Interactive maps don’t have to always be of the campus. Really, they can and should highlight everything that’s different or outstanding about your school. Here is a fun example that might get your ideas tickling: Ohio State put together an interactive map of their latest recruits, including position played, weight/height, ranking, and origin. Though simple, it quite likely has been a much-visited map because of how essential the information is to the identity of the Buckeye state, and to Ohio State’s many fans.

Ohio State Football Recruitment Map

Ohio State Football Recruitment Map

In much the same way, college recruitment is about identifying your target audience and then discovering the most the interesting data or facts about your campus that you can leverage in a way that grabs their attention.

The map created by Ohio State is a great example of using an interactive map in a different sort of way. Your campus’ map does not have to simply be a map of where your dorm buildings and science and mathematics building sits. These things are great for an initial overview of your school, allowing prospective students to visualize where they might be spending a lot of their time in the future. But how about creating a map for your exceptional, state-renowned university medical center, allowing those recruits you really want to see what kind of amazing opportunities and resources they’ll have access to when they join your school? Or a map highlighting what kinds of great careers your graduates have gone on to?

Interactive maps can be used in a variety of ways, and if you are willing to diversify their use, you’ll find them to be an essential tool in college recruitment. Today’s recruitment market is extremely competitive, so take some time to think about what will put you a cut above the competitive. The more realistic and tangible data you offer your recruits, the better!

Remember to always think outside of the box for ways that you think your audience will find interesting.

Update: It looks like other schools are following Ohio State on the football recruitment map.  The Charlotte Observer put together a couple of maps for National Signing Day in the Carolinas and News Sentinel did the same for IU, Notre Dame, Purde and Ball State.