Prospective students understand the Worlds Collide Theory. If you’re not familiar with the classic Seinfeld episode, it deals with the understanding of having different relationships in different worlds. We have one world that includes our closest friends, another world for family, and perhaps other worlds for work, church or school. When George Costanza’s new girlfriend starts interacting with his old friends his worlds collide and, as Kramer says, "That's gonna be trouble."

Taking this theory a step further, think about how we communicate with people in our different worlds. In my own experience, I communicate primarily using IM and email at work, Facebook with old friends, SMS with current friends, Email, or LinkedIn with colleagues, and phone with family. I don’t particularly like it when someone from one world uses the wrong technology to communicate. For instance, I decline Facebook friend requests from business colleagues; I don’t want phone calls from anyone that’s not in my speed dial; and I hate text messages (SMS) from anyone but close friends and family.

So how does the Worlds Collide Theory affect our strategy with prospective students? The latest research shows a staggering surge in teen adoption of social networking tools and SMS. One recent Nielson survey shows average teenagers using 3,146 text messages per month. For teens, texting has long surpassed phone calls as the primary use for a cell phone. Another Nielson study shows that almost half of all teenagers visit Facebook and MySpace monthly. Teens spend 80% of their online time engaged in social networking. An enthusiastic Admissions Director might look for ways to jump head first into this world to interact with the next generation of college students. Use caution, though, because research also indicates that teens have very strong views on how we should communicate with them. A recent study by Ball State University shows that while 42% of teens prefer to communicate using SMS, more than 40% are ‘annoyed’ by promotional text messages. So how would they rather receive promotional messaging? The same study showed that 62% of teens prefer email for ‘promotional communication’ compared to only 1% who prefer text messages.

In which world would we find the Admissions Office? I would suggest that this will evolve over the life of our relationship with a prospective student. In the early stages, we should stick to communication methods ‘approved’ for new relationships including direct mail and occasional email. This is the standard approach during the student search process. As a student becomes more interested, they will be more accepting of email and might actually open print communication. As students apply, this opens the door for more intrusive technology like phone calls or possibly a ‘Like’ on Facebook. As for text messages-- this world, it appears, is reserved for a select few. Getting too close to this world will make George very upset!

Keith Beindorf
VP, Products & Services
Admissions Lab

Source Article: Admissions Lab Notes