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During the last few years, recruitment under the rubric of marketing has become a major topic of conversation for BSW program
faculty as competitive realities have emerged. Historically, faculty have expected that the college or university office of
admissions would handle all marketing and recruitment for undergraduate students and even graduate-student admissions in some
institutions. Students would select an institution, complete their liberal arts program, declare their major and "appear"
in the classroom. Faculty defined their academic role as teaching, scholarship, and service to the institution, school, and
profession. They did not expect, and in fact many have resisted, being actively engaged in recruitment and marketing efforts.
Expectations have changed! The offices of admissions acknowledge that they spend most of their time recruiting traditional-age
high school seniors and marketing high volume majors. They state that they do not have the staff numbers, expertise, or interest
to spend their time recruiting for programs with special appeal to transfer students or nontraditional students. The college
or university budget is fueled by four-year full-time first-year students. BSW faculty must realize that it is critical for
all faculty to actively participate in marketing and recruitment efforts if their social work major is to remain consistently
strong and viable and the program is to maintain healthy class sizes.
In spring 2004, we surveyed our junior majors to get a better feel for how students were making decisions about their
majors or careers prior to enrollment or once they were enrolled. They wanted to develop a more focused approach for recruiting
and design targeted marketing strategies. The survey asked how students learned about social work as a profession generally
and the social work major specifically. The majority of students indicated that they learned about social work in high school
or from their roommates once on campus. This information was extremely useful in supporting our development of targeted marketing
strategies for high school students and on-campus marketing activities.
So, if you must market, where do you begin? What are your marketing goals? Are they related to recruitment, retention,
revenue generation, or fund-raising? Your marketing goals will direct your activities and provide direction for developing
your strategic marketing plan. Developing a strategic marketing plan is critical. The first step is to complete a comprehensive
systems analysis. Based on this analysis, a marketing plan would include several areas, such as the program history, mission,
goals and objectives, enrollment history, pricing, demand analysis, and competitive analysis. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats) analysis of the program provides more data for analysis. Marketing objectives and strategies are
identified, positioning considered, and a mix of marketing tools developed. Identification of a communications calendar is
useful to keep marketing efforts on track and to identify individuals or groups responsible for implementation.
A marketing plan will identify a mix of marketing tools, a marketing budget, and assigned execution responsibilities for
consideration. Although we recognize that available budget, personnel, and institutional support are factors that affect a
program's ability to successfully market their BSW program, what has become clear to us about marketing is that it is more
about ideas and creativity than money and resources. The lack of a targeted marketing budget has not stopped us from implementing
an active marketing plan. A mix of marketing tools for your marketing plan could include the following:
Academic activities.
Articles in scholarly journals are another way to promote the program within the academic community. Articles submitted
by faculty and bachelor or master's degree students are a good to increase the awareness and credibility of the program. Posting
copies of faculty and student articles on bulletin boards in the hallway, seminar, or classrooms advertises the engagement
of faculty and students in scholarly activities. Speaking and training are good positioning tools and often a free or low-cost
way to promote your program.
Advertising.
Advertising can be divided into image-building and call-to-action advertising. For image-building advertising, strategically
placed regular advertising is required. For call-to-action advertising--used mainly for information sessions, application
deadlines, and other short-term goals--one-time advertising can be utilized.
Annual reports.
Careful consideration should be given to image, where you are going as well as where you have been. Annual reports are
used for both positioning and promotion of the program and are used sometimes in place of an overall brochure, if your program
changes significantly from year to year.
Atmosphere and attitude.
First impressions are critical for recruitment and should reflect your commitment to quality and student service. Programs
need to consider the following: how their phone is routinely answered, if inquiries are warmly received, if the website is
welcoming, how people are greeted when they come to your offices, if the atmosphere is pleasant and comfortable, and if staff
are courteous and helpful.
Bring-guest-to-class day.
On specific days during the semester, students are invited to bring their roommate, a friend, or a parent to class. These
events are scheduled based on class content of the day and provide an introduction to the profession and major. Students indicate
that one of the ways they learned about social work as a major was from their roommates.
Brochures.
Flyers, fact sheets, and other printed materials can serve in the place of a program brochure. Programs need to pay close
attention to image and message, considering shelf life and distribution. Use of pictures and headlines are more important
than lengthy text.
Business cards and letterhead.
These items are generally considered office supplies but should be viewed from a marketing perspective. What message do
you want to convey? Bought in quantity, they can be distributed freely and send a welcoming message.
Clothing and promotional items.
The social work club annually designs and sells clothing items identifying the school of social work or social work itself.
The clothing is worn by students and faculty and includes tee shirts, denim shirts, sweatshirts, and hats. The school designs
and provides prizes at information sessions as tokens for guest speakers and other events. Items identify the school and college
or university and keep the name out in the community. These prize items include tee shirts, hats, pens, magnets, bookmarks,
bags, mugs, and the "Men at Work, Men of Social Work Calendar."
Collaboration with on- and off-campus groups.
Social work clubs and honor society members can develop collaborative working relationships with other student groups
on campus, such as groups for GLBT, students of color, social justice, and peace and justice. Often these groups are interested
in many of the same issues as are social work students, and collaborating on sponsoring events increases visibility of these
groups, the social work major, and the issues.
Connection with off-campus groups also provides a
means to increase the visibility of the profession and the major. High schools, community service-learning groups, and
high school church groups often are looking for speakers for career days and for partners for service projects. Inviting these
groups to campus for "A Day on Campus" programs promotes the profession, the major, and your institution.
College fairs.
The purpose of college fairs is to be visible and make contact with prospective students. Be sure to get names and addresses
of students who visit your booth and pick up your materials. Follow up with these individuals with a letter and materials
or postcard. It is the follow-up that usually produces the best results. At the booth, have a take-away item with your name
on it that is useful and that people will likely keep.
Conferences.
Attending and exhibiting at local, regional, and national social work-focused conferences is an excellent way to market
the school programs. The best combination is to have a presenter at the conference as well as an exhibit booth. Paid advertising
in conference programs is another good means of increasing the visibility of the program with conference participants.
Direct mail.
Accurate database management is critical for this portion of the marketing mix. Lively and engaging direct-mail pieces
that ask the potential student for action or tell of upcoming events should be utilized to promote information sessions, deadlines,
and special events. Career Choices, published by NASW, is sent with the direct-mail piece. A good inquiry database is vital
for producing mailing lists. Academic testing services are another avenue to pursue for obtaining targeted mailing lists.
An evaluation method for the direct-mail projects should be considered when at all possible.
First-year advising.
Social work faculty serve as first-year advisors in addition to advising social work majors. Through scheduled individual
and group advising sessions and activities, faculty are able to introduce first-year students to the major and profession.
Volunteering to serve as a first-year advisor keeps social work faculty connected to academic advisors and raises the profile
of the program at the institution.
General education, elective, honors, and post-secondary course development.
Inclusion of the Introduction to Social Work or Human Behavior in the Social Environment course as part of the general
education core requirements serves to introduce students to the major and the profession early in their education. In addition,
the program increases credit-hour production by running several sections per semester.
Elective courses, such as Understanding Diversity in a Pluralistic Society; I Want to Help People; Social Welfare History;
Anatomy of Violence; Grief, Loss, and Bereavement; etc., serve as vehicles to introduce students to social work faculty, the
major, and the profession. They also increase overall credit-hour production for the major.
Development of an honors course for junior or senior majors can serve to increase visibility and respect and bring academic
recognition to the program. The purpose of the honors program is for students to develop a stronger identification with the
profession as practitioners and begin to develop an identity as a scholar.
Development of an introduction-to-social-work course offered to high school students and held on campus in the evening
for reduced credit is a means of introducing them to the college or university and the profession of social work. It is an
opportunity to clarify the differences between social work, psychology, sociology, and criminal justice and get them familiar
with the campus. An official transcript is generated for each student, and credits are transferable to all other accredited
institutions.
Guest presentations and high school visits.
Faculty members do guest lectures in introductory courses in psychology and sociology and at local high schools and community
colleges. They also meet with advisors and counselors at the high schools and community colleges for information about social
work as a profession and about our program.
In collaboration with the nursing department (could be any department wait-listing students), faculty have developed an
interdisciplinary case presentation at the time students are having academic difficulty with chemistry. The case presentation
introduces them to other health-related majors (social work, chemical dependency, occupational science, respiratory therapy).
Students are given extra points by their chemistry teacher for attending the presentation.
Faculty and students together make visits to the student's high school to talk with high school principles, advisors,
and guidance counselors about the profession and the major.
Informational lectures.
Another way to generate interest in the program is informational lectures by faculty or guest lecturers. Paid advertising
and publicity can support these marketing activities. Groups important to address are admissions staff, academic advising
and counseling staff, high school guidance counselors, and community-college advising staff.
Inquiry publication.
This publication can be used as the first way of attracting students to the program. This initial publication must be
compatible with other marketing publications used by both institutions, should be engaging for the student, and should ask
the student to call, write, or e-mail for more information. A solid inquiry-database management system is key to this portion
of the marketing mix.
Newsletter.
A well-written, cleanly designed, up-to-date newsletter distributed on a regular basis is a good way to increase retention
in the program as well as attract new students and keep alums up to date on school activities. A copy of the newsletter can
be mailed in a packet to prescreened potential students. Coverage of current events, faculty accomplishments, academic work,
and personal news from the school can all make the publication inviting and interesting. Any newsletter should be added to
the school website. The field-education program may also write a newsletter to be sent to all fieldwork instructors. This
is an excellent way of keeping fieldwork instructors updated on field seminar activities, workshops, and training events.
Posters.
Poster development includes ones that specifically promote the program and others that promote the major/social work profession.
Creating and distributing a high-quality poster with an attached response card is a good way to promote the program, increase
an inquiry database, and also learn potential geographically focused interest in the program. The poster can be sent to local
high schools and local and regional two-year institutions that have programs in sociology, psychology, or other human services-related
programs. Creating posters that identify job possibilities, needs social workers address, roles social workers play, etc.
provide recognition for the need for social workers and career possibilities with a major in social work.
Prerequisites and scheduling of introductory courses.
Careful consideration of courses such as Intro to Psychology and/or Intro to Sociology as prerequisites for Introduction
to Social Work and placement of Introduction to Social Work in the four-year plan is critical. Making it possible for students
to take Introduction to Social Work as first-year students rather than sophomores engages them in the major earlier.
Faculty teaching Introduction to Social Work must be outstanding teachers, engaging, dynamic, and experienced. Faculty
can either hook students or dampen their interest in the major by their behavior in the classroom.
Publicity.
There are numerous publications, including scholarly journals, magazines, and newsletters, that accept contributions on
interesting or new programs in the field of social work. Releases should be submitted for information sessions, special events,
or lectures sponsored by the school of social work. This strategy often generates high-quality leads into the program. If
your institution has a daily or weekly bulletin distributed to faculty, staff, and students, submission of program events
(date and description) and accomplishments is a good way to keep the community informed about school and/or program activities.
Radio and TV spots.
The university has produced radio and TV spots highlighting different schools within the university. The spots are aired
on public radio and TV, generally for thirty seconds. The spots clearly identify the profession, school, and institution.
Special events.
Information sessions are an effective way to bring interested people into the program for further information. These sessions
can be a simple presentation by program faculty and administration with a time for questions and answers or can be as elaborate
as workshops, seminars, and panel discussions. Special events can be supported by paid advertising as well as publicity. Faculty
and student collaboration at special events is particularly important. Current students are outstanding ambassadors for the
program. Providing food (pizza, cookies, etc.) is an attraction and a motivating factor in attendance.
Targeted mail.
Bulk mailing of view books and information pieces to high school and community-college advisors or counselors is an excellent
means to call their attention to the profession and the program. Having a supply of materials allows them to give the materials
directly to students who express interest without giving away their only copy. During high school and community college visits,
faculty inquire about supply and needed additional information.
Telephoning.
Upon acceptance, faculty telephone all new admissions (first-year and transfer) who have expressed an interest in majoring
in social work. Faculty phon-a-thons occur following acceptance and often prior to depositing, as a way to answer questions,
demonstrate personal attention, and encourage attendance.
Video development.
Videos can be developed for marketing or instructional purposes. Both increase visibility and name recognition of the
school. Development of an eight- to ten-minute video highlighting the differences between an undergraduate major in psychology,
sociology, and social work and what graduates can do with a major in social work. Providing this video to high school and
community-college counselors will help them with career advising. Instructional videos can be developed around a variety of
topics to include job interviewing, skills training, client issues, and field supervision challenges.
View book.
This should be the program's showcase publication. The view book should feature not only the bachelor of social work program,
but also the college or university that students will join. Visual in nature, this publication should give students in-depth
information on the program, program requirements, applying to the program, and features of the program, such as faculty. This
publication is used for mailings to prescreened inquiries, distribution at information fairs, and to prospective students
and other targeted distributions.
Visual exhibits (board and display in student center).
The school of social work obtains "ownership" of a display window in the student center at the college or university.
Updating the display with visually appealing art, books, posters, etc., increases the visibility of the major and school and
supports marketing activities. A portable display board is used at recruitment and information fairs to stimulate interest
in the major and highlight student activities.
Website.
A vibrant, engaging, and up-to-date website is vital to the marketing of this program. The website should give not only
information on the bachelor of social work program, but also links to other university services, such as financial aid and
registration procedures. Ongoing maintenance and enhancements to the website should be built into the program’s
staffing responsibilities.
Word of mouth.
Acknowledged as the best find of advertising. A program gets this acknowledgment by doing what it does so well that people
are excited and want to talk about it. It is good to make sure that everyone is informed, enthusiastic, and pleased to tell
everyone they know about the great things you do and to ask your current students to pass the good word along to their friends.
The communications calendar is an important tool for keeping all responsible for implementing the marketing plan on track.
The dates reflect ongoing projects as well as completed initiatives. The month in which materials are listed are when they
will arrive in the hands of students or when an advertisement will appear. Depending on the type of publication or advertisement,
production time requires between two weeks and two months of advance notice. Developing and printing a new publication typically
takes between two and four months. A communications calendar would include the following:
July
Fall registration period
Advising and Registration Session
Freshman Information Fairs
August
Reprint bachelor of social work view book (every two years ideally)
Transfer- and new-student registration sessions
Update display in student center
Update program display board for staff booth at state fair
Meetings with prospective students
Thank-you letter with social work information
Advising and registration sessions
Meetings with high school counselors
September
Meetings with prospective students
Thank-you letter with social work information
Meetings with community-college advisors
Presentations in introductory psychology and sociology courses
October
Meetings with prospective students
Thank-you letter with social work information
Information session
Print admission to the major packet
Career-development class presentation
Meetings with high school counselors
Presentations in introductory psychology and sociology courses
November
Meetings with prospective students
Social work awareness sessions prior to registration
Thank-you letter with social work information
Meetings with community-college advisors
December
Meetings with prospective students
Thank-you letter with social work information
Newsletter mailed
Faculty phone-a-thon to first-year and transfer admissions
Meetings with high school counselors
Freshman registration events
Day transfer registration
Fall registration mailing
Ad development
Newsletter mailed
The ideas above are just a sampling of the many recruitment marketing tools available. Investment in research, execution
of the plan, and ongoing evaluation of marketing efforts is important for any successful, ongoing marketing strategy. Responsibility
for facilitating most of the strategies for marketing the BSW program falls to the BSW program director and field director.
Monitoring the website, direct-mail projects, informational and academic activities, and special-event coordination must involve
faculty and staff. Publicity for the program should be done in conjunction with the college or university news bureau. Members
of the Social Work Club and National Honor Society should assist faculty with staffing "awareness tables" and hosting
events. It takes a commitment by all faculty, staff, and students to participate to launch a successful marketing campaign.
Remember recruitment and marketing is not an isolated activity or event. It is a critical piece of the development of
your program and reflects every aspect of your organization. An ongoing marketing campaign will help you project and maintain
a positive image to all stakeholders. It will help your program recruit and retain committed students and faculty. Finally,
remember to be creative, be visible, be contagious!
References
Berger, B., & Thornton, S. (2004). Strategies to spread the word about social work. Presentation at the BPD Annual
Conference, Detroit, MI
Csikai, E. L., & Rozensky, C. (1997). Social work idealism and students’ perceived reasons for entering
social work. Journal of Social Work Education, 33(3), 529-538.
Dennison, S. T., (2002). Marketing status of social work education: An exploratory study. The Journal of Baccalaureate
Social Work, 7(2), 77-91.
Hanson, J. G., & McCullagh, J. G. (1995). Career choice factors for BSW students: A 10-year perspective. Journal of
Social Work Education, 31(1), 28&-37.
Hodiak, D. L., & Henley, M. J. (2002). Fund-raising & marketing in the one-person shop. Seattle, WA: Development
Resource Center.
Raber, M., Tebb, S., & Berg-Weger, M. (1998). Recruitment and retention of minority students in bachelor of social
work programs. The Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 3(2), 31-49.
Rompf, E. L., & Rouse, D. (1994). Choice of social work as a career: Possible influences. Journal of Social Work Education,
30(2), 163-171.
Stern, G. J. (2001). Marketing workbook for nonprofit organizations. St. Paul, MN: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.
Stern, G. J. (1997). Mobilize people for marketing success. St. Paul, MN: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.
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