The Future of Lead Generation: Q&A With Joeri Weyenberg of Kaplan University

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At last month’s LeadsCon conference in Las Vegas, Joeri Weyenberg, vice president of marketing for Kaplan University, was named LeadsCouncil’s 2013 Executive of the Year. He was part of a list of 18 distinguished nominees, who each exhibited a dedication to a high standard of lead-generation best practices.

Crystal ball future

To learn more about Weyenberg and his keen insights on the past, present and future of the lead-gen industry, with an eye to the education vertical in particular, see our Q&A below.

Please tell us a little about yourself. (Personal hobbies are of interest, too.)

As VP of marketing for the Kaplan Higher Education Group, I drive the acquisition strategy for the company. I am actually an engineer, and even though I have never worked as an engineer, the focus on math and algorithmic solutions, process improvement and applying logic has defined my career. The skill set of the marketing executive in the 21st century is very different from the old marketing stereotype. Before joining the exciting education industry here in the U.S. about four years ago, I spent more than 15 years driving strategy, product development, marketing and transformation for Fortune 500 companies in Europe, Asia and the Americas. So clearly, my career has an international foundation. Learning to adapt to different cultures and different ways of doing business in different parts of the world has shaped who I am and how I reason. Needless to say, I love to travel and enjoy new experiences, innovation and change. I was an accomplished tennis player in Europe many years ago, but with two very young kids and a demanding job, there is no longer much time to focus on myself!

Congratulations on winning the Executive of the Year Award, Joeri. What was your reaction to the win, and what does it mean for you?
I was genuinely surprised to win the award. The other 17 nominated executives are all very visionary and accomplished CEOs and leaders in their field, each of them making a significant difference in the industries they operate in. Needless to say that I am very proud of winning the award.

What are the biggest daily challenges, and how do you approach them?
The education industry has been quite a rollercoaster in the last few years. Yet at Kaplan University, we have never changed our vision to put the student first. Everything we do on a daily basis is focused on making our students successful. It is part of our DNA, and we feel strongly that student success is not just the accountability of those who interact directly with students. So my biggest daily challenge is to ensure that we meet and exceed our students’ expectations, starting with that first interaction with a prospective student. It is not a trivial exercise as it requires significant focus and analytical capabilities to optimize the student experience and to create transparency and accountability in the supply-and-demand chain.

What do you think are the keys to your success?
As I said before, at Kaplan University, we are relentless in our focus on student experience and student success. On the acquisition side, we use big data, math, technology and innovation to achieve that mission. In addition, we have been very outspoken about the need to raise the bar for the entire industry, not just in the lead-generation space. All the good players in the industry, both on the buyer and the seller side, benefit from doing the right thing. Using technology and innovative approaches, we can be more proactive in reducing compliance risks, and more predictive in understanding value dilution, fraud and the monetization path

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