Under the direction of the Communications Manager, the Communication Specialist will play an active role in creating and maintaining a strategic communications approach to prospective and new student communication.
Responsible for developing a robust, transparent, and strategic communication plan for all student types. Tailor all communications in a personalized, trackable, and student-centric manner through integrated marketing and communications plans based on the needs of the intended audience at different points in the recruitment cycle (suspect, prospect, apply, admit, enrolled). Will perform analysis of market data to determine best practices of communication with specific demographics within the layers of the recruitment funnel, and advise Undergraduate Admissions and School & College recruitment staff on preferred communication strategies with these audiences, based on analytics.
Create and execute strategic communication plans ensuring effective and timely communication with students on an individualized level. This will require knowledge of the high school to college life cycle of high school and transfer students in order to ensure communications are reaching students at the appropriate points in their college search and selection process and to coordinate with the work and messaging of admission advisors. Identify potential problems and make adjustments when needed. Understanding of the needs of our non-traditional students equally as critical, in order to create appropriate messaging. Oversee and assist in managing the creation, design and production of integrated marketing materials including brochures, invitations, posters, envelopes, cards, letters, HTML emails, web and social media for specific campaigns and department events ensuring production timeline is followed, within the recruitment cycle timeframe. Write, edit and proof correspondence including letters, emails, web and social media communications with a focus on the recruitment message and specific audience for which it is intended.
Responsible for management of OUA’s presence on social networking sites, including distribution of all social media-related content, monitoring online conversations, marketing events, promotions and incentives, and suggesting and implementing other relevant social media vehicles. Work to automate, consolidate, and update admissions communications in the CRM and Peoplesoft system. Identify ongoing measures of effectiveness.
Examine all aspects of marketing and communication planning and make strategic recommendations in order to streamline and improve data collection procedures to provide expedited service to students to attain campus recruitment and admissions goals. Work with CRM, PeopleSoft and SAIT specialists to ensure communication data is accurate and reported correctly. Work with the CRM Steering and Marketing and Communications team to identify new, innovative ways to collect data, develop communication flows and execute campaigns. Ensure strong collaboration with Admissions recruiters as well as campus constituents to ensure a consistency of quality across all communication platforms.
Work with the department Data Specialist, CRM Steering team, departmental leadership, and the Recruitment team to determine measureable benchmarks in the effective strategic communication plan and determine if OUA and schools and colleges are meeting them utilizing CRM, Peoplesoft and additional reporting tools necessary. Analyze reports for schools and college under Data Specialist’s guidance. Tighten and readjust the communication workflow based on low performing results.