Tim Copeland's Blog on College & University Marketing and Enrollment Management

College Enrollment Marketing Recommendations - One Student's View

I frequently research how colleges and universities market themselves to prospective students. From surveys to secret shopping, emails to print publications, I review a lot. 

In a recent survey, I received the following thoughtful response from a current high school student named Daniel.

Read his comments below and notice the themes of relevance, permission, and value throughout.

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Be relevant

"Information that is unsolicited is typically discarded. When colleges want students to read/hear what they have to say, they should present it in a package that is likable. The more novel it is, the more likely it will be read. Consult a marketing major on improving direct mail communications"

Get Ready for Social Spam

For every good communication channel, there is always someone ready to step forward and abuse it.

Spam is a negative connotation that has long been associated with email marketing practices. No more.

There is a group out there that are looking to take advantage of the popularity of social technologies such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. This is particularly troublesome for colleges and universities looking to leverage these channels in their marketing and recruitment efforts.

Cisco, the international technology networking company, projects a 30% to 40% increase in spam volume in 2010. Social networks represent a particular trouble spot because hackers can pose as ‘friends’ and people tend to trust communication from their supposed social network ‘friends’.

Consider the following email message I received earlier this morning.

Government and Tuition: Nurse Triumphs Over IRS for M.B.A. Deduction

David still prevails over Goliath. Well, at least a determined nurse can against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Representing herself, Maryland nurse, Lori Singleton-Clarke won a victory against the IRS, allowing her to take nearly a $15,000 tax deduction in business school tuition. This according to Laura Saunders of the Wall Street Journal (See Nurse Outduels IRS Over M.B.A Tuition).

The tax code has long provided for work-related tuition write-offs, but under limited circumstances. The education must maintain or improve skills above the minimum level required in a current trade or business, and it cannot lead to a new license or line of work. In Ms. Singleton-Clarke's case, her decision to pursue an M.B.A. was motivated by not wanting to  "...feel outmatched by surgeons who didn't want to talk to me."

Her case began in 2006 when she deducted $14,837 of tuition from the University of Phoenix on her 2005 tax return. She was advised by her tax preparer that she met the stringent definition. What followed was a confusing round of correspondence from the IRS, followed by a meeting with an IRS agent.

"At one point I had three requests for the same records, each with a different contact name I had to spend hours calling to figure out who needed what," said Ms. Singleton-Clarke.

After the IRS denied her deduction once more, she went to trial. "There was me just me by myself at one table and the [IRS] tax team at another in a big courtroom." The team included two attorneys and several assistants.

Through detailed record-keeping, Ms. Singleton-Clarke won favor with Judge Stanley Goldberg who questioned her closely.

The tax court decision ruling should make it easier for many other professionals to deduct the expense of a M.B.A. in the future.

Good for you Ms. Singleton-Clarke.