1、BRAND HEALTH 101Communicating and Differentiating Your Higher Education Brand2 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP0622TABLE OF CONTENTS3/INTRODUCTION4/DEVELOP YOUR BRAND TRACKING STRATEGY5/UNDERSTAND KEY BRAND HEALTH METRICS10/ANALYZE YOUR BRAND TRACKING RESULTS12/TRACK YOUR BRAND STRATEGY13/APPROACHES TO BR

2、AND TRACKINGHANOVER RESEARCH FOR HIGHER EDUCATIONHanovers insights help higher education institutions strengthen their academic portfolios,maximize enrollment and retention,manage costs,improve brand perception,and engage alumni.From research to consulting and advisory services,our solutions address

3、 a comprehensive array of challenges to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients and the students they serve.BY THE NUMBERS15%increase in net tuition revenue our clients experience$500M in new program revenue$700M in total grant awards 11x average ROI with membership600+higher education me

4、mbers 3000+research projects completed since 2020 For more information about Hanovers solutions and services,turn to page 13 or visit 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP0622This guide will enable you to:DEVELOP a Strategy Define Your Goal Identify Tools to UseUNDERSTAND Key Metrics Awareness Perception Prefe

5、rence LoyaltyANALYZE Your Results Prepare the Data Examine Brand Tracking ResultsTRACK Your Brand Strategy Drive Marketing Decisions Refresh and Restart Your Brand Tracking1.2.3.4.INTRODUCTIONCOMMUNICATING YOUR INSTITUTIONS VALUE IS MORE CRITICAL THAN EVERAs competition for a shrinking pool of poten

6、tial students heats up,what is the path forward for higher education institutions?To stand out from the pack,college and university leaders must do more than spend advertising dollars.They must clearly define their institutions purpose and communicate a distinct brand promise to stakeholders:What va

7、lue does your institution provide,how does this set you apart,and why should they choose your institution over others?THE PATH TO A BRAND TRACKING STRATEGYSuccessful brand health measurement means monitoring metrics that matter,tracking brand health over time,and regularly adjusting strategy.This gu

8、ide outlines the steps needed for a strategic brand tracking process.In a competitive landscape,continuous attention to your institutions brand will ensure you stay top of mind with prospective students.62%The percentage of institutions that have conducted brand research in the last three yearsThe p

9、ercentage of higher education marketing departments with measures in place to track brand strength over time51%The average increase in institutions marketing budgets since 20203.7%4 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP06221.DEVELOP YOUR BRAND TRACKING STRATEGY Brand tracking aims to track an institutions bran

10、d strength over time,visualize longitudinal trends,and highlight the impact of marketing campaigns and activities.It starts with defining goals that align with your institutions needs and identifying the right tools to assess brand health.Over time,youll hone your approach based on the data you coll

11、ect to advance strategic goals such as increasing enrollment among target audiences,raising your academic profile,and supporting giving campaigns.DEFINE YOUR GOALSInstitution-wide goals can help contextualize brand tracking findings and inform gaps in your brand strategy.Some common institutional go

12、als include driving enrollment growth(including among new audiences),promoting research,and building alumni engagement.IDENTIFY TOOLS TO USEWhen deploying a brand tracking strategy,there are a variety of tools to help uncover both the what related to your brand(for example,What segments are most awa

13、re of our institution?)and the why(Why are certain segments more likely to recommend our institution than others?”).Using a mix of survey research,competitive benchmarking,and qualitative feedback,you can paint a more complete picture of how stakeholders perceive your brand.See the Approaches to Bra

14、nd Tracking on page 13 for more information on how to incorporate these tools into your brand tracking efforts.5 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP06222.UNDERSTAND KEY BRAND HEALTH METRICSWhen it comes to measuring brand health,the fundamental issue is knowing which metrics matter.Brand health is multifacet

15、ed,with different brand metrics capturing and illustrating important and unique elements of total brand health.Over the last several decades,many institutions have tracked rankings performance as a proxy for evaluating and measuring overall brand health.But while rankings and brand are linked,they a

16、re not synonymous.The latter,after all,encompasses all the emotive associations connected with your institutionsomething that rankings cant measure.Yet a recent survey of higher education marketing professionals revealed that fewer than one-third of university presidents use brand health metrics to

17、assess marketing performance.Instead,these administrators tend to rely on undergraduate enrollment figures and anecdotal opinions of reputation.Brand tracking frequently assesses individual elements of brand healthfrom the broadest of general awareness,to the narrowest of how likely a stakeholder is

18、 to recommend your institution.But failure to holistically view all the key brand health metrics means that institutions receive only a partial view of brand health.To comprehensively measure your institutions brand health,understand stakeholder engagement,and capture a full picture of your performa

19、nce,consider tracking four specific metrics:PerceptionWhat do our target audiences think about us?AwarenessWho has heard of us?PreferenceAre we a preferred institution for applying and enrolled students?LoyaltyWho are our brand advocates?6 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP06222.UNDERSTAND KEY BRAND HEALTH

20、METRICS:AWARENESSUnaided awareness,which measures prospective students ability to recognize your institution without a stimulus such as a logo or tagline or to identify your institution when asked to list“top of mind”colleges or universities.Aided awareness,which measures prospective students abilit

21、y to remember your institution after prompting.WHAT IT IS Awareness,the extent to which key stakeholders(including prospective students and their families)are familiar with your institution,is the key to driving enrollment.Brand awareness is measured by two factors:HOW TO MEASURE Surveys:Deploy regu

22、lar surveys measuring brand awareness to collect a vast array of brand awareness data.Social Listening:Search social media hashtags associated with your institution,study the comments on your posts,and identify how often your branded content is shared to understand how your audience(including suppor

23、ters such as current students and alumni)are talking about your brand.SAMPLE QUESTIONS:AWARENESSWhen collecting stakeholder feedback,or conducting an awareness survey,include questions on both unaided and aided awareness to determine their awareness before and after prompting.Unaided Awareness:When

24、you think of higher education institutions based in California,which colleges or universities come to mind?Please list up to five.Aided Awareness:Which of the following higher education institutions,if any,were you aware of before this survey?University of San Francisco California State University L

25、ong Beach Stanford University University of California,Los Angeles Our Institution7 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP06222.UNDERSTAND KEY BRAND HEALTH METRICS:PERCEPTIONWHAT IT IS Brand perception measures how stakeholders(such as prospective students,their families,current students,faculty and staff,alumn

26、i,donors,and community members)evaluate an institutions strengths and weaknesses.Not only does brand perception research help uncover differentiators that can be leveraged in marketing campaigns,it can also identify risks to an institutions reputation.HOW TO MEASURE Surveys:Compare stakeholder feedb

27、ack across different groups and benchmark brand perceptions against your competitors.In-Depth Interviews:Structured conversations can be valuable for asking open-ended questions about stakeholder impressions of your brand.This may be a particularly important means of reaching expert audiences,includ

28、ing future employers.SAMPLE QUESTIONS:PERCEPTIONUncover how stakeholders perceive your brand by asking them to respond to questions like the following:Which of the following words best describe our institution:Progressive Traditional Rigorous Easy Flexible Rigid Prestigious Friendly UninvitingFind o

29、ut what motivates potential students to apply and enroll in a particular institution.Download the 2022 National Admitted Student Survey.8 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP06222.UNDERSTAND KEY BRAND HEALTH METRICS:PREFERENCEWHAT IT IS Brand preference evaluates how likely a prospective student is to apply t

30、o your institution and,if accepted,to enroll.If prospects rate your institution as a top choice,it can be concluded that your brand is healthy and strong in applicant preference.HOW TO MEASURE Surveys:Ask prospective students how likely they are to apply to your institution.Also,question admitted st

31、udents about how they assessed your offer of acceptance,relative to other offers they may have received.SAMPLE QUESTIONS:PREFERENCEUncover where your institution stands in prospective students application process by asking them to respond to the following questions:Prospective Students and Parents:H

32、ow likely are you to consider applying/recommend that your child consider applying to our Institution?Extremely Likely Somewhat Likely Neutral Somewhat Unlikely Extremely UnlikelyAdmitted Students:How did our institution rank among all the institutions to which you applied?It was my first choice It

33、was among my top choices It was“in the middle of the pack”It was among my bottom choices It was my last choice or“safety school”Make sure your institutions brand meets students where they are.Get new ideas from our blog post,Higher Education Branding:3 Tips to Bolster Your Institutions Messaging.9 2

34、022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP06222.UNDERSTAND KEY BRAND HEALTH METRICS:LOYALTYWHAT IT IS Brand loyalty or a stakeholders willingness to reengage or continue engaging with you is core to brand health.Unlike corporate marketers,colleges and universities cannot leverage repeat purchase intent as a primary

35、and immediate indicator of brand loyalty.Instead,brand loyalty is often measured before and at the point of students initial choice and in subsequent financial giving.Employing a Net Promoter Score(NPS)framework can help institutions gauge stakeholder loyalty on an ongoing basis.The more loyal a sta

36、keholder is to your institution,the more likely they are to become promoters people who take supportive actions that enhance your brands value and public perception.To maintain and grow its reputation,an institution should track its NPS and seek to uncover factors that drive the score.Why are promot

37、ers loyal to your institution and more likely to recommend you?Why are detractors unlikely to do so?HOW TO MEASURE Surveys:Survey prospective students(and their families),current students,faculty and staff,alumni,donors,and community members to identify supporter personas and to uncover potential re

38、putational challenges.SAMPLE QUESTIONS:LOYALTYOne of the best ways to gauge brand loyalty is through your institutions Net Promoter Score(NPS).This is measured by a single question that determines stakeholders satisfaction level with your institution.Stakeholders should be asked the following questi

39、on,providing a zero to 10 scale,with zero being very unlikely and 10 being very likely.”How likely are you to recommend our institution to a friend,family member,acquaintance,or colleague?Read more about how to apply a Net Promoter Score framework to your branding and marketing efforts in our blog p

40、ost,NPS:The Most Important Metric Your Higher Education Competitors Arent Using.10 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP06223.ANALYZE YOUR BRAND TRACKING RESULTSAfter you have collected your brand tracking results,its time to prepare your data and analyze your findings.Identify patterns across studies and audi

41、ence segments and use that data to inform your strategic initiatives.For example,if you are preparing for a capital campaign,you can identify personas associated with high loyalty and then use that information to reach out to potential supporters.Or you can use awareness data,segmented by region,to

42、target an upcoming paid search campaign.To get started analyzing your brand tracking results,there are two critical steps:preparing and examining the data.PREPARE THE DATAVALIDATE Analyze your data to confirm that respondents completed the full interview or survey and to ensure that the data collect

43、ion was performed correctly and without bias.CLEAN Review your data for errors and remove any invalid respondents who may have completed fields incorrectly or skipped them entirely.Conduct rigorous data cleansing to ensure that data are included from serious and qualified study participants only.CON

44、VERTGroup and assign values to your raw data to convert it into a meaningful and readable form.Evaluate open-ended responses for salient themes,relevant relationships,and unifying narrative.Model quantitative data via descriptive and statistical analyses.11 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP0622Make more co

45、nfident decisions with data from emerging trends.Download the Higher Ed Trends to Watch infographic.EXAMINE BRAND TRACKING RESULTSStudy your brand tracking results to connect metric performance with strategic initiatives,activities,or institutional strengths and weaknesses.Key questions to ask when

46、studying your brand tracking results include:Which metrics performed the strongest?The weakest?Are the results evenly spread or are there certain segments that are stronger or weaker(e.g.,stakeholder group,region,age)?Was there a change in results based on any marketing campaigns or news stories?If

47、tracking over time,what direction are brand metrics trending?Are there macro trends that might affect your brand?3.ANALYZE YOUR BRAND TRACKING RESULTS12 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP0622DRIVE MARKETING DECISIONS Use the findings from your brand tracking to drive key marketing decisions and to make stra

48、tegic investments.For example:4.TRACK YOUR BRAND STRATEGY AND ADJUSTWhen it comes to brand health,its not enough simply to track results:You have to use the data you generate to drive more results,whether through marketing activities,or ongoing performance monitoring and strategy developments.Here a

49、re two critical uses for your brand health tracking outcomes.If your results indicate low awareness levels:Investigate paid advertising options and media coverage to boost your brand.If your results indicate low preference levels:Review benchmarking results to uncover opportunities to better meet st

50、akeholders expectations and to differentiate your brand.Examine survey results and consider focus groups to identify changes that your institution should make to better communicate its value.REFRESH AND RESTART YOUR BRAND TRACKING Review your brand tracking results with a focus on questions or appro

51、aches that might change in subsequent rounds.If you are using a survey,determine which areas could benefit from additional clarity,such as from a focus group.Brand tracking should drive actionable insights,and continual brand tracking can improve the quality of findings.13 2022 Hanover ResearchHEDWP

52、0622APPROACHES TO BRAND TRACKINGSURVEY RESEARCH BRAND AWARENESS SURVEY:Uncover how widely you are known.Segment results by region to assess your geographic reach.Maximize participation by keeping your survey short and by offering incentives for completion.BRAND PERCEPTION SURVEY:Gauge brand percepti

53、on by surveying key stakeholder groups(e.g.,prospective students and families,faculty and staff,current students,alumni and donors,employers,and community members)to gain insight into how you are viewed by each segment.The data you collect should inform branding campaigns and general improvement eff

54、orts.Conduct these surveys annually to track the impact of messaging efforts.CONCEPT/MESSAGE TESTING SURVEY:Assess the efficacy of potential messages,advertisements,or taglines by asking key audiences to react to sample concepts.Maximize the impact of forthcoming advertising campaigns by investigati

55、ng which messages are most effective at relaying key information and how likely respondents are to take a desired action after seeing your marketing materials.COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING MARKETING POSITION ANALYSIS:Perform a comparative review of online marketing for your institution vis-vis your top c

56、ompetitors to differentiate your marketing presence.BRAND PROFILE ANALYSIS BENCHMARKING:Refine your value proposition and distinguish yourself from the competition by regularly assessing how peers present themselves.QUALITATIVE RESEARCH FOCUS GROUPS:Focus groups can be used at the start of your rese

57、arch for an exploratory look into stakeholders perceptions of an upcoming advertising campaign or to get feedback on your wider brand.While in-person focus groups have traditionally been the norm,online focus groups provide administrative ease for connecting with a geographically dispersed populatio

58、n,and participants may feel less inhibited in sharing their true opinions.Our insights help institutions strengthen their academic portfolio,maximize enrollment and retention,manage costs,improve brand perception,and engage alumni.ABOUT HANOVER RESEARCHLEARN MORE: BENEFITSDEDICATEDExclusive account

59、and research teams ensure strategic partnership EXPERT200+analysts with advanced multiple methodology research expertisePh.D.M.B.A.M.Ed.M.Phil.M.P.H.M.S.M.A.J.D.B.A.B.S.Ongoing custom research agenda adapts with organizations needsFLEXIBLEEFFICIENTAnnual,fixed-fee model shares costs and benefitsOTHE

60、RPROVIDERSFEES#OF PROJECTSOUR HIGHER EDUCATION SOLUTIONS MANAGEMENTOptimize your entire enrollment funnel from enhancing prospective student recruitment to maximizing applicants and matriculants.ADVANCEMENTIdentify right-fit donors and maximize giving from your key stakeholders.ACADEMIC PROGRAMMINGB

61、uild a standout academic program portfolio based on student preference and employerdemand.MARKETINGUnderstand your institutions value propositionand communicate it through messaging that resonates.STUDENT SUCCESSIncrease retention and maximize student engagement from start date to graduation.GRANTST

62、argeted guidance to bolster the quality,volume,and success rates of your grantapplications.OPERATIONS&FINANCEComprehensive insights to run an efficient,financially sustainable institution.Headquarters4401 WilsonBlvd.9th FloorArlington,VA 22203(202)559-0050Charlottesville609 E Market Street,Suite 302Charlottesville,VA 22902