2008 Woodie Awards
Marketing director makes plans to increase enrollment
Laura Avila
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Other News
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Alleman has 20 years of experience in health-care marketing. She said she worked closely with hospitals and physicians and also owned her own ad agency for five years. Even though a health care facility and university are different environments, both require related markeing approaches, she said.
After joining the University last November, Alleman said her goal was to target specific audiences to attend UST. "Houston is so big that marketing is harder because there is so much competition," she said. "The setting is similar because UST [like a hospital,] has many programs to market. We have business, pre-health and liberal arts, so it is similar to promoting the different departments in a health care system."
Alleman said she plans to market to high school students and parents through a combination of traditional and social interactive techniques. Social networking sites such as Facebook.com, Myspace.com and Youtube.com will provide students and parents with videos featuring UST students and faculty sharing experiences at the University.
Alleman said that parents will learn more about UST by attending local college and community fairs. "People are busy, so if we go to their community it will make it easier for parents because the applying-to-college process is so different than before," she said. "We want to show what we provide, see what people want, and try to accommodate that. We also want to show people the value of an education and the variety of programs because the perspective seems to be that UST is a liberal arts college, and there is so much more."
As part of her marketing strategy, Alleman is setting goals and objectives to target specific markets. "The Office of Admissions realized many UST students come from Cy-Fair, Sugarland and Katy." Alleman said. "Therefore, ads will run in community magazines like the Life Style & Home editions of Fort Bend County, Katy, Cy-Fair and Houston."
Because about one-third of the student body at UST is Hispanic, the Hispanic community in Houston will serve as an important market, according to Alleman.
"There is a very diverse culture in Houston, and UST reflects that," she said. "The Trini-Mendehall organization gave us funds to market to Hispanic high school students. There is a Spanish initiative to start this semester and grow next fall."
According to Alleman, ads targeting the Hispanic community will run in Spanish newspapers and television and radio stations throughout the city.
The River Oaks Examiner and radio stations, as well as various publications from Bellaire, West University and River Oaks, will be used as means to market UST's MBA and MLA programs. The MBA program holds monthly open houses and each will be advertised on the radio, because it offers a broad reach to everyone, Alleman said.