Program page content review
YOUR PROGRAM’S BRAND
Fill out this chart with very short explanations about your program:
| WHO we’re for | (Customer definition) |
| WHAT we do | (Program definition) |
| WHY we do it | (To/because … the brand promise) |
| HOW we do it | (Brand actions; verbs) |
| WHO we are | (Brand personality; adjectives) |
What do you want your program to be known for in 5 years?
What is the best possible thing you can provide for your prospects: if they get this, they will love you?
We are , but we are not .
We are , but we are not .
But it’s not really about us; it’s about the next generation. We want to guide and prepare them to fulfill the unique purpose for which they were created. In the next section, think about them, how they think, and what they want to know.
YOUR PROSPECT
Think about your strengths and your brand promise. What about those would prospects most like to hear about? What would interest them?
Big picture, what do you want them to think about you?
What questions do prospects often ask about your program?
How can you most quickly and easily answer those questions, in the context of a program page on BJU.edu? Text, photo, video?
When users come to your program page, what are the top tasks they are wanting to do — what did they come for? They want to “get information about this major,” but also …
Now, think about the journey they will have to take from being an immature, unskilled teenager to being powerfully used by God in global work — and the role your program plays in that.
THEIR JOURNEY
Prospects take a journey from not knowing about your program all the way to becoming students in your program. We often describe this as a funnel: at the top are billions of people that never heard of you, a lot that have heard of you but aren’t interested, some that put you in their consideration set, a handful that prefer you over your competitors, a few that apply, and a trickle that actually become students.
Assume there’s a 17-year-old dedicated Christian kid interested in your field, who doesn’t know BJU offers it. If you can only tell them one thing, what would it be?
What if they know BJU offers your program, but just aren’t even considering you?
What if they are having a hard time choosing between your program and the same program at another Christian college?
What if they are leaning toward your program, but haven’t acted on it yet?
Where along that journey do we lose prospects? Why?
What “steps” (little actions, downloads, experiences, bits of content) do you want them to take along their journey down the funnel?
Sometimes we mess up and the funnel works backwards – we drive them away. What are some things we do, show, or say that might cause readers to abandon us and go elsewhere?
HOW THEY FIND YOU
Gen-Zers (and, increasingly, their parents) find universities and their programs via search. Instead of going to BJU.edu, they just Google “Bob Jones premed.” We want your program page to appear when a prospect searches for you, and we shape your content to make that happen, using the information below.
If you were to search Google for your program, what would you type in that search box?
What would a 13-year-old type?
The trend is toward natural language searches: instead of searching for “coaching degree” people are searching for “why get a degree in coaching” or “list of Christian colleges with a coaching major.” Voice search (like Siri or Hey Google) are accelerating this trend. In light of this…
What are 5–10 phrases people may use to look for a program?
Are there some search terms often used in your field of study that you definitely do not want to use or have associated with your program?
YOUR PROGRAM
Why should a prospect study [ your program ] at BJU instead of Cedarville or PCC?
Aside from the Premium elements , why should a prospect study [ your program ] at BJU instead of a public university or community college?
Imagine the photos that tell your program’s story best. What are they?
What non-lecture and off-campus learning experiences do your students get?
What else makes your program different and special?
Which of your institutional strengths can you emphasize that your audiences might find useful, interesting, relevant or helpful (think SWOT)?
PROVE IT
What facts prove the quality and value of your program?
What would the best infographics about your program be?
How successful are your grads? How do you know; what proves it?
YOUR PROGRAM PAGE ON BJU.EDU
A typical teenager doesn’t “read” a web page; they scan it for whatever big ideas that jump out at them. What are the big ideas that a scanning user is hoping to find on a program page?
What are the big ideas you want a “scanner” to take away, if they don’t read your content?
What if they don’t even take the time to scan the whole page — they just give it a glance. What’s the One Big Idea you want them to go away with?
What are the most important things a “scanner” is certain to miss, because it can’t be simplified that much?
Go and review your current program page now. Go on, we’ll wait…
What stands out to you most about your current page?
What do you like most? Least?
How would you rate it on “scanability” and ease of reading? Is the content broken into small, easy-to-read chunks, or large blocks of text?
What is the most important thing to change immediately?
What aspects give an incorrect impression of your program?
What important thing is missing?
Are there enough student and alumni success stories? Are they the best ones?
Now go away and pull up your current program page on a phone.
What is your impression of your program page on mobile?
Was the amount of scrolling too much?
Is the content “scannable?”
What is good and bad about the mobile experience?
FINALLY
What else would you like to change or add to your program page?