Dan - 03/05/07 - The Web and Higher Education - We have been engaged in discussions with a number of universities lately about how their use of the web is evolving in all areas of communication with their target audiences, including students, staff, academics, alumni, research assessors, the media and so on. One area of particular interest is how online can help Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to attract new students - increasingly viewed as their customers now fees are included in the funding system.

One of the interesting things about the sector, as was clearly highlighted at The Knowledge Partnership's annual conference in Cambridge a few weeks ago, at which our own Jeremy Davis was a speaker (read the news article), was that there is a keenly felt balance between the remit of an HEI to be a centre of academia, and the pressure they feel to operate on an increasingly commercial playing field.

And no-one can argue the market is increasingly competitive. There is an expanding number of HEIs being awarded University status, giving a greater choice to students, and placing an emphasis on HEI's differentiating their offerings, and sharpening their marketing focus.

The HE market is also more globalised these days. The UK's traditional position as one of the world market leaders for HE is being eroded by competition from emerging HEIs in other territories, for instance China or Australia, where the quality is high and there's considerably less drizzle. UK HEIs therefore need to step up their marcomms game if they are to hold on to, or expand, market share on a global playing field.

Add to this the fact that overseas students conduct extensive online research prior to application and offer acceptance, with many never visiting their institution of choice before their program of study begins.

The result is an understanding that web is essential in creating these relationships with prospective students. The question of course, in a sector that is still learning about online marketing (compared to, say, consumer retailers who have it down pat), is 'How?'

The delicate balance of academia vs. commercial factors that I mentioned ealier has a significant impact on the use, and potential abuse, of online media for HEIs.

There are some lessons that can be learned from the business world. As soon as online channels were deemed successful, progressive companies adopted them straight away and got down to business. The rest of the private sector followed closely behind the early adopters.

Things were said, mistakes were made. People worked out that abusing communications media, and encroaching on their audience's personal space online, was not acceptable and was probably damaging. So what smart companies realised was that they only get so many chances to win over their customers. Accepted wisdom is now to focus on what really matters, and get it right.

What we're now seeing online in the shape of Web 2.0 is the culmination of this pattern, putting individuals at the centre of the equation, and allowing them to be involved in the online dialogue, rather than on the receiving end of a monologue.

And this is where forward-thinking HEIs will look to place their efforts when communicating with prospective students. Their audience is largely young and completely emersed in the online world. They don't remember a time before computers and the Internet. Their first port of call for information is a search engine, not the library. Why not begin a dialogue with them using these methods, if that's how they like to communicate? At the same time, giving them something useful for their academic lives as part of this dialogue keeps the balance where it should be.

There is plenty of cool technology and media to use to do this, but that's not really the point. The technology as per usual is the enabler, it's people that shape it and what it can do for them, and make it their own. So whether it's blogging, instant messaging, bebo, second life, delicious, facebook, or youtube, the questions are: who are you talking to, do they want to talk to you, what do you have to give them, and what's the best way to communicate.

If you can answer those questions, the rest will fall into place.