jewish community studies

If You Ask, We Answer: Part 1 – Higher Education

January 12, 2017
, , , , , Higher Education, The Art of Research

When people ask us what we do, one of the things we often say is, “we answer questions for our clients.”  And inevitably, we’re then asked, “What kinds of questions?  Why are the asking this of you?”

Frankly, this is why we’re in business.  Our daily challenge is to assist our clients in taking the management issues they regularly wrestle with, and shaping them into questions that we can then use in our research.  We gather information, with these questions as a backdrop.  The answers are enlightening and provide clear paths to follow with strategic next steps.

Let’s look at the higher education sector as an example.  We’re asked to solve issues involving admissions, enrollment, programming, curriculum, and community relationships.  Here are just some of the questions our clients have asked us to help answer through our work.

If we build it, will they enroll?
It can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to build and launch a new program, and administrators want to know what they’ll need to do to make it successful before they invest the time and money into its creation.

How will workforce trends impact our programming/curriculum?
More colleges and universities seek to offer programs that teach students skills for jobs that are available in the local and regional market.  This may lead to offering more non-credit and certificate courses.

How can we better serve our surrounding community?
Most universities have moved past the traditional “town and gown relations” model and have started to really take a look at what programs and services could be provided to make their institutions an asset to the local community.

Why didn’t students enroll?
Knowing why an institution didn’t make the final cut is as important as understanding what put the institution in the initial consideration set.

What’s the best way to deliver our courses?
Full time, part time, online, in person, and hybrids are all successful ways to deliver courses.  Clients often ask what the right mix is for their students.

Will changes to our curriculum be viewed positively by prospective employers of our students?
We’re proponents of understanding how employers perceive recent graduates… and we often provide insights about what’s lacking in today’s graduates.  We now know that soft skills, such as work ethic, emotional intelligence, and communications skills are highly important.  Educators want to know how to build curricula to prepare students for today’s workforce.

How do we manage our brand reputation (especially) after a crisis?
After an institution receives unflattering headlines in the (social) media, savvy institutions look to measure the impact on an institution’s brand to prepare to take the steps that will help fix the situation. 

What is the value of a college degree to prospective students and their parents?
In the past, quality learning, being prepared for the future, and “getting a job” have all been touted as the value of a college education.  But times are changing, as are the many reasons why a college degree is important.

Should we be offering interdisciplinary programs and courses?
As consultants, we just want to emphatically say “yes”!  But, the value of research is to understand what’s important to the market (prospective students, employers) and leverage what we learn to help build a valuable interdisciplinary focus.

What’s the best way to partner with community colleges as a funnel for admissions to four year institutions?
One community college in our area took a controversial approach to funneling students to a four year college – and we even wrote a blog post about it.

Our research can help higher education clients explore all of these questions and more.  Give us a call or shoot us an email and let us know what management issues your institution faces.

In future posts, we’ll explore the questions that clients in our other sectors (healthcare, mission-based/non-profit) have asked us to answer – stay tuned!

To learn more about our work with colleges and universities, please contact Elizabeth Foley [email protected] / 215-545-0054 x111 or Linda McAleer [email protected] / 215-545-0054 x104.

 

Hallmarks of a Good Brand

What are the Top 5 Hallmarks of a Good Brand?

December 8, 2016
The Art of Research, The View From Walnut St.

The concept of a “brand” has been evolving over time.  The word has been used as the name of a product or service, kind of like a “trademark.”  But, in the past 20 or so years, a “brand” has become something that encompasses all that the product or service means to those engaging with or simply observing it; as David Ogilvy, the advertising master guru said:  It’s “the intangible sum of a product’s attributes.”

Jerry McLaughlin said in a Forbes blog post (12/21/2011), “your ‘brand’ is what your prospect thinks of when he or she hears your brand name.  It’s everything the public thinks it knows about your brand offering – both factual and emotional.  Your brand name exists objectively; people can see it.  It’s fixed.  But your brand exists only in someone’s mind.”

So, as good market researchers, we began looking at assuring that brands are based on perceptions… the perceptions held by those stakeholders who brand owners believe represent their customers and prospects.

In the research we’ve conducted to develop the attributes of a good brand and to measure how these brands reflect what is good, we’ve come up with our (in no particular order) TOP 5:  THE HALLMARKS OF A GOOD BRAND.

  • Memorability – It goes without saying that people need to know your name; and more than that, they need to know what you do/provide, and think of you when looking for your product or service. This does not necessarily mean you have to have a long history, but it does mean that you have to remind people you’re there and what you do.
  • Comprehension – You’ve spent a good deal of time creating a vision for your brand, a set of attributes and/or promises that define it. Or, at least, you think you have.  Do your customers and prospects actually understand what it is you offer, what the benefits are of your products or services, why they should choose you over others?
  • Trustworthiness – While some brands lose their way through no fault of their own –or because of errors and flaws, the good brands know how to “make good” on mistakes, own up to them, and value their customers and the customer experience more than anything else.
  • Timeliness – Consumers today are quick to change. When they value a brand, they want that brand to adapt to today’s challenges and opportunities, while recognizing that it must be true to itself.  We might add to “timeliness” some sub-concepts, and they are “relevance” today or “adaptability” without forgoing the brand’s value.
  • Consistency – This might be the most difficult, as it is based on expectation and belief… that the brand will live up what people want from it, anticipate it will provide. Consistency allows for changes and shifts, but the overarching need is for customers to know they can recommend the product or service for what it is/stands for – without question.

Does your brand stand up to these five standards?  If you don’t know – or if they don’t – it’s time to recognize the importance of measurement to assure your brand is not just a name or a logo, but a true brand.  We can help with our brand measurement tools.

For more information, contact Linda McAleer at [email protected] or 215-545-0054 x104.

focus group

Let’s Focus Group It

October 13, 2016
, , , , , , The Art of Research, The View From Walnut St.

I’ve been designing and moderating focus groups for three decades.  What an amazing idea:  put 10 of your best customer prospects in a room or 10 of your target “personas” in a room or 10 of the people you hope will vote for you or buy your product or service… and have them discuss why your product or service is best, how it could be improved, what it means to them to have it, what your competitors are doing better than you, how they hope your product or service will change their lives.

I used to resent the use of the title phrase “let’s focus group it,” determining that it demeaned the science and value of the group dynamic.  But, I’ve changed my mind.  Keeping “focus groups” front and center to help organizations understand “consumer” behavior is what I hope for.

This blog post came to mind when I saw this charming comic (I love comics!) about focus grouping in the 16th Century.

focus group

Six Chix comic by Isabella Bannerman, published in The Philadelphia Inquirer

But, from the point of view of the experienced moderator (me), I say this:  let’s not misuse these great tools and presume that they are quantitative survey samples or polls.  Focus groups work best when you need to hear the “whys” behind the numbers or the choices, when you want to learn what will really impact people choosing your product or service.  And, you need a moderator who knows how and when to ask the “whys” and help people consider their choices… because understanding that contributes to design of effective marketing communications, strategies, product concepts, and reasons-to-choose/benefits.

Let’s talk more about how we design and moderate focus groups for optimal results.

For more information, contact Linda McAleer at [email protected] or 215-545-0054 x104.

Melior sign

We’re Hiring a Research Associate!

May 3, 2016
The Art of Research, The View From Walnut St.

We have an immediate opening for a research and marketing associate at Melior!  Feel free to share this post.

 

Position:         Research / Marketing Associate at The Melior Group, a leading client-focused strategic marketing research consulting firm in Center City Philadelphia.

Location:        Center City Philadelphia; convenient to public transportation.

Skills:              Should be curious, detail-oriented, able to juggle projects/people, thrive on challenge, care about learning, enjoy writing, and interested in marketing research as a career.  Extensive knowledge of MS Office Applications mandatory (Word, Excel and PowerPoint); Access a plus.

Duties:            Assist project teams with all aspects of marketing research projects including:  proposal writing and development, database management, field operations, client relations, report development and production, and secondary market research.  Assist senior level marketing executives with executing strategic marketing plan for the firm, including content production, blog editing, and web site maintenance.

Education:     College degree required; recent college graduates are encouraged to apply.  The Melior Group is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits:         Health (shared costs); commuter benefits; paid holiday, vacation, sick time

Start Date:      As soon as possible.

 

Please e-mail resume with cover letter as soon as possible to: 

Elizabeth M. Foley, Vice President – [email protected]

 

Appropriate candidates will be contacted for phone and/or in-person interviews.

Personalization

Personalization: Don’t Be Afraid to Actually Talk to Someone

February 25, 2016
, , , , , , , , The Art of Research, The View From Walnut St.

An editorial in the February 19, 2016, Philadelphia Business Journal by Editor-in-Chief, Craig Ey, got me thinking about whether ‘personal service’ is dead and replaced by ‘personalization’.

Mr. Ey, after touting the growth, success and amazing benefits of electronic communication, offered that “person-to-person contact can be a great strategic advantage, particularly at a time when many of your competitors are relying strictly on electronic pitches.  I know they are because that’s how the vast majority of people try to establish or maintain a business relationship with me.”  He further complimented someone who actually called him on a telephone to introduce his company.

For so many of us, ‘business relationship’ is really about ‘relationship’… getting to know each other, thinking about the business issues we deal with, considering whether we can actually help one another in some way.

Being in the business of serving clients with market-based information and marketing research for over 30 years, I’ve been so excited about the advances in electronic communications and the ease and speed of delivery of necessary information.  Email allows us to quickly advise clients, to ask and answer questions at all times of the day, to assure the highest level of responsiveness clients deserve.

I’ve been reading recently about ‘personalization’ and getting confused as to what it means.  I read a review of a study that said that “marketers looking to deliver exceptional customer experience will increasingly turn to personalization as the key driver to maximize customer value… that customers expect that the brands will understand who they are, what their habits are, what they want, etc.”  [A shout-out to Altus Agency, the Marketing Minute; referencing Pegasystems “Predicting Routes to Revenue”]

I was hoping that this meant that organizations and their leaders are actually getting to know their customers and providing solutions based on who they are, what they value, what they think about.  But, I think I might have misunderstood the concept of personalization or maybe I’m a little jaundiced.  How can brands understand us?  Isn’t it the people working at/for “the brand” who have to understand their customers’ wants, needs, interests?  Shouldn’t we be reaching out to and actually meeting these customers and learning more about them?

Electronic communication has given us at The Melior Group a significant and dynamic platform for introducing ideas, getting prospective and current clients to think about things that might matter, identifying trends and the implications of them for business.  It has especially given me access to companies that I believe we can help with our services and those who may not be great fits (with both parties realizing this).  I’ve also met thousands of people on LinkedIn and other social media who are doing amazing things.

But, what we’re missing is the emotional and physical nuances that make for a productive business relationship.  How are people going to know we want to work for them and them us?  Like Mr. Ey, I’m a believer in the handshake, look you in the eye, actually chat, maybe smile (but not necessary) – the “huge advantage” that human conversation and engagement can provide.

In a service business like we have – and even a product-focused business where prospective customers have to choose among many alternatives when purchasing – it is not enough to be able to connect.  It is more about talking and engaging with customers, prospects, donors, colleagues, others with shared interests.  I really believe that people today want to experience the “real you.”  In that way, maybe we can actually “personalize” what we’re offering.

This takes me back to an ad I have long remembered… when I was talking to staff about why it’s not enough to rely on electronic communication… give a look and see how you feel about business relationships.

 

 

 

For more information, please contact Linda McAleer at [email protected] or 215-545-0054 x104.

Polling v Research

Polling v. Marketing Research

February 11, 2016
, , , , , , Community Studies, The Art of Research

As the presidential election cycle heats up, pre-election polling – which is used to gauge candidates’ support and predict election outcomes – is under increased scrutiny.  Publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, US News and World Report  have written about recent “disasters”, that is, election outcomes which were not aligned with pre-election polling results.

If Polling is Flawed, How Accurate is Marketing Research?

All of this publicity about flawed polling has generated a degree of panic among some of our clients (and us!).  The Melior Group works with all kinds of organizations that are interested in developing quantitative evidence – which some equate with a “poll” — to support decisions including introduction of a new product or service, development of a new marketing strategy, and myriad other information needs.   While unexpected election results and the pursuant head-scratching about flawed polling generate headlines, it is the marketing researchers in the trenches who bear the brunt of our clients’ angst.   They wonder about the accuracy of quantitative research, and question its role in their decision-making.

Cost-effective, Thoughtful, and Accurate Assessments

So what are marketing researchers to do when their client wants, say, to assess the impact of a marketing campaign through pre- and post-campaign research?  In the old days, the knee-jerk approach might be a telephone survey to collect a statistically rigorous sample with a low margin of error – the better to see real “movement” in the data.

But in this new world of ours, we say to our client, “that statistically rigorous sample with the low margin of error is increasingly difficult — and expensive! — to collect.”  Just showing them the costs is often enough to change the conversation to, “how can we assess the impact of the new marketing campaign in the most cost-effective, thoughtful, and accurate way possible?”

Meet People Where They Live

One approach is to focus on specific market segments, that is, to truly conduct Marketing Research.  Instead of trying to get a representative sample of the whole universe via one polling method, i.e., telephone or online, we recognize that more success can be had by meeting people where they live. For millennials, creative uses of social media can be surprisingly fruitful for marketing research purposes. And for middle-class boomers, online surveys can be just the right approach.

Focusing on specific market segments, and tailoring data collection appropriately, has other benefits too.  Just the very process of reconsidering the approach can propel us to be more thoughtful in our determination of what we truly want to learn.  Is it more important to see small movements in percentage of awareness and advertising recall, or might our client gain additional benefit from a deeper understanding of  attitudes, impressions and brand, within and in comparison to key segments?  We would argue that the latter can often be of greater use.

So does that mean we think that pre-election polling is for dinosaurs?  Not at all.  For a presidential race, say, margins of error can mean the difference between giving up on a state, and doing a full court campaign press.   But for marketing research purposes, reflecting on the true usefulness of measures that rely on statistically perfect samples may have unintended, and very positive, consequences.

 

For more information please contact  Elizabeth Cohen at [email protected] or 215-545-0054 x103 or please contact us.

Community Demographics infographic found on ejewishphilanthropy

We’ve Been Featured On ejewishphilanthropy.com!

November 13, 2015
, , Community Studies, The Art of Research

The good folks at ejewishphilanthropy have published a piece by Susan Levine, Melior’s community study expert. Our post talks about the usefulness of community demographic studies as a tool for future planning.

Take a look at the article here.

Melior’s approach to these kinds of studies is simple, yet powerful: “Understanding the character of the community – its needs, attitudes, and perceptions – in a way that leads to action, will better position communities to ensure their long term futures.”

For more information on our work with Jewish communities, please visit our page on Jewish Community Studies or contact Susan J. Levine, at 215-545-0054 x107 or [email protected].

College marketing logo

Eight Characteristics of Future-Focused Community Colleges

October 30, 2015
, , , , , Higher Education, The Art of Research

Having an “educated workforce” now requires people to have post-secondary education and targeted skills training in order to be prepared to compete in the ever-growing global economy. And knowing that community colleges educate approximately four in ten of today’s college students, it’s impossible to overlook the potential that community colleges have in changing the face of higher education and also its contribution to the future workforce in the U.S.

Community Colleges Meet Distinctive Regional Needs

Community colleges provide an affordable opportunity for a wide range of prospective students–from those requiring remedial education, to those seeking specific skills to advance their careers, to older adults looking to satisfy long (or short) held interests, to prospective employees wanting tailored training to meet economic needs within their communities, to veterans requiring a range of supports.

With the state of higher education changing every day, it’s time for community colleges to carefully consider their many strengths and weaknesses, to be opportunistic and proactive in addressing challenges.

Challenges for Today and Tomorrow

While there are many opportunities, today’s community colleges also face a series of challenges, among them are some within and some that are outside of their control:

  • Decreasing enrollment;
  • Prospective students’ (often) lack of preparation for the rigors of higher education – and the attendant reputation of community colleges becoming “High School – Part 2”;
  • Diminished funding by state and local governments;
  • Increasing tuition rates;
  • Fewer students completing their college education (for a range of reasons that aren’t merely cost-driven);
  • Increased competition from for-profit educational institutions (including technical and trade institutions) making promises that are difficult to keep;
  • A concern that some community college presidents are approaching retirement age, with a smallish pool of replacements in the wings.

The Eight Characteristics

In our experience with community colleges, those that have the greatest likelihood to succeed are the ones that have:

  • a tangible and thoughtful mission, geared to meet the needs of today’s students, employers, and communities;
  • been flexible in responding to economic and employer needs with training programs that are both skills-based and workplace-sensitive (e.g., teaching teamwork, communications, technological solutions);
  • responded to the demographic composition of its community in all ways possible;
  • a realistic and flexible tuition structure (if/where possible) to appeal to a range of prospective students;
  • worked with its region’s employers to address the employment needs unique to them;
  • collaborations with secondary schools and with other colleges/universities in the area to make the experience as positive and as seamless as possible;
  • community connections, which lead to mutual support of the needs and interests of residents – particularly in areas where a community college is the primary source of higher education;
  • a proactive approach to in gathering market-based information in order to support strategic planning and drive decisions about brand, marketing direction and target markets, programs and courses that hold the greatest potential and those that no longer fit future directions and needs, new and important target market segments, and general guidance for optimizing the college experience for current (and prospective) students.

For years, The Melior Group has been supplying in-depth and quantitative information and working with institutions in the higher education sector to develop marketing and business strategies for enrollment management, responsive programs and courses, and targeted marketing direction. 

To learn more about our work with colleges and universities, visit our Education page or please contact Elizabeth Foley at [email protected] / 215-545-0054 x111 or Linda McAleer at [email protected] / 215-545-0054 x104.

Enrollment Management Check List

Back-to-School Enrollment Management Check List for Independent Schools

September 17, 2015
, , , , , , Education, The Art of Research

School is back in session and as you count the number of students who come through the door, the results of your enrollment efforts are clear. But this is no time to rest on your laurels (or wring your hands) – you need to plant the seeds for next year’s enrollment success now!

Our back-to-school checklist is designed to keep your marketing efforts on track, and pave the way for an even stronger enrollment picture next year. To assess the strength of your marketing efforts, give your school 2 points for every item you’ve accomplished, and 1 point for every item that is “in process.”

Then check your score below.

  • You’ve recruited and trained your parent ambassadors
  • You’ve segmented your student body in a meaningful way, so that you know which students/families you attract and why, as well as where you are falling short and why
  • You’ve reviewed your website to make sure all information is current and that it is optimized for search engines
  • You’ve evaluated your logo to ensure it accurately reflects your school and sends the “right” message about who you are and what you stand for
  • You’ve earmarked money specifically for marketing and promotion purposes (no more begging funds from development and enrollment budgets, please)
  • You’ve prepared your strategic communication plan for the year
  • You’ve formally surveyed all families who considered your school last year (those who enrolled and those who did not), analyzed the results, and developed action plans to address the issues identified
  • You’ve included your school in key directories of schools – local and national, print and online –made sure your information is current, and that reviews are positive
  • You’ve cultivated strong relationships with local media/press personnel, and establishing yourself as the “go to” expert for educational issues
  • You’ve interviewed the families who have chosen not to re-enroll this year, and understand the real reasons behind their decision (not just the easy ones like cost)

Scoring:

17-20, Marketing guru!

10-16, A small additional investment in your marketing efforts will bring big rewards

5-9, You’ve made a good start, but there’s more to do to reap the benefits of marketing

0-4, Unless you have a big endowment, you need to put a marketing program in place

For over 30 years, Melior has specialized in conducting sensitive market research on behalf of independent schools and other educational institutions. For more information, please visit our education page or contact Susan J. Levine at [email protected] /215-545-0054 ext. 107 or Linda McAleer at [email protected] / 215-545-0054 ext 104.

Sometimes THE Standard measures are not the Only Standard

Take Heed, Dear College Marketer

September 3, 2015
, , , , , Higher Education, The Art of Research

This is an update to our previous blog post published two years ago.

In the last few years, one of the biggest trends among communications and marketing professionals has been to predict the pace of rapid growth in college and university marketing.  University Business published an article many years ago highlighting the importance for college marketers to measure the success of their future marketing campaigns. Certainly, college marketers have taken heed of that advice. In recent years, The Melior Group has seen higher education market research become one of the fastest growing segments of our business.

What’s the Challenge?

While many of the core tenants of higher education marketing remain intact, universities are tasked with meeting today’s challenges; demographic trends, budget shortfalls, and student financial aid cutbacks have resulted in enrollment declines. It is predicted that these trends will continue.

So What’s A College to Do?

Successful higher education marketers are learning how to step up their marketing initiatives, recognizing that competition for students is on the rise. We’re encountering many more universities looking to refresh their brand identity and get a better handle on the strengths that will attract students to their institutions.

With universities looking for information to support their strategic marketing initiatives, perhaps it’s time to take another look at common practices to measure success of marketing initiatives.

Sometimes THE Standard Isn’t the Only Standard

Traditionally, top-of-mind awareness has been considered THE standard measure of understanding where various colleges rank in the minds of prospective students and parents.

We have learned that traditional measures don’t sufficiently tell the whole story… and it barely amounts to a chapter. There’s so much more to evaluating perceptions of prospective students… such as also including key stakeholders and influencers on college selection. To successfully influence prospects, key community and business leaders, prospective employers of its graduates, we suggest that other measures be included in any evaluation, such as

  • Likelihood to visit
  • Interest in applying
  • Likelihood to recommend
  • Quality of graduates (ready for the workforce)
  • Web/social media activities (both the positive and negative)
  • Alumni giving/engagement
  • Engagement with the community

Successful universities actively look for creative, outside of the box solutions for designing academic programs to appeal to students, demographic outreach and financial options that will bolster their value to more prospective student families and increase enrollment.

Smart marketers are stepping up their marketing strategies by looking at the information that truly matters and are beginning to understand the mix of factors that are important to the specific prospect populations who value what they offer.

For over 30 years, The Melior Group has been supplying in-depth information and working with university clients to help them to think strategically about their marketing efforts. To learn more about our work with colleges and universities, visit our Education page or please contact Elizabeth Foley at [email protected] / 215-545-0054 x111 or Linda McAleer at [email protected] / 215-545-0054 x104.

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