I read a great article today from .eduguru summarizing 3 popular research studies on how prospective students use or want to use social media in the college search process:

Social Media Recruitment: Do prospects really use it??

The studies were:

• E-Expectations 2010 – Focusing You E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of College-Bound Students (Noel-Levitz)
• The Hobsons Report on Undergraduate Student Recruitment 2010 (Hobsons)
• Stamats – TeensTalk® 2010 (Stamats)

I really appreciate the way they look at all three instead of just one - it provides a larger sample size and a broader view of what the progrosis is for social media tactics to engage with your prospective students.

I have always been of the opinion that no, your prospective audience is not researching you on facebook or youtube… BUT that to not have a presence is a mistake. In looking at these 3 research studies together, it seems my opinion is holding some water…

• 33% of respondents said that they had searched for schools on social networking sites. Noel-Levitz
• 74% thought schools should have a presence on social media sites. Noel-Levitz

But…

• Only 1%-2% of respondents said Facebook was effective in developing an interest in or deciding if to apply to a college. Hobsons
• Only 2%-3% of respondents said Facebook was effective in developing an interest in or deciding if to apply to a college. Hobsons
• Only 19% of respondents found Facebook to be a credible source of information about a school. Hobsons
• 30% of students find Facebook and MySpace as acceptable forms of communication. Stamats

For .eduguru, the net take-away was this…

The evidence is right there. Student’s really aren’t utilizing social media as a communication bridge between themselves and their prospective schools. …this data is good food for thought. The data may not be exactly what all of us wanted or expected to hear, but it’s data we should consider nonetheless. 

Using national data - even from 3 sources - to dictate your social media strategy is dangerous. Each school is looking for a slightly different student. What works on the west-coast to attract students to Biola is not what will work to attract students in rural Cederville Ohio.

I think my take-away is this: dont put all your eggs in one basket. Brilliant thought, I know. But it is true! What the data shows us is that to put all your attention on social media to bring in students is not good nor is it OK to ignore social tools all together. It is once a again a call to think holistically about your marketing tactics - making sure to do each really well.