{"id":13570,"date":"2016-11-18T11:12:34","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T16:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.studyabroad101.com\/?p=13570"},"modified":"2022-06-21T10:48:35","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T14:48:35","slug":"abroad101-providers-newsletter-fall-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studyabroad101.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/abroad101-providers-newsletter-fall-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Abroad101 Providers Newsletter – Fall 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Abroad101-reviews-logo-web\"<\/span><\/p>\n

We appreciate you opening this newsletter and taking a few minutes to check-in with the latest news from Abroad101.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Secret to Abroad101\u2019s Listings Display<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Abroad prides itself as a review website, as the largest in the field, people come to us looking for reviews. \u00a0We have designed the site to display programs based on their review relevance using a proprietary algorithm that looks at multiple factors. \u00a0This approach is applied anywhere you see programs displayed: on your provider\u2019s page, on university pre-approved program pages and in each of the city<\/span>, country<\/span> and subject<\/span> directories that serve prospective students.\u00a0 The algorithm scores each review and lists the programs based on a point system.\u00a0 Points come from the freshness of reviews, the completeness of reviews and an adjustment for candor (standard deviation). \u00a0Programs benefit from review volume as well as review quality.<\/span><\/p>\n

People Don\u2019t Trust Perfect Reviews<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

People use reviews in a number of different ways and human nature as it is, most come looking for something wrong.\u00a0 The reviews with a critical tone get more views than the reviews with \u201cthe best 4 months of my life\u201d and similar titles. \u00a0As it turns out, people find that some criticism is reassuring and it’s\u00a0ironic that slightly negative reviews\u00a0have more positive impact that overdone, glowing\u00a0reviews. \u00a0Abroad101\u2019s Social Media Editor uncovered some research that indicated that in a free market, when it comes to reviews, \u201cthe only factor that had a greater influence on sales was price\u201d and \u201cthe indication that electronic word of mouth has actually overtaken more traditional sources of information.\u201d \u00a0Read more of Caleb\u2019s analysis<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The research used in Caleb\u2019s article looked at retail purchases.\u00a0 As we know, study abroad is more complex than this so this data should be taken with appropriate disclaimers.\u00a0 That being said, it is a new generation of students on study abroad and a new generation of parents.\u00a0 What does it say when you have NO reviews?<\/span><\/p>\n

Moms & Dads Use Abroad101<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The target audience for Abroad101 is American college students looking for a semester, summer or short-term away from campus.\u00a0 In addition, parents and advisors that support students end up being a sizable portion of our traffic.\u00a0 Based on Google Analytics data, we estimate that 20-25% of the visitors to Abroad101 are parents, searching on the keyword \u201creviews\u201d and trying to learn more about the options their children are considering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Parents are not looking to discover new programs, but are looking to become more familiar, and in a number of cases validate what they hear from their children.\u00a0 You should be aware of this and use the in-depth reviews on Abroad101 to your advantage.\u00a0 Consider referring parents to reviews when they call in, and certainly have your customer service folks be well aware of the reviews that are online and any associated concerns they may identify.<\/span><\/p>\n

Directing parents to reviews will help them become more comfortable with study abroad and help them set expectations on what lies ahead.\u00a0 Review may also be quite helpful in moving a student inquiry toward an enrollment as reviews do have an impact on conversions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Advertise?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Advertising on Abroad101 is designed to bring you more inquiries, improve your conversions and raise the brand and visibility of your programs, all at a price that won’t blow your budget.\u00a0 Advertising is also the only way we fund Abroad101.\u00a0 Featured Listings match by program in our directories (city, country, study subjects) and cost $500\/year.\u00a0 Display advertising can highlight your organization or specific programs.\u00a0 We offer cost-effective \u201cbundles\u201d designed to bring you both value and performance.\u00a0 Over the course of the year, as an average, Abroad101 is generating inquiries in the range of $40-$75 each, and from what we hear from our clients, Abroad101 inquires convert to enrollments at a rate ranging from 5-10%.\u00a0 Remember that our core audience is currently enrolled, American college students looking for a semester, summer or short-term abroad, then returning to campus to finish their degree.\u00a0 By reaching parents and advisors as well as students, Abroad101 is uniquely positioned as a place for your advertising dollars.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Get Students to Write Reviews?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As we stress, your presence on Abroad101 is greatly enhanced by reviews. \u00a0So often we hear that it is hard to get students to do anything, let alone spend 20-30 minutes on a review.\u00a0 This is especially true when students feel that the activity has no benefit for them.\u00a0 We find that students ARE inclined to share their experience if the exercise gives them a chance to tell their story – exactly what they do on social media for hours a day!<\/span><\/p>\n

If the student believes the review is good for them, they will generally participate.\u00a0 That takes some groundwork before they go abroad and as they prepare to return.\u00a0 One idea to get more engagement is to incorporate a review in your end-of-term programming and use the review process as a step toward preparing the students to share their experience with others.\u00a0 Just like career counselors who tell students to prepare a good resume for a job search, we hope that study abroad staff will help their students prepare for their return home by guiding them to submitting a thorough and candid review.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve published some articles with messages that should resonate with students, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Should I Write a Study Abroad Review<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Top 5 Reasons to Write an Education Abroad Review<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Getting More from Abroad101<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Like you, our goal is to see more students going abroad and getting the most from their experience. \u00a0We also want those that go to be better informed beforehand and we want to help them turn that experience into a career building stepping stone when they return.\u00a0 The Abroad101 team is happy to answer any of your questions by email or phone.\u00a0 We also welcome the opportunity to walk you though the system with an online demo of the back-end features of Abroad101 to see if our free program evaluation tool is right for you.\u00a0 The demo will show how you can see reports, compare your results with other organizations, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we approach our 10<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span> anniversary, we\u2019d like to say THANKS for all your support.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mark Shay |\u00a0<\/span>Abroad101<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We appreciate you opening this newsletter and taking a few minutes to check-in with the latest news from Abroad101. The Secret to Abroad101\u2019s Listings Display Abroad prides itself as a review website, as the largest in the field, people come to us looking for reviews. \u00a0We have designed the site to display programs based on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[530],"tags":[628,601],"ppma_author":[691],"class_list":["post-13570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-study-abroad-providers","tag-fall-2016","tag-providers-newsletter","author-mark-shay"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t