Jeffrey Shiau
Marketing/Creative, Stint Ireland
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Jeffrey shares a little about his background and his insights on digital + content marketing:
What's your background in IE? Like most things in life, there wasn’t a plan. However, when the opportunity to work with Stint Ireland presented itself, I knew I had to take it. I became aware of the concept of study abroad in my early teens when my cousin studied abroad in Australia. Hearing about his adventures, I knew that one day, I’d get that opportunity when I was in college. As soon as I was allowed to study abroad (the summer after freshmen year), I did. I spent a month in Oxford, UK, on my college’s British Studies program. That experience didn’t satiate my thirst for going abroad, it exacerbated it. |
My second study abroad experience was a semester abroad at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. (Where Will met Kate!)
Again, I returned to the States determined to go overseas again. In fact, I was already concocting [insert diabolical laugh] a mad plan to take a working holiday gap year after graduating college.
Eventually, I decided Ireland over Australia/NZ because I wanted to put myself in position for Eurailing around the continent. (It’s still on my bucket list.)
Upon arriving in Ireland, I worked front-of-house at a restaurant. Four months later, I stumbled upon an opportunity to work with the newly founded company, Stint Ireland, as the in-house marketing coordinator.
I jumped at the opportunity. Given my background, I thought this was a logical marriage between my love of intled as well as the hard and soft skills I’ve developed over the years in college, work, and internships.
What unique ways do you use marketing & communication to get your population engaged?
I came across a great quote recently - I’m going to try to paraphrase it because I forget who said it or what the exact quote was - from a well-known startup founder about how marketing and your brand is essentially every single interaction you have with your customer.
In international education, that means providing value for students at every point in our process.
Pre-application: We need to communicate the pros and cons of different types of programs and whether it’s the right program for that student. We need to talk about the funding opportunities that are out there. We need to work actively to break down barriers to entry.
Application & the Program: We need to prepare the students for the experience. That includes anything from concerns about what to pack to how to set goals to get the most out of their experience.
Re-entry and beyond: We need to make sure students know that a study abroad experience isn’t an isolated adventure in their lives. It should be the start of something greater. They shouldn’t have to push what they’ve learned about themselves and the world deep within themselves so they may fit back into their old lives.
That’s all on us as marketers in international educators. Our job might be to sell the programs we work for, but I believe our number one priority should be to provide value for our students at every turn.
Keeping this in mind, I implement this strategy using my own expertise in writing, photography, and videography to create quality content for our program participants.
Again, I returned to the States determined to go overseas again. In fact, I was already concocting [insert diabolical laugh] a mad plan to take a working holiday gap year after graduating college.
Eventually, I decided Ireland over Australia/NZ because I wanted to put myself in position for Eurailing around the continent. (It’s still on my bucket list.)
Upon arriving in Ireland, I worked front-of-house at a restaurant. Four months later, I stumbled upon an opportunity to work with the newly founded company, Stint Ireland, as the in-house marketing coordinator.
I jumped at the opportunity. Given my background, I thought this was a logical marriage between my love of intled as well as the hard and soft skills I’ve developed over the years in college, work, and internships.
What unique ways do you use marketing & communication to get your population engaged?
I came across a great quote recently - I’m going to try to paraphrase it because I forget who said it or what the exact quote was - from a well-known startup founder about how marketing and your brand is essentially every single interaction you have with your customer.
In international education, that means providing value for students at every point in our process.
Pre-application: We need to communicate the pros and cons of different types of programs and whether it’s the right program for that student. We need to talk about the funding opportunities that are out there. We need to work actively to break down barriers to entry.
Application & the Program: We need to prepare the students for the experience. That includes anything from concerns about what to pack to how to set goals to get the most out of their experience.
Re-entry and beyond: We need to make sure students know that a study abroad experience isn’t an isolated adventure in their lives. It should be the start of something greater. They shouldn’t have to push what they’ve learned about themselves and the world deep within themselves so they may fit back into their old lives.
That’s all on us as marketers in international educators. Our job might be to sell the programs we work for, but I believe our number one priority should be to provide value for our students at every turn.
Keeping this in mind, I implement this strategy using my own expertise in writing, photography, and videography to create quality content for our program participants.
What was the evolution of implementing the International Education Slack initiative? Beginning to end if you can!
In the span of a few months, it seemed like I kept coming across community after community based on the Slack platform, from startup teams to digital nomads to lifestyle bloggers.
As someone who really enjoys meeting and chatting with fellow international educators (if I could, I’d go to every conference out there!), I desired a forum where we could all come together and discuss the pressing issues in our industry.
There were communities that existed already, but none lended itself to quick, spontaneous, and non-promotional discussions.
I hoped the #intled Slack channel could be the solution.
How could the IE community be better leveraging technology to propel the industry forward?
As an industry, we tend to default to traditional ways of promoting programs.
(There are many reasons why this is the case, but for the purposes of this exercise, I’m going to assume we’re making decisions in a vacuum.)
I’m not saying this is the answer, it’s really just my gut feeling…
I wonder what would happen if university international education and study abroad offices focused their efforts solely on digital. (Or, at least adopted a digital-first approach.)
Imagine a world without posters, study abroad fairs, conferences, etc.
Not at first, anyway.
Instead, let’s put all our money and energy into crafting a digital strategy that hits college students at the right time and place with the message they’d like to hear and the resources they need to help make an abroad experience a reality. Targeted messages.
What does that mean?
It means creating targeted landing pages for each program directed towards specific segments of the student population. How you promote a program to a white 20 year old woman raised by a middle class family in New England is completely different from how you talk about that same program with a 20 year old Latino man raised in a working class Texas.
It means creating resources that are tailored to the different segments of the student population and their needs.
There’s a reason study abroad has a diversity problem. Most of the programs are marketed towards one segment of the student population.
Speaking in marketing terms, it’s about optimizing the customer journey whether it’s tweaking a lead generation strategy (student awareness of intled opportunities) or looking at lead nurturing (helping students decide the pros and cons of each program, solving their barriers to entry by providing resources like scholarships) and onwards.
Most of that would be unrealistic for the limited resources of intled offices through the country… 20 years ago. Nowadays, with customer engagement software, email and marketing automation, and other digital communication platforms, it can be a reality.
All we need to do is take a leap of faith. (Easier said than done.)
What fuels your passion for IE/Technology/Marketing/Design?
I’d always fancied myself a renaissance man. I wanted to be like Leonardo da Vinci or Benjamin Franklin and be an artist, writer, scientist, historian, philosopher, and anything else that struck my fancy.
When I started college, I was still a fledgling. No doubt, I was busy those four years of undergrad: I evolved my love of stories into a deeper affair with words and visuals; I discovered the world of startups and entrepreneurship, a product of my love of technology; and I continued to consume the brilliant works of all mediums, from films to books to design to products and everything in between.
After college, I was like most recent grads. I had no idea what I wanted to do. (That’s part of the reason why I was so keen on taking a gap year.)
The opportunity to try out a career in marketing/digital with an international education company was the perfect launchpad for my career.
As for what fuels my passion… I’d say my drive to understand humanity, the world, and the universe is at the heart of everything I do. Ever since I was a kid, my favorite activity has been thinking. (Yep, I was a mini real life reproduction of Rodin’s The Thinker, basically.)
What marketing & communications tactics have you tried that haven't worked? What were the differences between ones that haven't worked and ones that have?
I’d have to say the #intled Slack community hasn’t taken off like I’d dreamed it would. The simplest reason was I launched it at an awkward time in my own schedule as I haven’t had time to put any effort into growing the community in 2016. However, I did learn plenty in the two-three months at the end of 2015 when I was actively trying to establish the community.
Things I’ve learned:
The concept of an “organic” community is (probably) a myth. There needs to be a leader(s) to nudge along the conversation. Because I wanted the group to be a community channel and not “my” channel, I shied away from trying to shape the conversation too much. I realize that’s a bit naive so going forward I’d like to reach out to a few international educators who’d like to act as fellow moderators in the community so it’s not just me running things behind the scenes. (If this is something that you might be interested in, send me a message!)
People are busy. When you want people to adopt a new technology, you need to make it as easy as possible for them. Secondly, you need to communicate why this technology is going to make their lives easier and how it’ll change the way they do things, for the better. Again, the problem with the #intled community was my stubbornness in making this a “community-run” channel. Well-intentioned, but impractical. Going forward, I need to make it clear what this community is and why it’s worth investing time and energy in.
In recent years, after graduating college, I’ve come to embrace failure. Not like “yay, I failed,” but more like “that’s unfortunate, but a part of life, so I’m going to learn from it.”
Luckily, the #intled Slack channel has been adopted by the NAFSA Marketing & Communications MIG. Hopefully, their efforts will give the channel the jumpstart it needs to grow into the #intled community we need.
As for the main difference between this initiative vs. marketing tactics that have worked… I’d have to say the marketing campaigns that have really been effective during my time at Stint Ireland have worked out because we were 100% confident about what we were trying to communicate. We had a focus and we crafted a specific message targeted at, and meant to resonate with, a particular audience.
Now onto the fun stuff... :)
What are the three things you'll never leave home without?
A notebook (and pen), a book, and - I know that’s three things already - my camera.
Where's your most recent passport stamp from?
Amsterdam - Schiphol. “You need a new passport,” they told me. “There’s no more room.”
What's your go-to airplane snack for an international flight?
A good novel? :) I devour them. It’s become my ritual to browse airport bookstores. I never enter with the intention of buying anything, but more often than not, I do. For some reason, I always tumble upon a book that ends up becoming one of my favorites.
Foodwise? Not really bothered with airport food. Whatever is free, I guess. The pretzels...
What's your favorite memory from a trip you've taken?
Either jumping into the ice cold waters of the Pacific Ocean at midnight (we ended up sleeping in the car in a Target parking lot that night) or jumping into the ice cold waters of the Colorado River after hiking all the way down the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. These two moments were both during a 3 week long cross-country road trip I took with two friends the day after we graduated college.
In the span of a few months, it seemed like I kept coming across community after community based on the Slack platform, from startup teams to digital nomads to lifestyle bloggers.
As someone who really enjoys meeting and chatting with fellow international educators (if I could, I’d go to every conference out there!), I desired a forum where we could all come together and discuss the pressing issues in our industry.
There were communities that existed already, but none lended itself to quick, spontaneous, and non-promotional discussions.
I hoped the #intled Slack channel could be the solution.
How could the IE community be better leveraging technology to propel the industry forward?
As an industry, we tend to default to traditional ways of promoting programs.
(There are many reasons why this is the case, but for the purposes of this exercise, I’m going to assume we’re making decisions in a vacuum.)
I’m not saying this is the answer, it’s really just my gut feeling…
I wonder what would happen if university international education and study abroad offices focused their efforts solely on digital. (Or, at least adopted a digital-first approach.)
Imagine a world without posters, study abroad fairs, conferences, etc.
Not at first, anyway.
Instead, let’s put all our money and energy into crafting a digital strategy that hits college students at the right time and place with the message they’d like to hear and the resources they need to help make an abroad experience a reality. Targeted messages.
What does that mean?
It means creating targeted landing pages for each program directed towards specific segments of the student population. How you promote a program to a white 20 year old woman raised by a middle class family in New England is completely different from how you talk about that same program with a 20 year old Latino man raised in a working class Texas.
It means creating resources that are tailored to the different segments of the student population and their needs.
There’s a reason study abroad has a diversity problem. Most of the programs are marketed towards one segment of the student population.
Speaking in marketing terms, it’s about optimizing the customer journey whether it’s tweaking a lead generation strategy (student awareness of intled opportunities) or looking at lead nurturing (helping students decide the pros and cons of each program, solving their barriers to entry by providing resources like scholarships) and onwards.
Most of that would be unrealistic for the limited resources of intled offices through the country… 20 years ago. Nowadays, with customer engagement software, email and marketing automation, and other digital communication platforms, it can be a reality.
All we need to do is take a leap of faith. (Easier said than done.)
What fuels your passion for IE/Technology/Marketing/Design?
I’d always fancied myself a renaissance man. I wanted to be like Leonardo da Vinci or Benjamin Franklin and be an artist, writer, scientist, historian, philosopher, and anything else that struck my fancy.
When I started college, I was still a fledgling. No doubt, I was busy those four years of undergrad: I evolved my love of stories into a deeper affair with words and visuals; I discovered the world of startups and entrepreneurship, a product of my love of technology; and I continued to consume the brilliant works of all mediums, from films to books to design to products and everything in between.
After college, I was like most recent grads. I had no idea what I wanted to do. (That’s part of the reason why I was so keen on taking a gap year.)
The opportunity to try out a career in marketing/digital with an international education company was the perfect launchpad for my career.
As for what fuels my passion… I’d say my drive to understand humanity, the world, and the universe is at the heart of everything I do. Ever since I was a kid, my favorite activity has been thinking. (Yep, I was a mini real life reproduction of Rodin’s The Thinker, basically.)
What marketing & communications tactics have you tried that haven't worked? What were the differences between ones that haven't worked and ones that have?
I’d have to say the #intled Slack community hasn’t taken off like I’d dreamed it would. The simplest reason was I launched it at an awkward time in my own schedule as I haven’t had time to put any effort into growing the community in 2016. However, I did learn plenty in the two-three months at the end of 2015 when I was actively trying to establish the community.
Things I’ve learned:
The concept of an “organic” community is (probably) a myth. There needs to be a leader(s) to nudge along the conversation. Because I wanted the group to be a community channel and not “my” channel, I shied away from trying to shape the conversation too much. I realize that’s a bit naive so going forward I’d like to reach out to a few international educators who’d like to act as fellow moderators in the community so it’s not just me running things behind the scenes. (If this is something that you might be interested in, send me a message!)
People are busy. When you want people to adopt a new technology, you need to make it as easy as possible for them. Secondly, you need to communicate why this technology is going to make their lives easier and how it’ll change the way they do things, for the better. Again, the problem with the #intled community was my stubbornness in making this a “community-run” channel. Well-intentioned, but impractical. Going forward, I need to make it clear what this community is and why it’s worth investing time and energy in.
In recent years, after graduating college, I’ve come to embrace failure. Not like “yay, I failed,” but more like “that’s unfortunate, but a part of life, so I’m going to learn from it.”
Luckily, the #intled Slack channel has been adopted by the NAFSA Marketing & Communications MIG. Hopefully, their efforts will give the channel the jumpstart it needs to grow into the #intled community we need.
As for the main difference between this initiative vs. marketing tactics that have worked… I’d have to say the marketing campaigns that have really been effective during my time at Stint Ireland have worked out because we were 100% confident about what we were trying to communicate. We had a focus and we crafted a specific message targeted at, and meant to resonate with, a particular audience.
Now onto the fun stuff... :)
What are the three things you'll never leave home without?
A notebook (and pen), a book, and - I know that’s three things already - my camera.
Where's your most recent passport stamp from?
Amsterdam - Schiphol. “You need a new passport,” they told me. “There’s no more room.”
What's your go-to airplane snack for an international flight?
A good novel? :) I devour them. It’s become my ritual to browse airport bookstores. I never enter with the intention of buying anything, but more often than not, I do. For some reason, I always tumble upon a book that ends up becoming one of my favorites.
Foodwise? Not really bothered with airport food. Whatever is free, I guess. The pretzels...
What's your favorite memory from a trip you've taken?
Either jumping into the ice cold waters of the Pacific Ocean at midnight (we ended up sleeping in the car in a Target parking lot that night) or jumping into the ice cold waters of the Colorado River after hiking all the way down the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. These two moments were both during a 3 week long cross-country road trip I took with two friends the day after we graduated college.
