Alumni Concepts Chronicle

July 2013

www.AlumniConcepts.com

Vol 2 No.2

The Solution For Keeping Your Alumni Connected!

Alumni Concepts Chronicle

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lumni Concepts is proud to introduce its most innovative concept yet - The Discount Network – an online tool that dramatically boosts alumni benefits and provides a substantial new revenue stream.

Different than typical alumni association benefits, the discount network provides alumni with unique and exclusive time-sensitive deals offered to them because of their connection with the university.

Branded as a product of the university, the discount network stands out among other generic deal websites as it provides exclusive offers not available to the general public.

Quality merchants interested in targeted marketing to college-educated costumers are eager to provide compelling deals. Alumni Concepts’ marketing team locates only the best national and local merchants, secures substantial savings and works with alumni

associations to approve each before the offer is posted live.

Launch begins with an email asking alumni to opt-in if they would like to receive future offerings. Existing merchant partners such as Bloomberg Businessweek, Omaha Steaks, Nutrisystem and Canyon Ranch Resorts will be listed to pique interest.

Alumni are then able to customize their email subscription so they receive compelling offers on only the things they like, increasing the likelihood of purchase.

The discount network also provides more opportunity for revenue due to frequent purchase opportunities and Alumni Concepts’ revenue model that gives back a portion of revenue to alumni association partners.

Several universities across the country will be launching this “rewards” nework later this year.

Pepperdine Marketplace

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he much anticipated launch of the Pepperdine Marketplace was welcomed by alumni and non-alumni alike on April 1, 2013. A generous promotional offer combined with comprehensive marketing efforts drew in advertisers from all over the country.

Soon after launch, the Pepperdine Alumni Association partnered with the Malibu Chamber of Commerce to encourage local businesses to list and post jobs and discounts for Marketplace users.

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Pepperdine Marketplace (Continued from page 1)

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y giving business directory advertising opportunities to local businesses, Pepperdine was able to increase exposure for its Marketplace and make it more relevant for users.

The strong support from local community businesses has made the Pepperdine Marketplace a go-to resource for students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends and family of the University looking for a trusted local business or service.

Also unique to the Pepperdine Marketplace, is the inclusion of a job posting feature that allows advertisers to easily post jobs for Waves. Plans to expand career offerings to include resume posting features will likely come to fruition next year.

The successful launch and growth of the Pepperdine Marketplace continues to demonstrate the importance of marketing and partnership within the University and local community.

USC’s Business Directory Continues to Fight On!

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he Trojan Business Directory has made quite a splash among USC alumni. Active user engagement on the website and a growing number of alumni advertisers can be attributed to USC’s marketing efforts and alumni loyal to the USC brand.

USC’s first step was an initial soft launch to their 80,000 members of Fight On!line, USC’s online alumni community. The promotional offer to list a business at no cost instantly brought in hundreds of alumni interested in testing this new marketing tool. The Trojan Business Directory was deemed by the USC Alumni Association staff as the smoothest launch of any USC online program.

Subsequent email campaigns that eventually reached USC’s entire email database bolstered growth the most. In addition, the business directory ad in the USC quarterly magazine combined with strategic partnerships with USC Parent Programs and the USC Marshall School of Business helped spread word about launch.

Alumni Concepts looks forward to promoting the business directory at USC’s first Business Showcase in August where hundreds of Southern California alumni business owners and professionals will gather to promote their business and build B2B relationships.

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Florida Universities Prepare for Launch

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lumni Concepts is proud to announce the upcoming 2013 Business Directory launch for both Florida International University and the University of Central Florida.

Alumni Concepts’ coast to coast sales efforts are starting to pay off as word of its ground-breaking online services spreads to the East.

Shortly after the Alumni Concepts’ team visited Miami and Fort Myers universities in January, UCF and FIU were welcomed as Alumni Concepts’ first East Coast partners. Since then, the online business directory and discount network has begun to trend throughout the Sunshine state.

Alumni Concepts plans to provide unprecedented alumni benefits and engagement tools for several alumni associations across Florida this year.

University of Arkansas “Cut Out the Rest - Let’s Hog All the Business!”

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he Business Directory launch for the Razorbacks took place April 2013, marking Alumni Concepts’ first launch for a fee-based alumni association. A discounted advertising rate in BusinessHogs.com for Alumni Association members provided a new method of engagement for Arkansas alumni.

In addition, as of July 1, 2013 the Arkansas Alumni Association launched a special business membership tailored for business owners and executives.

Among several innovative benefits for Razorback professionals, the Alumni Association offers free basic level advertising in the Business Directory.

This new membership discount prompted Alumni Concepts to create a promotional coding system for future universities who wish to easily promote their business directory to select alumni groups.

Combined marketing efforts for both BusinessHogs.com and the Alumni Association’s new membership are sure to increase advertisers and website users.

Using Social Media Tools to Boost Engagement and Update Alumni Data

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lumni Concepts’ social media integration has been taken to a new level, providing benefits for both users and alumni associations.

After speaking with alumni associations across the country, a common need for updating alumni data and engaging alumni on social media platforms became apparent.

Alumni Concepts’ first step to address these needs was to put in place social media buttons for alumni to share their favorite businesses and discounts via Facebook, Twitter, and email.

Advertisers are also able to list a link to their LinkedIn and Facebook pages. As an added benefit for top-level advertisers, their business listings can be automatically posted to their alumni association’s Facebook wall.

Future social media developments will allow advertisers to login with Facebook or LinkedIn, and alumni will have the option to sync their business directory profile with their LinkedIn or Facebook account to keep their profile updated.

This new integration will gather more alumni data automatically without alumni having to update multiple profiles.

What’s New New Mobile App Features As business directory mobile app downloads began to increase, Alumni Concepts found new ways to market to app users. Alumni can now opt-in to receiving notifications for new business listings, discounts, and Alumni Association events near them.

Testimonials Soon after Alumni Concepts’ customer service representatives began to answer calls from alumni who had made connections through the business directory, a new testimonials feature was created for business directory website users to share their networking experiences.

The Business Directory Goes Global The new country field and map view feature on the business directory encourages alumni to locate and do business with fellow alumni around the globe.

Career Features New job and resume posting career features go hand in hand with the business directory and provide another benefit to alumni users searching for new opportunities.

Want to learn more? Contact our CAMMP Conference representatives!

Alexandra Alvarado AlexandraA@AlumniConcepts.com 877-590-9135

Dave Muscatel Dave@AlumniConcepts.com 805-402-5065