Brief consultation with Steven Postma from Breda University of Applied Sciences

Of all the Hippocampus users we've spoken to so far, Steven Postma is the one most closely involved with the technology. He is a Senior Marketer at BUas, an educational institution with one campus in Breda, 7,000 students, and 800 staff. He is therefore the right person to share insights on how he connected other systems to Hippocampus.

Was it necessary to connect?

When it comes to using technology for marketing, Breda University of Applied Sciences has always been a leader. Alongside Hippocampus, quite a few systems were already in place. These systems are meticulously set up with many conditions, as we aim to communicate as relevantly as possible with prospective students. Replacing those systems is not something done lightly. This is why Hippocampus is now our central point from which we all operate. All other relevant systems are connected to it, including our mail programme and our customer data platform.

How do you handle all the data?

We import as much as possible into Hippocampus, so we work with a single database for our CRM. We have, for example, a 'matchmaker' on our website that helps prospective students in their orientation. If a lead comes out of that, it goes directly into Hippocampus. And from there, we take it through to the eventual enrolment.

How easy is it to connect?

You obviously always have to pay attention to the details, but the Hippocampus API – which makes connecting possible – is well-developed and clearly focused on what Hippocampus needs to do for you. The API is continuously updated and improved; they welcome feedback from us and other users and act on it.

Does it remain manageable this way?

Yes, certainly. Most of the connected systems are listed in the Hippocampus dashboard under 'External Channels'. And although Hippocampus has its own integrated mail programme, the external mailing system we use is also connected to Hippocampus.

How many colleagues work with Hippocampus?

About 10 people. That's not a lot, but that's because we've centralised Marketing and Communications in our organisation. We hold regular consultations, and sometimes things come up that we want to change in Hippocampus, like recently being able to filter by postcode and adding the date a prospective student plans to start – via the API, from an external programme. We pass these on to Tessa, our project manager at Hippocampus, and she has placed these requests on their development agenda.

So, does working with Hippocampus go well?

We occasionally speak with other providers who make similar claims and promises, but the great advantage is that Hippocampus knows the education market very well, particularly how it works here in the Netherlands with applications and enrolments. And you notice that when recruiting students. The fact that we deal significantly with international students and also organise activities across borders poses no problem for the system. It also switches easily to English, which is convenient, as quite a few colleagues here are non-native speakers.