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Higher EducationDigital CommunicationsInsights Report-2019Presented by
WELCOMEThank you for your participation and interest in our HigherEducation Digital Communications Insights Report dedicated todigital tools, needs and trends among colleges and universitiesacross US and Canada.At Agility CMS, we wanted to hear the voice of managers andexecutives in Marketing and Digital roles and we are excited toshare the results of the survey with you! Sample: Marketing Managers and Executives IT Specialists and ExecutivesGeography: USA and CanadaSample size: n 191Data collected between May 5th and July 7th of 2019Length of the interview: 4 min, 10 questionswww.agilitycms.com
Higher EdCommunicationStrategies:Complexities andChallenges
Higher Educationcommunications strategies arebecoming increasingly complexand multi-channel.Expectedly, website and print are still main channels that areused by Higher Ed Institutions:99%91%WebsitePrintMeanwhile, besides traditional website and print colleterial,institutions extensively use SMS and broadcast email messagingsystems (7 out of 10).The portfolio starts getting more complex when you considerticketing, apps, and POS Kiosks which still have a high enoughpenetration rate to make a big impact and continue to grow:SMS Push Text Messaging72%Broadcast & AutoResponse Email 70%EventMarketing/Ticketing60%IOS Apps39% Interesting! 4 out of 10institutions use apps andwe expect this number35% to grow next year!Android AppsPoint of Sale KiosksTicketingand Eventmanagement systems arealready widely adopted.15%We asked Q. Which communication channels are in use at your institution?(Select all that apply)www.agilitycms.com
Higher Education DigitalCommunications require acomplex collaboration ofOn-Campus and Off-Campusexpertise.On average, 7 out of 10 institutions will keepmain digital functions in house and 3 out of 10will seek outside help. Without a correspondingincrease in staff or budget, most institutionsneed to find a way to handle more with less.3 outof 10Interesting!As the complexity of digitalneeds increases, we expectan increase in the need forin-house talent. To maintaincurrent staff, the need forimproved andeasy to useplatformswill grow.7 outof 10use outside helpIn-houseEditorial / ContentDevelopmentuse in-house talentOutsourced87%19%Digital CommunicationStrategyGraphic mation Architecture84%43%60%32%71%55%We asked Q. Which of the following communications functions are completed on campus? (Check all that apply)Q. For which of the following communications functions does your institution hire OUTSIDE serviceproviders/consultants/agencies? (Check all that apply)www.agilitycms.com
Web Development is the mostdemanding function.Web development is outsourced by 60% of Higher Ed teams andis also performed in house by over 70% of teams.Meanwhile, content management is least likely to beoutsourced and almost 9 out of 10 teams keep it in house.The common challenge is to establish a strong link between theneeds of internal editors and outsourced web ureGraphicDesign30Editorial ContentDevelopment% Outsourced2010050% In-house607080We asked Q. Which of the following communications functions are completed oncampus? (Check all that apply)Q. For which of the following communications functions does yourinstitution hire OUTSIDE service providers/consultants/agencies? (Checkall that apply)90www.agilitycms.com
Content Management Systemshelp on-campus professionalsmanage the volume of editorialcommunication more effectively.Problem arises when Web Development and Content Development are notconnected. While editors need to manage their content using a webapplication developed for that, it is often overlooked. E.g. used CMS does nothave enough flexibility and ease of use.Newer systems like Headless and Cloud CMS’s are becoming more popular asthey deliver more flexibility for developers plus ease of use and flexibility reGraphicDesign% Outsourced30Interesting!Having easy-to-use and fast CMS is20 the key. As CMS become more and moreuser friendly, we expect outsourcing forcontent needs to drop even more next10 years as flexible cloud–basedheadless CMS platformsget adopted by Higher Ed!Editorial ContentDevelopment050% In-house607080We asked Q. Which of the following communications functions are completed oncampus? (Check all that apply)Q. For which of the following communications functions does yourinstitution hire OUTSIDE service providers/consultants/agencies? (Checkall that apply)90www.agilitycms.com
Digital Platforms:What Is Used andWhat Is Next?
Colleges and Universities areusing more and more platformsand CMS is still the central hubfor digital needs.Content Management Systems are the most used and knownthroughout the organization.9 outof 10Use CMS(ContentManagementSystem)8 outof 10UseSocial MediaManagementtools6 outof 10UseMarketingAutomationtoolsSocial Media Managing tools and Marketing Automations are stillunfamiliar to many Higher Ed teams.7%25%20%Don’t knowwhatCMS is usedDon’t knowwhatSocial MediaManaging toolis usedDon’t knowwhatMarketingAutomationtool is usedWe asked Q. What are used at your institution? (Check all that apply)www.agilitycms.com
The complexity of CMS offeringand usage are expanding withmore sophisticated and advancedsolutions entering the world ofHigher Ed.0%20%40%60%WordpressDrupalOmni UpdateAdobe ExperienceManagerIt is a puzzle game!1 in 3need more than one CMSto meet all their needs.AgilityEktron/EpiserverAquiaCampus SuiteSitecoreDon't knowNone - No CMSOther1 in 2use Wordpress,but nearly half of these users (48%)need another CMS to complementWordpress functionality.20%are planningto upgradetheirContentManagementSystem nextyear!Custom systemWe asked Q. What CMS platforms are used at your institution? (Check all that apply)Q. Which elements of your digital communications system do you plan toimplement/update in the next 1-2 fiscal years? (Check all that apply)www.agilitycms.com
Social Media Management tools areadding more complexity but alsomore efficiency to Higher Edteams.0%10% 20% 30% 40% 50%HootSuiteTweetDeckSprout omlySprinklrHootSuite dominates themarket but shares it withTweetDeck.1 in 3of Hootsuite users also useTweetDeck at the sametime.41%are planningto upgradetheir SocialMediaManagementnext year!Don't KnowOther (please specify)NoneWe asked Q. What Social Media management tools are used at your institution? (Checkwww.agilitycms.comall that apply)
Marketing Automation tools arenot yet widely implemented stemActive CampaignAutopilot33%are planning toupgrade theirMarketingAutomationSystemnext year!Marketo1 in 2OntraportPardotuse nothing or notaware of whatplatform is being usedin the organization forMarketing Automation.Prospect.ioDon't KnowOtherNoneWe asked Q. What Marketing Automation tools are used at your institution?(Check all that apply)www.agilitycms.com
Marketing teamsvs Digital teams:What Hat AreYou Wearing?
Both Marketing and ITprofessionals are involved inimplementing and using multifunctional CMS.Hats you wear in Marketing inHigher sign/UserInterface72%12%IT ToolsContentManagementSystem59%11%Custom TechDevelopmentMarketingHats you wear in IT and Tech role in Higher tom yIT and TechInteresting! The future belongs to CMS which can alsoserve in multiple roles providing functional power fordigital experts and flexibility/speed of use for Marketingprofessionals.We asked Q. In which areas are you involved as a decision maker in yourorganization?www.agilitycms.com
Increasing complexity requiresongoing evolution of digitalcommunications strategy.Higher Ed professionals have big plans for next 1-2 years.Both Marketing and IT teams plan to update digital strategyand platforms in the search for the most efficient trategy22%26%1 in 2are aiming to update websiteand 48% aim to update the entiredigital communications strategy.1 in 4 plan to update both.To be updated inthe next 1-2years:Event TicketingIntegrated digitalcommunication strategy70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%Social Media IntegrationSystemIT RoleGraphic Design / UserInterfaceWebsite and/or CMSMarketingRoleMarketing AutomationInteresting! Choose your CMSwisely – it is the hardest tochange once the website is built.Higher Ed institutions are morelikely to change design for thewebsite then rebuilding websitewith new CMS.Interesting! IT professionalsare more likely to beresponsible for implementingnew Event Ticketing platform than thoseon Marketing role. Note that some CMS(including AgilityCMS) offer eventticketing as a module.We asked Q Which elements of your digital communications system do you planto implement/update in the next 1-2 fiscal years?www.agilitycms.com
Bird’s-eye view Digital leaders in Higher Ed are required to managethe ever increasing complexity of digital contentwhile looking for platforms that make integrateddigital communication strategies easier toimplement across the institution and in connectionwith external agencies and consultants. Colleges and Universities are beginning to useadditional digital tools and channels includingmobile apps and rapidly changing social mediaplatforms, but even those who are using tools suchas CMS platforms, Social Media Management, andMarketing Automation tools struggle to efficientlycoordinate the technology and the messaging. Increasing complexity requires ongoing evolution ofdigital communications strategy, constantworkflows of target messaging, management ofuser-generated content, and the ability to easilyupdate legacy content into evolving digital deliverychannels. To be effectively “future-proof” and avoid thepotential for outmoded infrastructure, highereducation leaders need to embrace “headless”content management platforms that decouplemanagement of content on the “back end” fromever-changing “front end” consumer expectations,including: Switch on and off applications as contentdistribution channels, Update look & feel of the institutional website bychanging templates, Deliver the same piece of content to a set of webpages and mobile apps without replication of effort,by updating a cell in the CMS, Manage content in multiple languages by adding alanguage channel.www.agilitycms.com
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Ektron/Episerver Aquia Campus Suite Sitecore Don't know None - No CMS Other Custom system The complexity of CMS offering and usage are expanding with more sophisticated and advanced solutions entering the world of Higher Ed. It is a puzzle game! 1 in 3 20% are planning to upgrade their Content Management System next year! We asked Q.
