Ohio State Football Recruitment Map

In much the same way, college recruitment is about identifying your target audience and then discovering the most the interesting data or facts about your campus that you can leverage in a way that grabs their attention.

The map created by Ohio State is a great example of using an interactive map in a different sort of way. Your campus’ map does not have to simply be a map of where your dorm buildings and science and mathematics building sits. These things are great for an initial overview of your school, allowing prospective students to visualize where they might be spending a lot of their time in the future. But how about creating a map for your exceptional, state-renowned university medical center, allowing those recruits you really want to see what kind of amazing opportunities and resources they’ll have access to when they join your school? Or a map highlighting what kinds of great careers your graduates have gone on to?

Interactive maps can be used in a variety of ways, and if you are willing to diversify their use, you’ll find them to be an essential tool in college recruitment. Today’s recruitment market is extremely competitive, so take some time to think about what will put you a cut above the competitive. The more realistic and tangible data you offer your recruits, the better!

Remember to always think outside of the box for ways that you think your audience will find interesting.

Update: It looks like other schools are following Ohio State on the football recruitment map.  The Charlotte Observer put together a couple of maps for National Signing Day in the Carolinas and News Sentinel did the same for IU, Notre Dame, Purde and Ball State.

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2. University of Missouri Launches New Interactive Campus Map

At nuCloud, our interactive campus maps actually do save you time and money. We believe updating your interactive campus map should be as easy as updating your Facebook page or tagging a photo. We also believe that through our Software as a Service (SaaS) module you shouldn’t be forced into a huge upfront payment.

Benefits of Interactive Maps

Maps have come a long way from the “You Are Here” signs of old. Just visit any airport baggage claim in a major city to see the rise of interactive venue maps. These computer “touchscreens” work just like a touchscreen notebook with maps to the city and local attractions linked directly to recreation, transportation and restaurant information.

A college campus is no different. Interactive campus maps improve the information you provide to your university community by:

• Allowing prospective students to tour your campus without the costs of travel
• Provide up to date event information for students and patrons
• Update photos of your campus as the seasons change or to highlight specific events, renovations, or additions
• Change place names as needed

Easy to Use

It’s easy to see why interactive campus maps are a great asset to any university campus, but the maps have to be easy to use and update as well. If you have to wait for a web programer to do the work for you or to find money in your budget to pay a Flash developer $100/hour then you’re not saving time or money. It’s no good having an interactive map out of touch with what actually happens on your campus.

nuCloud’s maps want to put the power to control your data on your map into your hands. So we have made the interface for updating your map as easy as managing your Facebook fan page, a page 98% of colleges and universities have now. And just like when you learned Facebook, with our maps, you won’t have to learn how to write code, you won’t have to hire a flash developer at additional cost, and you won’t have to remember any tricky or complicated series of procedures.

Our maps allow you to:

• Advertise event information
• Change photos
• Add audio
• Include video elements
• Post and link to alerts about traffic, weather or building closures
• Upload news about your campus
• And so much more

Your student body changes constantly. A university ready to change with the students by adding features like interactive student maps will gain an edge in recruitment and retention of students and patrons who want to join your interactive community.

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2. Can You Edit Your Interactive Campus Map?
3. Interactive Map of Higher Education Spending Cuts

The Interactive Map Goes Mobile

It is true that by the time a student is in his/her first year of college, they should already be somewhat prepared for potential ‘hiccups’ on that first day. But now, as advised by this student in “Rules of Freshman Survival” in The Daily O’Collegian, technology has made it even easier to survive the first days!

This is through the use of interactive campus maps on smartphones or other mobile devices. That way first year students can subtly pull up a map on their device, browse the campus and find where it is they need to go, all without pulling out a gigantic map (however kindly offered by the school). They also don’t need to be the embarrassed individual stopping at the large display map on campus looking for the “you are here” red dot.

The lesson for all you college marketers and admissions professionals: make sure that your school’s interactive campus map is compatible for smartphones. Campus maps are not just a tool to attract prospective students online but are a continually great tool for anyone new visiting your campus, be it a parent, donor, guest speaker or the poor freshman on his/her first day. Mobile support is critical to making your campus map functional and useable. Get mobile!

Photo Credit: stay to the right by kcolwell

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2. Can You Edit Your Interactive Campus Map?
3. 5 More Design Ideas to Make an Interactive Virtual Campus Tour Stand Out

Some prospective students simply are unable to visit a campus prior to applying or accepting due to monetary or time issues, but by having a campus map online that students can interact with, colleges and universities gain a competitive edge over schools without one. This allows prospective students to get a feel of the campus without actually visiting. An interactive map allows students to examine the campus size, understand where dorms are in relation to academic buildings, and see how far apart potential classes will be from one another. Below are the top five reasons why having an interactive campus map is essential to meeting marketing goals.

1. Vital to the recruitment process

Statistics show that with each incoming class, the importance placed upon a virtual tour of a campus is increasing significantly. Seniors, juniors, and sophomores polled about the most influential portions of their decision making process show that potential students are increasingly relying upon interactive maps to decide upon a college.

Only 58% of seniors listed an interactive online map as influencing their decision. If you look at younger classes 60% of juniors and 64% of sophomores listed the online map as determining their decision. Comparatively, 85% of seniors listed the campus tour, while only 77% of sophomores chose their university based upon the campus tour. With each incoming class, more students are relying on a virtual tour rather than a physical campus tour.

2. It is a stunning and vital web feature

Before applying, students spend hours online examining campuses. Schools lacking impressive web applications are far more likely to be cast aside in favor of colleges that exert the effort to develop web applications that are not only accessible but informative. Some of the most important web features include:

• Interactive tours
• Course catalogs
• Net price calculator
• Event calendars, online videos, and blogs

Which of these does your college website include?

3. There is a tangible return on investment (ROI)

By doing some simple math, with the chosen numbers as examples, you can determine how much revenue an interactive campus map can generate for your campus. Allowing it takes the average student 3 years, at $20,000 per year, with a $10,000 per year scholarship, each student is worth approximately $30,000. Working backward with these numbers, you can calculate the ROI on an interactive campus map:

• If 20% of students (worth $30,000) choose your school, an applicant is worth $6,000.
• If 20% of applicants (each application worth $6,000) take a tour, each student visit is worth $1,200.
• If a visit is worth $1,200 and 5% of those visitors are swayed by first viewing an interactive campus map, then each time the map is viewed, the map is worth $60.
• If just 1,000 people view your map in one month, the map is essentially worth $60,000 per month.

Check out our Interactive Campus Map ROI calculator and do the math for your school.

4. Helps with external audiences

When national sporting events and camps look for potential locations for their next event, your college’s interactive campus map could be the deciding factor. Because there are so many different schools competing for their business, visiting each potential site is neither fiscally nor logistically logical. Those with an interactive map give themselves a definite advantage, as the people in charge of deciding event locales can virtually visit your campus. Hosting a camp presents real monetary benefits. Major events, such as a college bowl or hosting a famous speaker, can be secured with an interactive campus map. Conferences, from a sorority convention to a major business event, can also potentially choose your campus because of the online map.

5. Most of your peers are already doing it

As money and time become increasing concerns for high school students, colleges are having to create new and interesting methods of enticing potential applicants. A student living in Florida may desperately want to attend college in New York but cannot afford the trip to multiple campuses. Many students are first viewing interactive campus maps before deciding where to visit. Without a map, your school takes the risk of not even making it to the visit stage. By being one of the first schools to implement a fully-functioning interactive campus map, you can not only place your school as a frontrunner during recruitment days; you can also potentially secure external events over competitor schools.

So these are our top five reasons.  What other important reasons do you have for having an interactive campus map on your school’s website?

Photo credit: Clouds along the road by Reini68

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For example, an incoming student is likely to browse hundreds of college websites, and only those that stand out will make the top 10 list of potential campuses they want to apply for. Besides looking at a program or study track that they are interested in, potential students are really looking for a place where they can feel at home, that gives them the right ‘vibe.’ One of the best ways to pull these students in is to give them tangible, detailed and yet cutting-edge media that introduces them uniquely to your campus. Interactive campus maps are a wonderful way of fulfilling these requirements.

How a Campus Map Works

Using Interactive Campus Map, you can create a map of your campus, including ‘stops’ at the major sites on campus (such as dorms, student centers, stadiums, faculty buildings, etc.), while offering videos, photos, descriptions and/or audio to engage your audience. And with great speed and performance, you don’t have to worry about your online map freezing up or being choppy.

You can also give your map the right style that fits your needs and the image you are trying to bring across, through using different types of 3D maps that can focus either more on artistic flare (ex. hand-sketched maps), or on detail, or on simplicity. They can easily be tailored to meet your needs.

Put Those Many Campus Building Photos to Good Use

So what about keeping things ‘fresh’ and up-to-date? The nuCloud Interactive Map Platform has a great user interface that allows you to easily edit, tweak and manage all assets of your map. If you want to update photos of your campus buildings  – maybe you’ve got a wonderful picture of a snow-covered campus, or you’ve got recent pictures of the latest graduating class in front of the main hall – it is all easily done through Interactive Campus Map’s content management system. You can swap out photos on a regular basis to keep the map fresh and get more value out of all the photos that a college or university goes through.

An occasional change to your campus map will help browsers to feel as if things are actually happening at your campus and that you pay attention to them. It makes your school’s campus feel alive, and that pulls your audience in.

Now you don’t have an excuse not to use all those great campus photos you’ve got stored!

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Turning this old printable (.pdf) map into a vibrant interactive experience is a critical step for colleges and universities in their online marketing efforts.

Power of Map Content Management System

With powerful modern web tools you can make every location on a map come to life.  You can add the history of a historic building, have a student give a guided tour of a location through a video or simply share beautiful and vibrant photos of a particular spot.  We also believe that you shouldn’t need to be a flash or web programming expert in order to unlock these features in a map.  The whole power of content management systems (CMS) for a general website should and could easily be applied to an interactive map.

New software for campus map management should be easy to use, requires no special knowledge and provides lots of powerful features.  A few of these types of features could include:

• Photos and video can be imported for insertion into your map.
• Zooming in and out become possibilities.
• Having a different marker graphic for locations to specify if they are academic buildings or a parking lot.
• Embedding links to take you to other pages with more information about a location.
• Easy to update text, pictures and video for locations around the map.

The Benefits of Campus Map Innovations

Interactive maps can save time for all people on and off campus.  Adding realism through actual photographs of buildings and landscape features can be an instant communication. Virtually every college applicant will be able to take a campus tour over his or her computer screen before traveling to the campus. With the cost of traveling in our modern world, virtual exploration of a campus is especially attractive to prospective students!

Users of interactive campus maps are able to explore certain locations through advanced features allowing them to use multiple senses to visualize an experience at a campus. All these benefits for the manager and the users of the map demonstrate leaps forward in technology.  A .pdf of a campus map will always have a place on the web for its easy to print properties, but interactive maps are the present and the future.  Are you ready to move forward to this new frontier?

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Because this campus map has become so vital for college recruitment centers, there are a number of factors that you should consider when you design your illustrated campus map.  There are certain aspects of the map that can make it a valuable tool in a number of different ways.  There are also aspects that will highlight positive or important aspects of the college for prospective students.  Here are just a few ways that the interactive campus map can be used.

1. Billboards

Billboards around campus can show people where they are located and a layout of the campus. When people visit a college for the first time or when they are there for a specific event or activity, such as a basketball game, it is important that they can find their way around easily.  A well designed campus map will aid in this process.

2. Brochures for Tours

Even though an online interactive campus map gives students the ability to access the map anywhere, it is still important to visit the campus and take a tour if possible.  There is no reason why a printed version of this map can’t play a key role in the tour.  A tour will not cover every building on a campus or allow the time that everyone on the tour may want at certain buildings.  Having a good map will make it easy to locate new or revisit old buildings afterward.

3. Framed Pictures

Most schools rely on donations and fundraisers to continue their growth and make improvements.  A beautiful map is a perfect wonderful framed gift for any current or past student.  Schools can include order forms for their maps in their alumni gift donation packets.

4. Thank You Cards

While a map can make a great large framed picture, it can also make a smaller piece of art that is just as good on a thank you card.  These cards are a great choice for graduation present thank yous.  Did you have your wedding on the campus?  Campus map thank you cards are a perfect choice.

5. Future Planning Help

A campus map can visually help with future planning. Colleges are making improvements and planning for new buildings, landscaping, and other physical features on a regular basis.  An interactive campus map will be a wonderful addition to any planning meeting.

6. Eliminate Unpleasant Distractions

With a normal road map you cannot eliminate distractions and remove things you don’t necessarily want people to see. If a school is designing a map with potential students in mind, they probably want to highlight the main buildings and the center of campus.  They probably don’t want to highlight buildings that aren’t crucial to academics and the heart of student life, such as the physical plant.  When a school is designing a map, they should consider what the biggest features of the map will be.

7. A Piece of Art

A campus map can be art work for publication. Another potential revenue stream for a school is a publication of their campus map.  Well designed maps will be competitive in the publishing world.

8. Posters for Counselors

You can send a poster of your campus to counselors to display in their offices. One of the most important places that colleges recruit is in high schools.  Even though a high school can’t display an interactive campus map, they can display a large poster version of it in the counseling office or at recruitment events such as college fairs.  A map can make a particular school stand out.

9. An Interactive Campus Map

An interactive campus map provides accessibility for all students. There are many factors that determine whether or not students will be able to visit schools in person such as distance, logistics, money, and weather.  An interactive campus map allows all students to become familiar with the layout and key features of a campus.  This also just happens to be our specialty.

10. Recruitment Tool

Finally, all colleges should view their maps as key recruitment tools for prospective students.  No matter what size a school is or where it is located, a well designed map can play a critical role in students’ decisions for their academic careers.

If you are looking to get a new campus map illustration we can help!

What did we miss?  How else would you use an illustration of your campus map?

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This is especially true for those young adults embarking on their first year of college or that of returning students to the college world. Having an outstanding campus map design helps students, faculty, and visitors know where they are and where they are going. What should you consider when putting in place a campus map design? We have previously given you ideas to help make an interactive virtual campus tour stand out so here are  five ideas that can help.

1. Use a 3D Map

3D map designs allow for a greater ability to visualize what buildings and landmarks look like. 3D maps help visitors and students get a general idea where certain buildings and hangouts are; this is especially great for larger campuses, such as state universities. There’s also the aspect that maps which are visually appealing mean that more people will actually view them.

2. Video Tour Guides

With the popularity of video websites like YouTube, computer users are used to watching videos for their news, sports, and other interests. Adding video tour guides to your campus map designs, like the 3D maps, helps to orient those who are planning on making the trip to your campus. These guides should show prospective students and parents some of the landmarks of the campus, as well as activities students can partake in, such as football games, fine arts, theater, and more. If you can’t get a video, audio guides can also be helpful, especially in terms of mobile technology.

3. Choose the Best Photos

Pictures often speak louder than words and the best way to promote this saying is to choose the best looking photos that demonstrate the beauty and activity of your campus. Your campus map design should include photos of the grounds of the campus, some shots of buildings (such as historic buildings or renovated ones), and student activity.

4. Don’t Include EVERY Building

While you want your campus map design to reflect the culture of your university or college, you don’t want to go too overboard with it. You should include many of the popular buildings, but not every building needs to be focused on. Prospective students aren’t going to be interested in the bushes outside of the south restrooms; they will however want to know where the administration building,  student union, and stadium are.

5. Keep it Simple Stuid (KISS)

“Keep it simple” or “keep it simple, stupid” has been a saying to reflect the unnecessary complications that we add to whatever project or task we’re working on. That same concept is important to keep in mind when working on your interactive virtual campus tour.  Don’t try and clutter it up with too much stuff or things that your targeted audience don’t care about.

Campus map design needn’t be complicated, only informative and fun for readers.

Photo Credit: Idea by annais

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What is Software as a Service (SaaS)?

Unlike typical software purchasing, SaaS allows you to use software without the accompanying stressors of updates and licensing, and for a lower cost. Software is hosted at a general hub, allowing individuals to access it via a web browser over the internet. Companies and higher education institutions can pay to access a range of software applications, including an interactive campus map. The price of accessing software applications via SaaS is generally set according to the number of users using the application but can be set according to other units of value.

SaaS can help you develop your interactive campus map for less money and better results by involving lower upfront costs, no catches, regular software updates, no depreciation or obsolete software, and allowing you to benefit from the latest technology without having to purchase a web server.  Don’t get surprised with the “hidden costs” of taking this project on yourself.

1. Lower Upfront Costs

How much did you spend on your last interactive campus map software? Do you want to save on your next one? Software as a Service will allow you to produce an equal or higher quality interactive campus map without having to spend tens of thousands on buying the initial software. Rather than investing a ton of money on software that will depreciate over time, you can pay to have access to the latest software and updates.

2. No Catches

With SaaS, you do not have to invest a ton of money on software application for your interactive campus map to then find out you don’t like it. With a subscription model you can drop it much sooner and go with something else.  Because there are lower upfront costs, you can choose to use other software without feeling you have blown your investment.

3. Regular Software Updates

With SaaS, software is installed on the providers servers rather than your computer or your web server.  This means that you will no longer have to mess with software updates, licensing, and other maintenance tasks. The SaaS provider will do this for you. You get to use these latest updates to prepare and run your interactive campus map with no delay.  Don’t get caught with an interactive map that is years obsolete because you can’t afford or don’t have an easy way to update and enhance it.

4. Benefit from the Latest Technology

Technology progresses fast! We have become a culture of Android phones, social networking, and online entertainment. What will it be tomorrow? Similar to software updates, with SaaS you will no longer have to spend hours or money developing the latest technology. Your SaaS provider will do that for you, allowing you to reap the benefits. While others are stuck with older technology, you can wow potential students with your high tech, sophisticated interactive campus map. Explore some of our latest technology.

5. No Web Server Purchase Necessary

Want to save more money in addition to the upfront savings? Because your interactive campus map will be located at a centralized hub, you will not need to pay for a web server. In addition to reducing costs by not having to purchase a web server, you can also save money by not having to pay a system administrator to manage the server or install any updates. This will be taken care of by your SaaS provider.  Don’t get caught by surprise with these major “hidden costs” of ownership.

6. No Depreciation or Obsolete Software

Unlike regular purchases of software, the software you have access to through your SaaS provider will not depreciate or become obsolete. You will not purchase software to have the software publisher bring out a new edition days later. Your subscription will never depreciate because your SaaS provider will be on top of the latest technology, giving you access to the latest software applications. Your interactive campus map will benefit from new technology trends without you having to spend a fortune.

So what do you think?  Are you convinced yet that SaaS is a better solution for your interactive campus map, or do you still want to host and maintain everything on  your own?  Leave a comment below and tell us your thoughts.

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This new mapping technology is incredibly easy to use,and offers a wide range of features. If you can use Facebook, you can now easily edit, update and expand your campus maps. Not only can you edit the maps as needed, but you can add pictures, information, even links to news items or construction alerts. Now you can turn a boring campus map into a guided tour of the school, a valuable safety tool, or even a traffic and weather advisor for their school.

Traditionally, interactive maps were built using streaming video technology like Flash and Shockwave, making them impossible to change without expertise in those systems. Also if you didn’t have the expert on staff you typically found yourself paying an outside expert $100+/hr to make edits for you. As content management systems emerged, they changed the way people build web pages. Suddenly, the power to create, edit and publish was only a few mouse clicks away. Unfortunately, CMS systems don’t fully address the needs of academic and government institutions. Now that has changed, and administrators can take advantage of the same easy-to-use interface for changing and improving their campus maps. Why pay an expensive developer when you can do everything you need from your own computer?

In the rapidly changing world of modern technology, it is important that your school stay ahead of the curve. Today’s generation of students needs to know that their university understands the importance of technology. A customized interactive map is one way to help show prospective students that your school is embracing a new generation of digital technology.

We aren’t saying that we are the only solution, but watch the video below to see how easy it is to update elements of an interactive map in our system. Bring your school into the 21st century while providing a valuable resource for prospective students, current students, alumni, and staff.

Want to know more?  Check out our Interactive Campus Map Kit today!

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