Philly Tech Week, an annual weeklong celebration of technology and innovation in the Philadelphia region, has long been a favorite event of ours at eCity Interactive.
Hosted by Technical.ly Philly, Philly Tech Week, now in its seventh year, typically consists of panel discussions, conferences, and social events, grouped together around a collection of topics called “tracks,” that are designed to bring the best and brightest minds in technology together to share and learn from each other.
While various members of eCity have attended Philly Tech Week through the years, we decided to take our fandom to the next level in 2017 by hosting our own Philly Tech Week event. And as a digital agency with a growing footprint in the education sector, we knew exactly what type of event we wanted to host.
Now, it’s a documented fact that we have limited – and still shrinking – attention spans, so before we dive into why our selected event is important to attend, let’s go ahead and make the important stuff known:
You are officially invited to eCity Interactive’s 2017 Philly Tech Week event: Digital’s Evolving Role in Education Marketing and Outreach. May 1, 2017 | 5-7pm
Ok, now that the logistics are out of the way, let’s talk about why we’re hosting this event.
Education has undergone a complete transformation over the past decade thanks to technology. In some instances, that disruption has come in the model of education itself. Today, organizations like Khan Academy, Codecademy, and online universities like the University of Phoenix have changed the way kids and adults alike educate themselves.
That’s a fascinating topic to be sure, but one that we are wholly unqualified to moderate. More near and dear to our hearts, however, is the way in which technology has influenced education marketing. In that regard, technology has impacted how students search for and evaluate their educational options, as well as how schools market themselves to prospective and current students, parents, and alumni.
Consider this: In 1990, 9% of college-bound students applied to seven or more schools. Today, that percentage has risen above 30%. That’s largely due to the proliferation of colleges that accept the common app, which has made it easier than ever to quickly apply to a multitude of schools. But students are also more in control today than ever before. New digital tools like Niche, Big Future, and Unigo have made the experience of shopping for colleges akin to browsing movies on Netflix.
New digital tools like Niche, Big Future, and Unigo have made the experience of shopping for colleges akin to browsing movies on Netflix.
Schools, for their part, have had to adapt. Historically, schools relied heavily on traditional marketing tactics and list-buys to fill their classes. In recent years, those list-buys — purchased largely from the College Board and the ACT — have accompanied more sophisticated digital marketing tactics, but those too are on the verge of becoming less successful, both as fewer students supply their data or even apply to college, and as more schools become sophisticated in big data and target the same students deemed most likely to apply, enroll, and succeed.
That leads us to today, and to the importance of hearing how leading education marketers in the Philadelphia region are engaging their respective audiences. And that is what we intend to discuss with our talented panel of marketing professionals from Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, Peddie School, and Lehigh University.
In particular, we’ll be discussing how schools are:
- Cutting through the noise to reach and attract prospective students, through blogging, social media, videos, advertising, and emails.
- Converting anonymous web visitors to leads through virtual tours, videos, viewbooks, webinars, and content downloads.
- Increasing admissions yield through CRM data, automated emails, webinars, social media, and customized content.
- Engaging current students, parents, alumni, and donors through social media, email, events, and microsites.
This conversation promises to be engaging, entertaining, and educational. And if the panel alone isn’t enough to sway you, hopefully the virtual reality viewing booth, free beer and pretzels, and opportunity to network with local colleagues are. Either way, I hope to see you on May 1st, from 5-7pm, at our offices at 1608 Walnut Street in the heart of Philadelphia. Learn more information and reserve your seat below.
