Converge Consulting

Google Analytics Hacks © by Search Engine People Blog

It is very important that you track your campaigns with Google Analytics campaign tracking. However, an issue that many higher education marketing professionals face is that it can be very difficult to create trackable URLs in Google Analytics and then be able to organize them. Take a look at the following article in Smashing Magazine in which I explain how you can create a WordPress plugin to create and organize Google Analytics campaign tracking URLs, shortened versions of the URLs, and trackable QR codes.

How To Use Custom Post Types To Organize Online Marketing Campaigns

From .eduGuru CMS study findings

Michael Fienen discussed the findings of .eduGuru’s national study on content management system usage in higher education during the Friday After Class (#FAC) session on December 16.

The following are some noteworthy study findings:

•  Last year, TERMINALFOUR was barely a blip on the radar. This year, their CMS had the highest score in terms of usability.
• OmniUpdate was another CMS that scored well, largely due to the perception that the company provides outstanding customer service.
• Although closed source systems dominate the higher education market, Wordpress and Drupal both saw large gains in usage. WordPress was above average in both usability and satisfaction. Drupal was also rated highly in terms of user satisfaction.
• Another open source and little-known CMS, Reason, received the highest satisfaction score, overall.
• Only 19% of respondents had a truly organized strategy regarding trying to leverage content reuse tools in their CMS. Michael pointed out that forging a content reuse strategy is critical because so much content gets repurposed on college and university web sites: degree descriptions, course listings, faculty contact info, cost breakdowns, etc.
• Sharepoint was rated poorly in terms of usability. Michael suggested that the best strategy for those using Sharepoint was to begin planning how to move away from the system.
• In the near future, we can expect to see CMS vendors focusing on data portability, standards like CMIS, more robust social integration, and mobile implementation.

 
A key take-away from the study is that, when evaluating the myriad of CMS options available for colleges and universities, there is no magic bullet. The various systems all have strengths and weaknesses. Deciding which CMS to use requires a thorough analysis of technological and user-based needs.

We appreciate Michael and the .eduGuru team’s great work, their commitment to the higher education marketplace, and their willingness to discuss the results of their study during Converge Consulting’s Friday After Class session last week.

The full summary of results can be found at this link on the .edGuru site.