During a conference organised by Hobsons – which offers technology and marketing products for tertiary players – delegates heard that the new marketing reality meant understanding students as consumers was essential to longevity. Moreso, given the sharp rise in tuition fees for domestic students – which would squeeze middle-ranked institutions together.

Ben Page, Chief Executive of research company Ipsos Mori, pointed out that interaction with consumers was key: best-rated hospitals had excellent levels of service and communication, regardless of the success of treatment patients received. “The 21st century is about two-way communication,” he said.

Sharon Smart, Web Marketing Manager at Birmingham City University, agreed that students are getting more sophisticated and asking questions about value for money. “The importance of social media campaigns cannot be underestimated,” she added.

The best prospectuses were a brand statement, said Professor Peter Slee, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, who pointed out that in the International Student Barometer survey produced by i-graduate, British universities slightly outperfomed those in other countries, and student satisfaction overall was high.

But international dimensions to UK universities’ recruitment activities were also under threat, observed Phil Baty, Editor at Large of Times Higher Education, who used his platform to lambast current visa policy. He said UK institutions faced stiff competition from countries such as the Netherlands and Germany, which had been marketing directly to UK students in light of the higher price tag at home.

“International students are far too valuable to be used as political ballast in the immigration debate”

At the same time, the current visa clampdown, and perceptions that we had raised our drawbridge to the non-EU market, could cost the UK billions in lost income from the international market, he warned. “International students are far too valuable [to the UK] to be used as political ballast in the immigration debate.”

Stuart Rennie, former International Officer turned Consultant, spoke about outsourcing marketing operations in the international context, claiming that many universities did not adequately track or capture data regarding the student enquiry and conversion process. An advocate of Hobsons’ solutions, he shared previous experience of monitoring conversions from fairs, webforms, email and phone enquiries so he could judge which channel was the most effective, and track improved conversion rates.

Another session (which The PIE was not at) urged universities to better understand data from Google Analytics to track and target visitor behaviour. The overriding message was that an intelligent, data-driven approach to marketing is essential. Paul Marshall, Chief Executive of the Association of Business Schools, called for user-centric development strategies “constantly monitored with performance management guidelines informed by accurate data sets”.