• Internet Conversions
• Switch to Call Center site
• Who's Surfing?
• 1. Demographics
• 2. Psychographics
• 3. How They Find You
• What's Next?
• 4. Conservative Strategy
• 5. Moderate Strategy
• 6. Aggressive Strategy
• Worth Knowing
• 7. Helpful Tips
• 8. FAQ
• 9. Successes

Did you know?

Top Uses for the Web

Research 81.7%
Education 53.5%
Employment/
Job Searching 27.2%
Source: Online poll from Survey.Net

Internet Advantages

Internet leads prefer the Web because they can:

• Access a wealth of useful information on-demand
• Avoid personal interaction and reduce emotional risk
• Rely on facts – not people – to make decisions

Hot Tip!

Internet users are not looking to have something sold to them. They are looking for the information they need to feel confident about making their own decision.

Who's Surfing?: Psychographics

We've defined the Internet's audience. The next step is understanding why people use the Internet. Well, they use it for a multitude of reasons. They use it for entertainment and shopping, communicating and conducting business. Most significant, however, is that some of the top reasons people go online have direct relevance to school recruitment.

Internet leads really aren't that different from most other leads you will get. However, their decision to contact you by e-mail may reveal (or help you deduce) valuable information about their personal preferences and tendencies. These pieces of information can give you remarkable insight into the personalities of your Internet leads. They can provide you with some helpful hints for following up with Internet leads. They can also help you avoid potential pitfalls.

Mediamark Research Inc. has released data suggesting:

• 64.2 million adults go online in the U.S. every month(NUA)


• 76% of U.S. companies sold their products online by 2003, up from 56% in 2000 (NUA)


• A survey of 30,000 consumers in 30 nations found that the U.S. not only has the fastest-growing number of Internet users, but the largest proportion of eCommerce consumers (Roper Starch Worldwide)

Instant Information

All Internet users have one thing in common. They have the desire for quick and easy access to valuable information. Even those who use the Internet primarily for entertainment reap the benefits of having infinite options – whenever they want. No other medium for information or entertainment offers on-demand access to so many options so quickly. Frequent Internet users value the ability to learn what they need – and to learn it fast.

E-mail leads who contact you are accustomed to speed and convenience. No waiting on hold. No playing "phone tag." No explaining. Just request the information and click. Quick. Easy. Hassle-free.

The Value of Anonymity
Some people are attracted to the Internet because it allows them to remain anonymous. They can get information from other people without ever meeting, talking or even exchanging names. No, they are not being antisocial. And it's not that they have something to hide.

So what's appealing about surfing in nameless isolation? For one thing, as we mentioned, it's more convenient. But it's also safer. Anonymity can eliminate emotional risks that can make face-to-face interactions difficult, such as feelings of:

Distrustful … but Savvy

We do not mean to say that all Internet users are jaded or cynical. In general, however, society has lost the willingness to believe everything we are told. Highly publicized scandals involving politicians, sports heroes and others have undermined our collective faith in people and institutions that once represented integrity. We are inundated with advertising messages that stretch the truth – or make false claims outright. Scam artists and con men have hatched countless schemes to swindle their gullible victims. Crimes are publicized more widely and more frequently. The result? Internet users are less likely than ever to take information at face value.

Automated public service and commerce are now very common, most notably via the Internet. That means we have less personal contact with other people in our daily lives. The Internet is producing a new generation of discriminating consumers. They are younger, more worldly and far less näive. In short, your Internet leads are savvy consumers. They are savvier, in many ways, than leads from offline sources. They are not looking to have something sold to them. They are looking for the information they need to feel confident in their own decisions.