Social Media and LCC

In the past eight months, LCC has made significant strides in how we are using social media sites - Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube. We have gone from having no social media presence to having 1600 fans on our Facebook page, and a very active, very high quality YouTube page. But, we are still in the launch phase with respect to these tools. In addition to enhancing our LCC Facebook page, and growing the number of fans there, our next big step is to establish Facebook pages for many of our programs and initiatives. The marketing department needs to take a leadership role in assisting programs as they work to understand and leverage these new community-building tools. For social media to become a vital part of our communications plan, we need to think differently about marketing. It is not about pushing a message out. It is about building relationships and entering into conversations. Our students are way ahead of with respect to their comfort level with these tools. In addition to becoming a data-driven marketing department, over the next several months, one of our goals in marketing is to become truly proficient in the use of social media. Ultimately, it will lead to stronger relationships and more cost-effective communications for the college. Connecting social media and our CRM platform is going to be a lot of fun. I'll discuss CRM in an upcoming post. If you have recommendations regarding our social media plans, please let me know. The richer the conversation, the better the outcome.

We want your input!

This is an open thread to get input on anything we are doing in marketing - what you like, what you don't like, how we could do things better. Feel free to comment on our web site, billboards, print ads, movie theatre ad, online ads, radio station, tv station, and social media initiatives. We really appreciate your thoughts. Its okay to let us know if you don't like something we have done. It is particularly helpful if you can let us know why you don't like it.

Thank you!

The Stages of IMC

Integrated Marketing Communications and Branding

This post is going to be a little bit more "technical" in that it summarizes the stages an organization goes through to develop a integrated marketing communications process and culture (and ultimately, build a strong brand). Don Schultz at Northwestern University is the primary author behind this. Here at LCC, we are in the first stage of IMC. We'll be moving into stage 2 in the next few months. Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated!

Lucian

There is a process through which brands are built and maintained over time. That process is normally referred to as Integrated Marketing Communications.

Integrated Marketing Communications is a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute, and evaluate coordinated, measurable, persuasive brand communication programs over time with consumers, customers, prospects, and other targeted, relevant external and internal processes. (Shultz and Shultz, page 20).

An effective brand is the result of a well constructed and well executed integrated marketing communications process. It is virtually impossible to have one without the other.

It has been proposed that organizations committed to integrated marketing communications are at one of four stages of development.

Stage 1: Coordination of Tactical Communications Efforts
Finding 1: Integration requires a high degree of interpersonal and cross-functional communication within the organization, across business units, and with outside suppliers. Integration cannot be driven by formal policies and procedures alone.
Finding 2: Organizations are taking charge of the integration process themselves rather than looking to ad agencies and other suppliers.

Stage 2: Redefinition of the Scope of Marketing Communication.
Finding 3: Organizations gather extensive information about their customers, using primary and secondary market research sources as well as actual customer behavioral data, and use that information in the planning, development, and evaluation of communication activities.

Finding 4: Best practice organizations create a variety of feedback channels to gather information about customers; they then use this customer feedback and share it through the company.

Finding 5: One of the most difficult challenges of integration is aligning internal practices and processes with external communication programs.

Stage 3: Application of Information Technology

Finding 6: Leading best practice organizations maintain a greater number of data sources, and their marketing communication personnel have greater access to the data for planning marketing communication programs than do the sponsor organizations.

Finding 7: Best practice firms are more likely to use finance-based approaches to targeting and segmentation.

Stage 4: Financial and Strategic Integration

Finding 8: The role of the marketing communication department is perceived quite differently at partner companies than at sponsor organizations. Marcom departments at partner companies more often have bottom-line responsibilities and a more prominent role in strategic planning and new product introductions than do the same groups in sponsor firms.

Finding 9: Most organizations use a variety of tools to measure the effectiveness of marketing communication activities; however, relatively few incorporate financial measurement into the evaluation process.

Finding 10: While organizations may claim to be customer focused, relatively few have grappled with the strategic and organizational implications of such a focus.

Another step in a positive direction

This is an exciting time to work in communications and marketing. It seems like every day there are new tools and applications designed to facilitate better, faster communication. Over the past several months, college communications have moved forward on several fronts - YouTube, Facebook, Twitter are being actively used; we made our first set of "Robo calls" just a few weeks ago. We are using the electronic signs, radio and tv stations, and the college web site to promote all the good stuff happening here at the college.

I just attended a conference on interactive 3D technology. As you know, LCC has an i3D theatre and lab, both for students who need to learn to use this technology, and to assist faculty in developing i3D learning objects for their courses.

To understand the potential impact of this technology on education, think video games. Though I am not a big "gamer" (beyond an occasional cow race on Wii), we know that this is huge with many 10 - 30 year olds. I don't think it takes too much imagination to appreciate that the more we can make learning enjoyable, interactive, and engaging, the faster students will learn. Would you rather memorize a chart with the body parts of a frog, or build a frog as a virtual lesson? Though an interactive 3D game may not always be as effective as the real thing, it often can be the next best thing to being there. What if you could learn about D-Day as an Avatar marine landing at Normandy? The possibilities are limitless.

The bottom line is pretty straightforward - better, faster, deeper learning.

The Communications and Marketing Department strives to assure that LCC's mission, identity and social contract are effectively and consistently communicated throughout the LCC service area to the various stakeholders we are committed to serve.

We work collaboratively with both academic and non-academic programs and departments to understand their goals and objectives and develop and implement strategies that accomplish their goals in concert with the college's strategic priorities.