PR Plan for BYU-Idaho Admissions

Executive Summary
BYU-Idaho Admissions is a program that wont be leaving anytime soon. In
fact, it will continue to exist as long as BYU-Idaho does. However, this
program needs to be constantly maintained.
In a way, Admissions acts as a mediator between the university and the
potential student. The student comes to know the university through
Admissions, and vice versa. For Admissions, it is key to portray the university
in the best light possible. It is also key to know the audience and speak in a
way that they can understand.
The primary goal for this campaign is to inform and attract students to apply
to BYU-Idaho and to make that process easier. This will be accomplished
through identifying key audiences and their specific needs. From there, we
will employ specific objectives and tactics that will play upon the strengths,
improve upon weaknesses, and seek to accomplish opportunities while
avoiding threats.
Some of the key points of this campaign include: conducting research to
identify what students are looking for in a university, improving upon the
existing website content, attending events to promote and recruit, creating
personal relationships with potential students, providing more opportunities
to experience what BYU-Idaho has to offer.
In order to track progress, there will be multiple evaluation processes. This
will include surveys, reviews, analysis, and focus groups.

Background
The Admissions department at Brigham Young University-Idaho works to
admit new students to the university. They also seek to promote BYU-Idaho
and draw in potential students. They answer questions about the application
process and make it easier for all types of incoming students. Admissions
sorts through new applications and ultimately decides who will attend the
university and who wont.

Situation Analysis
As students begin their search for a university, they hop online. Before
coming to a school and checking it out, they almost always seem to get a
feel for the school online. Ultimately, they find their way to the admissions
page. In a way, admissions acts as a mediator between the university and

the potential student; it has the power to make or break the image of the
school in the mind of the student. If BYU-Idaho Admissions seeks to improve,
it must first start with improving their webpage and branch out to high
quality recruitment.
Strengths
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

On campus visit opportunities and tours

Visually appealing content on the website
Easy application process
Live-chat
Well explained concepts
More important topics are displayed larger
Divided by applicant type

Weaknesses
1.
2.
3.
4.

The apply and admissions link are hard to find on the home page
Pictures contain hard-to-read text
Multiple links for the same destination on the homepage
There is no student life content on this page

Opportunities
1. Display content concerning student life that would intrigue individuals
to apply to the university.
2. Utilize videos they are powerful.
3. Make the Admissions page more easily accessible from the BYU-Idaho
homepage.
4. Consolidate the information on the page and make it more organized
so that it is easier to navigate.
5. Promote more than on-campus visits, promote on-campus experiences.
6. Live-chat could be made more personalized
Threats
1. Other Universities
2. Reputation for accepting students with low academic standards.
3. Community doesnt cooperate with recruitment strategies

Objectives and Goals

The ultimate goal for Admissions should be to inform and attract students to
apply and make that process easier. There are four goals that will help
accomplish this:
1. Increase traffic on the Admissions page by five percent.
2. Inform more potential students about BYU-Idaho.

3. Increase awareness of all the different programs that BYU-Idaho has to

offer.
4. Have 100 students apply to BYU-Idaho than on average.

Audience/Key Publics
1. Incoming Freshmen: These students will be seeking knowledge about
BYU-Idaho and have a relatively open mind towards it. They will also
have a lot of questions about admission into the college. They should
be a key target.
2. Transfer Students: These students are seeking a school that can offer
them something better than they had before. Many of the students at
BYU-Idaho came here via transfer, so this audience should continue to
be a focus.
3. International Students: These students want a safe experience outside
their home country. Since they will be traveling so far, they will
probably want a college that is relatively inexpensive. They will also
help to create more diversity at the university.
4. Concurrent Enrollment: Having high school students experience college
level work is not only good for the community, but it is good for the
college. If these students have a good experience, they will come back.
5. Online Degrees: There are plenty of individuals who either cant leave
their current location or are just too busy to actually attend college. A
lot of students are taking the online route because of its convenience.
6. Pathway Students: These students dont have to actually attend the
university to participate. They can be at the comfort of their own home
in Arizona and get a degree or certification in a specific area.
7. Parents: A lot of parents choose what college they will pay for their
students to attend. We should appeal to these parents so that they are
more apt to choosing BYU-Idaho for their students. A lot of parents
actually help their students apply, so the application process should be
very clear and user friendly.
8. Non-LDS Students: There students could be Christians who like LDS
values. These students could also be locals looking for a great deal.

Strategy and Tactic

Strategy
The strategy of this campaign will be to reach our key audiences more
effectively and to properly inform them about BYU-Idaho and admissions.
Tactics

1. Attend and hold more open houses. BYU-Idaho needs individuals to

represent it well to the general public. This will set a good image for
parents and incoming freshmen.
2. Have presentations along with Q&A booths at high schools around
Idaho and Utah. Reach out to high school students, answer questions,
and show them why BYU-Idaho is the best. This will set a good
reputation among locals as well as potential freshmen.
3. Hold BYU-Idaho Weekends for those with interest in the school.
Students pay a certain price to come spend the weekend at BYU-Idaho.
Current student ambassadors take them to various activities, including
class, games, etc. This will also target incoming freshmen as well as
parents.
4. Have students available to Skype potential students who have
expressed an interest in the school. This could also include those who
have questions. The current students who Skype them will be their
contact for the rest of the admissions process. It will create a more
personalized feel. This would benefit every kind of student, especially
those who live longer distances away and arent able to tour the
school.
5. Create a compilation of student life photographs and/or videos for
the admissions page. Everyone comes to college seeking knowledge;
however, all students want to know that their college experience will
be fun. This will target all students who could potentially attend school
on-campus.
6. A Why Should I apply? video would be extremely beneficial for the
Admissions page. Students are more apt to watching a short video
than reading a long paragraph. Video can say a lot in a short period of
time. This video should be appealing to all types of students and
include fun facts, interviews, and appealing on-campus activities. If it
displays the facts in a fun way, it will get people more excited about
the school.
7. Work with the campus website to get a more visible Apply button on
the homepage. Apply could even be placed on the main navigation
bar with a drop down menu to include different types of students who
would be interested in applying. Making this page more easily
accessible would allow more traffic to flow to this page. This tactic will
be directed towards all who are interested in BYU-Idaho, especially
those who are casually browsing. We want to direct them to specific,
enticing content.
8. Rework and redesign the Admissions homepage and make it clean.
This page should be very well organized and have a logical flow
pattern. For example: random questions on the sidebar should be
contained in a page called, Common Questions instead of displayed

in the bar. A pleasant looking and well organized homepage will

heighten the credibility of the school in the eyes of every potential
student and parent.
9. Create infographics for non-LDS students and transfer students. Show
potential savings at BYU-Idaho compared to other universities. Show
statistics about our clean, uplifting atmosphere.
10.
For international students, create testimonial videos of
international students who have attended the university and what their
experience has been like. These videos could showcase different
international programs or clubs that they belong to on campus.
11.
Pathway is a brilliant program, but not enough people are aware
of it. This would be a major selling point for many potential students.
Pathway should be displayed on the Admissions homepage as well as
the BYU-Idaho homepage. It should also be a major discussion point at
open houses.
12.
Another video could be created for online students. Showcase
many different students, from Africa to New York to Rexburg, Idaho.
Show how beneficial it could be to join the Pathway Program.
13.
Have application due dates for each semester posted on the
homepage. Students and parents will be frustrated if they have to
search for this information.

Calendar
Because BYU-Idaho operates on a three-track system, there is a constant
need to promote the school. However, Admissions should pay particular
attention to the winter season. For other colleges, this is a time for
promoting (since school starts in the fall).
MAY 2015: Conduct a survey among a wide variety of students to find out
what appealed to them the most about BYU-Idaho. This will help to find out
exactly what the key selling points are.
MAY-SEPTEMBER 2015: Redesign and create major changes to the BYU-Idaho
Admissions page. Create videos, conduct interviews, and take photographs
to promote the university in a positive light. Reorganize information and
make it extremely clear.
AUGUST 2015: Give focus groups the opportunity to run through the website
and give feedback. Invite specific individuals to thoroughly critique the
content, information flow, and overall satisfaction (students, teachers,
parents). Proceed to fix anything that is necessary.
SEPTEMBER 2015: Hold a BYU-Idaho weekend event. Invite students from
across the states to attend a weekend at BYU-Idaho for a small price. Have a
group of student ambassadors put on the event. Let the kids play get to

know you games, have information sessions, attend a sporting event, and
take them to class. Their parents are welcome to come for the weekend as
well.
SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2015: Send representatives to promote BYU-Idaho at
various high schools and open houses. Have student representatives get in
contact with interested students via email and Skype.
JANUARY 2016-APRIL 2016: Continue to send representatives to promote
BYU-Idaho. Collect applications and accept students for the upcoming
semester/track.

Budget
Redesign
Weekend Event
Open-House
Travel
Skype
TOTAL:

$300
$1000
$200
$100 - 200
$300
$1900 - 2000

Evaluation

Give students who apply the option to fill out a short survey about the
process. If they fill it out, they get a 10 percent discount to the
Bookstore.
Hold focus groups to improve the website.
Survey recently applied students to find out what was most appealing
about BYU-Idaho to them.
Analyze website traffic numbers from month to month.
Review application numbers and compare them to previous
semesters/years.