Mobile is becoming critically important for universities and colleges. Students were among the first to embrace smartphones when the mobile revolution began just a few years ago. However, many schools are still struggling to keep pace with the fast-changing technological landscape. Apps, social networks, and the mobile web are still in their infancy but will prove invaluable for reaching students in the coming years.
How Cell Phones Shape the Lives of College Students
Need any more convincing about the significance of smartphones to college students? Here’s a good rundown of the digital habits of “Generation Mobile.”
Created by: HackCollege
Mobile in Higher Ed Stats
Karine Joly recently conducted a survey on the use of mobile technology in higher education. Some of her findings included:
- 59% (compared to 37% in 2011) of the survey respondents currently provide a solution (mobile website, accessible website, native mobile device applications etc.) targeting and serving owners of mobile devices
- 74% of the survey respondents plan to implement a solution in the future
- 90% of the survey respondents are planning a solution that will target prospective students
- 75% of the institutions planning a mobile solutions want to use it for student recruitment.
“The increase in mobile users, devices, and connections increases the expectation of being able to access mobile-optimized content. For college and university marketers and especially enrollment managers, this means that instead of thinking about the institution’s website as its main vehicle for digital content delivery, the mobile revolution requires taking a more integrated approach to the institution’s entire digital presence.” – The Lawlor Group
Leveraging the Power of the Mobile Phone in Emerging Markets
As the price of smartphones drop rapidly, new potential students from the developing world be will connected to the internet for the very first time. While schools might not have the resources to send recruiters to every country, they will still be able to reach these students (and vice versa) through social networks and other websites. Here is an infographic from Jana that highlights the tremendous potential for mobile marketing in the developing world.
