaigns (we work with a few offices who operate this way).

Without careful coordination, a prospect could hypothetically receive an email announcing a counselor’s high school visit, an open house invitation email and a campus visit survey all in one day. It’s a symptom of “too many chiefs,” and with email that’s never a good idea.

Another (much better) trend I’m seeing is the hiring of a marketing professional in the admissions office. They coordinate all types of promotional campaigns for recruiting — from homepages to viewbook pages. And the good ones know a thing or two about social media.

So today, on “Cyber Monday,” I invite you to join our continuing discussion about admissions staffing needs and tell us what you think.

As I said last week, one solution doesn’t work for every school. But remember to be cautious no matter what model you adopt.

Because when it comes to your marketing efforts, too many chefs could spoil the broth.
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Join us for the upcoming Xpert Summit users conference — taking place this February 26-27 in Las Vegas.

Visit www.targetx.com/xpertsummit2009 for more information and to register.

The Xpert Summit is free of charge for clients.

Two of my best friends and college roommates are high school guidance counselors.

When they aren’t working with students on the college selection process (or wearing one of the myriad other hats that come with the counselor gig), they rely heavily on technology to keep up with their personal lives.

They text message, share YouTube videos and post to photo-sharing sites. And they’re on Facebook. A lot.

Is this your image of the school counselor? If it isn’t, perhaps the way we communicate with prospects isn’t the only thing that needs to change.

Modern guidance offices want what we all want — a better way to keep up. That means making it easier for them to stay updated on important things like new programs and facilities or changes to admissions requirements.

Here are a few ways you can better communicate with the guidance community:

• Do a series of emails focusing on different aspects of the admissions process (think visiting campus, financial aid/scholarships, etc.)

• Host a lunchtime chat for guidance counselors in the fall to talk about the application process or what’s new on campus. Have the Director of Admissions on hand for a real attendance draw.

• Develop an interactive “Counselors” page for your website.

• Ask counselors to check out your social network so they can encourage interested students to join.

• Do a “Top 10 Reasons to Choose XYZ University” poster and/or campaign. Focus on the things that differentiate you from your competitors.

• Promote your student blogs to the guidance office. It’s a great way for them to get an “inside track” on student life (bonus points if one of the bloggers just happens to be a former student…;)

• Invite them to subscribe to receive emails on a regular basis reminding them about news, events and admissions deadlines.

As with all things, authenticity matters most here. You’ve got to be (really) honest about the kinds of students who get in and the kinds of students who thrive on your campus. It’s the only way counselors can help make that “best fit” match.

So this year, do a better job of “influencing the influencers” and reach out to the guidance community with more than a new copy of the viewbook.

Because the need to build dynamic relationships doesn’t just apply to prospects.

“Have a plan. Follow the plan, and you’ll be surprised at how successful you can be. Most people don’t have a plan. That’s why it’s easy to beat most folks.”
-Paul “Bear” Bryant, football coach, University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide

You’d be amazed at the number of quotes on planning I had to wade through to find this one (I desperately wanted to spare you from the old “failure to plan is planning to fail” mantra;)

But tired cliches aside — the importance of having a plan is so fundamental that pundits and poets alike have been writing about it for centuries.

If you’re looking to create or revise your communication plan, it helps to start with the basics. I’ve put them together in a list I call “The 4 M’s.”

Consider these points as they relate to each activity in your communication plan:

1. Message

What do you want to say? Take some time with this one — it’s probably the biggest area where schools make mistakes. You’ve got to have a clear idea of who you are if you want to spread that message effectively.

2. Members

Who do you want to convey the message to? Think about the “members” of the specific group you’re looking to communicate with. Are they prospective students? Transfer students? Parents or guidance counselors? Don’t forget to keep them top-of-mind as you move forward.

3. Medium

What’s the best way to reach them? Notice that this step comes AFTER the critical first two steps. Don’t just use a medium to use it — it has to make sense for your message and the group you’re looking to connect with.

4. Measurable Goal(s)

It’s important to set clear goals for every activity. For some, it might be simple click-throughs from an email message. For others, your measure of success might be tied to time spent on a site or number of profiles created. Just be sure to measure your results and adjust accordingly!

Communication plans don’t have to be fussy or formal. They just need to be clear on message, members, medium and measurable goals.

To be a winner, you’ve got to have a plan. It’s a sure way to set your school apart from “most folks.”

Interested in working on your communication plan? Join us this summer for workshops in Boston and Chicago. To learn more and to register, visit www.targetx.com/workshop