It’s amazing how many people remember this line from the 1996 movie “Jerry Maguire.’” That famous line was delivered by the actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. playing the part of Rod Tidwell – the point being that no matter what anybody said about his skill as an athlete, the most important thing as far as he was concerned, was the MONEY!

So what does this have to do with Online Education? Certainly there are those that continue their education because they love what they’re doing. But probably the vast majority are saying “Show Me The Money!” They know that getting a degree means more income! A better life! Greater satisfaction!

We know that taking classes online can help individuals freshen their skills and stay competitive in their industry, which helps them move up the ladder and negotiate a higher salary or a bigger raise. Online education provides them with a way of keeping their professional goals in sight without disrupting their lives.

Here’s a little exercise I did for this article. The website www.payscale.com allows one free “Salary Report” – so I took advantage of it. My input stated that I was looking for the pay scale for an Advertising and Promotion Manager in San Diego, CA. I inputed that I had 20 years’ experience, had managed up to 10 people, BUT, I did not have a degree of any kind. I clicked submit, and just as sure as the sun will come up tomorrow, I saw the line right next to the pay scale chart, “Increase your salary. Search Degrees.” The implication was clear. Get a degree and we’ll SHOW YOU THE MONEY!

Average Annual Earnings for College Graduates and Non-Graduates
Average Annual Earnings

Professional Degree $109,600
Doctoral Degree $89,400
Master’s Degree $62,300
Bachelor’s Degree $52,200
Associates Degree $38,200
Some College $36,800
High School Graduate $30,400
Some High School $23,400

Average Annual Earnings—Different Levels of Education.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Surveys

Let EDU, “Show You The Money!”
EDU Interactive believes it is so important that as your lead generation partner, we assume responsibility for all aspects of your campaign, from strategy through execution, while our partners maintain ownership of leads delivered on a pay-for-performance basis. EDU Interactive believes that successful online lead generation demands certain critical attributes and adherence to these will determine the success of a campaign and allow us to “Show You The Money!”

ONE: It’s impossible to put too much importance on budgeting. This is where fantasy and reality butt heads. This is the first inning – the first batter – the first pitch! Get this right and the chance for success and realizing expectations come together.
TWO: A campaign strategy tailored to achieve enrollment goals. A strategy that communicates a message of substance. This is where our experience really shines!
THREE: A media plan that leverages a mix of online channels to reach a multitude of highly targeted
candidates and direct this traffic to education programs – a media plan that is negotiated with the client’s
best interest in mind and not the media’s.
FOUR: Apply advanced optimization strategy across these online channels determined by our extensive personal, behavioral, and contextual targeting criteria, to make sure we are delivering an on-target message to the right candidates, ensuring a consistent stream of qualified student leads and return on investment.
FIVE: We feel that it is also very important that we verify the quality of all student leads using a highly developed data cleansing process.
SIX: Finally, it is vital to analyze a campaign’s results and provide recommendations for all future campaigns.

The people of EDU Interactive have devoted countless hours and experienced innumerable success and, yes, failure, too, in an effort to learn what it takes to create and administer a service based on the six principles stated in this article.

Ultimately, it boils down to execution … EDU Interactive’s greatest strength. That’s why we can, “Show You The Money!”

It demands realistic expectations.

The power of the Internet has and is bringing about enormous changes in higher education. This is especially true in driving the enrollment of new students. Research has shown that nearly 82 percent of respondents to a special survey began their search for university degree and certificate programs by using various online channels.

As the internet becomes ever more popular and gains credibility, educational institutions are seeking effective ways to market their products online. This allows for a more targeted approach in promoting both online and campus-based programs. Enrollment programs that use online marketing channels are also easier to quantify in terms of success as education marketers pay only for the qualified leads they acquire.

So, it’s a piece of cake. Right? Promote on the Internet and you’re home free. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Just as any skill must be acquired through hard work and the refining of the tools of the trade, so must the skill of online marketing. A case in point is the tale of a major Midwest University spending approximately three million dollars over two years and acquiring only fifteen students!

That’s why EDU Interactive believes it is so important that. as your lead generation partner, we assume responsibility for all aspects of your campaign from strategy through execution, while our partners maintain ownership of leads delivered on a pay-for-performance basis.

EDU Interactive believes that successful online lead generation demands certain critical attributes, and adherence to these will determine the success of a campaign.

ONE: It’s impossible to put too much importance on budgeting. This is where fantasy and reality butt heads. This is the first inning – the first batter – the first pitch! Get this right and the chance for success and realizing expectations come together.

TWO: A campaign strategy tailored to achieve enrollment goals. A strategy that communicates a message of substance. This is where our experience really shines!

THREE: A media plan that leverages a mix of online channels to reach a multitude of highly targeted
candidates and direct this traffic to education programs. A media plan that is negotiated with the client’s
best interest in mind and not the media’s.

FOUR: Apply advanced optimization strategy across these online channels determined by our extensive personal, behavioral, and contextual targeting criteria to make sure we are delivering an on-target message to the right candidates, ensuring a consistent stream of qualified student leads and return on investment.

FIVE: We feel that it is also very important that we verify the quality of all student leads using a highly developed data cleansing process.

SIX: Finally, it is vital to analyze a campaign’s results and provide recommendations for all future campaigns.

So, as you can tell, it is more of an art form than a science. The people of EDU Interactive have devoted countless hours and experienced immeasurable success, and yes failure, too, in an effort to learn what it takes to create and administer a service based on the six principles stated in this article.

Ultimately, it boils down to execution … EDU Interactive’s greatest strength!

Visit the link below to check out the press that EDU Interactive received in San Diego Metropolitan’s January issue:
http://www.sandiegometro.com/2008/jan/education.php

In a day and age where ROI is becoming increasingly prevalent, finding ways to monitor campaign effectiveness at a more intricate level is crucial. Pay per call is one of those examples. There are several call tracking providers that offer this type of service, which allows companies to track phone leads real-time from specific advertising initiatives. By setting up a unique phone number(s) through one of these providers for each particular initiative (i.e. paid search, directory listings, etc.), a company is able to track real-time all inbound data – phone number, date and time of call, call duration, name, address, media source, and more. The calls will ring seamlessly into the customer’s business and allows users to view the detailed call reports online 24/7. Another unique feature is that most services also provide an audio recording of all inbound calls, which is especially helpful for companies that wish to monitor quality assurance and assist in customer acquisition and retention. Pay per call provides tangible evidence to substantiate the value of marketing initiatives and gets us closer to quantifying the effectiveness of our advertising dollars.

Pay per call has been especially interesting when it comes to search engine marketing. Previously, the emphasis has been on whether people make it to your web site, not what type of action they take once they get there. Pay per call provides an avenue to obtain more qualified leads. According to MediaPost Publications, “by allowing companies to track phone calls back to exact keywords, call tracking technology facilities a cost-per-lead model that delivers real-time leads to merchants in the form of a phone call, and creates a much more complete cost-per-lead analysis for online campaigns.”

Pay per call is an extremely valuable tool that helps companies make the most of their advertising dollars and I believe this is only the beginning of technological advances that will affect how companies track advertising campaigns and ROI in the future.