Pokemon GO: Incorporating the App into Admissions Strategies

Unless you have been living under a rock in the past week, you have seen pictures and posts on social media about the newest social and fitness app, Pokemon GO.

My own fiancé has been obsessed with the game since it launched during our vacation in Florida. From that point on, most of his pictures were of family members "interacting" with various Pokemon characters!

He has since traveled all over Little Rock, Arkansas (near our home) to "catch 'em all." The part he finds most exciting? The ease of meeting new people with a common interest.

Over the last few days, I have seen tweets discussing possible incorporation into better student engagement. Then, I happened upon an article by Eric Olsen on Helix Education that specifically outlines recruitment strategies campuses can easily implement! Instead of focusing on current students, it discussed methods of recruiting new students with the app. Five suggestions are included in the piece:

1) Make Pokemon GO part of your campus tours and orientations

2) Host a Students and Alumni event focused on playing the game together

3) Socialize by incorporating Pokemon GO into your online brand

4) Take advantage of the hype by hosting a contest on campus

5) Highlight Pokemon GO as a great way to explore campus

After working with first year students, I can see how these strategies could easily make them feel more comfortable getting to know their new environment and community. We all know that student retention and success are linked to higher connections to the campus and other students. Why not use these free, easy tips to also influence recruitment?

I thought it was extremely on target with the feedback I have seen online from Pokemon GO users. You should definitely go to the original article and read more about Olsen's strategies. Soon, you may be posing with a Pokemon character in a photo taken by a student on a campus tour!

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