Reaching Collegiate Consumers
According to the 2006 Alloy College Explorer Study from Harris Interactive, college students are a target market that's constantly on the move, and they are most efficiently reached by mobile technology.
According to Alloy, the college market, adults aged 18-30, is larger than ever, comprising 17.4 million students, which includes two- and four-year students, as well as graduate students and part-timers. The segment's discretionary spending is huge and rising; it's up 12 percent this year, to $46 billion.
This group, which spends an average of 11 hours a day with some form of media, also spends 20 minutes a day on cell phones text messaging, and another 3.5 hours on email, instant messaging and surfing.
Statistics from the study provide a wealth of interesting insights on the best ways to reach this market on the run.
- Half of all college students have laptop computers; that's up 8 percentage points from 42 percent recorded last year.
- 41 percent of students own an MP3 player.
- Some 1.3 million of these young people have their own mobile phones.
- Three out of four college students turn in their assignments digitally, and their grades are issued online.
- Much of their Internet activity is conducted wirelessly.
- 29 percent of schools offer full-campus WiFi coverage, while 64 percent plan to do so in the near future.
Get Engaged - To Your Employees
A study from Creative Group staffing firm shows that employee engagement - the feeling that you are committed to your job, that your work is valuable and that your opinion counts - is becoming a real hot-button issue for employers. The survey queried 250 managers, half of them in advertising.
- Nearly one-third of managers say encouraging and inspiring their team is their biggest issue.
- 28 percent say finding talent is also a serious challenge.
Smart bosses hire enthusiastic people, says the Creative Group, which believes that recruiting good workers and keeping them motivated may be related. In addition, intelligent managers work to motivate each employee as an individual, rather than relying on cookie-cutter awards programs.
Speaking Of Engagement...
Almost half of companies fail to effectively explain to employees the purpose of their jobs and the mission and strategy of their businesses, according to a survey by Right Management Consultants and the IABC Research Foundation.
According to the report, "Best Practices in Employee Communication: A Study of Global Challenges and Approaches," 48 percent of 472 organizations surveyed worldwide said their management has not effectively communicated their business strategies to employees and engaged them in living it in their daily jobs. As a result, only about one-third - 37 percent - of organizations reported that their employees are effectively aligned to the missions and visions of their businesses.
Job Outlook Strong For Temp, Freelance
Kate Perrin, president of PRofessional Solutions, LLC, says, "At the same time we're getting more temp requests for mid-range public relations professionals, we're also seeing more senior pros fishing for high-level positions or high-paid freelance work.
"Hiring is strong, but you have to hit all the right notes: keep up contacts and networking, write good cover letters have a well-crafted resume, dress appropriately for interviews and meetings, be flexible, and treat each colleague as the one who could be your entr�e to the right position."
PRofessional Solutions' T.E.M.P. Index - the Employment Market Projection - stands at 4.5. Last year at this time, it was 4. The Rating Index is as follows:
1 - Poor to Terrible: virtually no hiring going on
2 - Slow: only a few low-level positions being filled
3 - Fair to Encouraging: positions are being filled as they open, and there's a reasonable amount of activity in freelancing and temporary positions.
4 - Strong: organizations that had been holding off are now hiring at all levels, with solid work for freelancers and temps
5 - Boom times: "What do you mean, you can't get a job in this market?"