Back in November 2022, I sat in on a roundtable discussion on social media marketing in higher ed during #AMAHigherEd and noticed Eddie Francis seamlessly moderate the session attended by nearly 30 people with ease.The next morning I saw Eddie at breakfast, introduced myself, struck up a conversation, started following him on LinkedIn, and took note of a social proof campaign he started at Dillard University.Friends, meet Eddie Francis, Dillard University’s Director of Communications and Marketing, part-time lecturer, AMA Higher Education Marketer of the Year Nominee, and host of the “For Our Edification” podcast.Eddie joined Dillard as the MarCom director in 2019 and was impressed by the school’s distinguished list of alumni, which includes a Louisiana Supreme Court Justice, a Pulitzer Prize Winner, and university presidents.However, when he asked people what made Dillard the institution that produced such notable alumni, he noticed that there was no unifying language that explained the Dillard experience.That’s when he started the “Write Your Legacy” project, a call to the Dillard community to tell its story in a clear, concise, bold, and unapologetic way.A social proof campaign featuring students, alumni, faculty, and staff that encourages those involved in the university to share their Dillard story with others and build a community in the process.And “community is our superpower,” Eddie says. “Dillard has a distinct way of making sure that the students form this really nice, productive academic culture, and it really comes out of that strong sense of community.”Knowing his audience, Eddie’s team leans heavily on video content to share featured student stories and long-form articles for alumni, faculty, and staff stories.To ensure story contributors express Dillard’s value in one voice, Eddie’s team offers a toolkit that educates content creators about the school’s brand guidelines.As Eddie said: “it is important for folks to realize that they can look at the campaign differently, obviously, because everybody is going to bring themselves to the campaign, but we all got to sing the same song.”Emphasizing that “like the legendary Dillard University Concert Choir, [Dillard’s] community must sing with one voice to attract students, donors, and community partners.”If you’re a higher ed marketer trying to build a sense of community with your students, alumni, faculty, and staff or thought about starting a social proof campaign like the “Write Your Legacy,” give Eddie a follow, listen to his podcast, or visit Dillard’s website to learn more about the campaign.As Maya Angelou once said: “there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”It’s time to let it out.Until next time. ✌️

• Specific.
• Measurable.
• Achievable.
• Realistic.
• Timely.

Have you considered starting a podcast as part of your 2023 marketing efforts? Two things you need to succeed:

• Be consistent
• Be in it for the long haul

I had the great pleasure of getting Robb Conlon, owner of Westport Studios, on the line to learn about his story and share some advice to help aspiring podcasters get off to the right start. With well over 1,000 podcasts produced across multiple industry verticals, including education, legal, and finance, Robb knows what separates the good from the bad. One benefit to starting a podcast as a marketer is “the relationships you’ll build,” Robb says. “You’ll build much more expansive and deeper relationships with your guests, especially as a B2B marketer.”And as many of you know, people do business with people they like, not a faceless company. So, starting a podcast and interviewing your prospective clients or people your prospective clients want to hear from will set you apart and help you build trust with your audience. Regarding your setup, be sure you have a quiet space, but most importantly, a consistent host. “A host that can show up every single week and crank out one to two episodes a week is more important than any mic, headphone, or camera,” Robb says. About the cadence: publish your podcast weekly or better. AdvertisementsREPORT THIS ADIf you’re thinking bi-weekly or monthly, people will forget about you! “If you can get [your audience] on that “treadmill,” where they’ll know that you’ll publish an episode every Tuesday at 8 a.m., you’ll build a following,” he says.But how do I find people to interview, you might wonder? Ask!“Figure out your audience, find 50 prospective people who might be guests on your show, drop a three to four-sentence email to them and ask them to come on your show,” Robb advises. But above all things, be consistent and know that you must stay committed to the project if you want to succeed. Don’t give up too early, especially in the first few weeks or months. It takes time to build a brand and following, and too many creators in this get-rich-quick on the internet, 15-minute-of-fame world that we live in give up before they ever reap the fruits of their labor. If you’re going to start, go all the way. And if you need a producer or a trusted advisor, contact Robb Conlon and ask him about the secret sauce of getting it right in the podcasting world. Hint: That secret sauce is often not a process; it’s a person. And there is no better person that I can think of than Robb Conlon. A friend. A guide. And an overall great guy willing to take a few moments out of his busy schedule to help you get closer to your dream of becoming a successful podcast host. Until next time. ✌️#marketing #podcast #content

Look up the word Mensch and then become one.When I asked Troy Singer, who to chat with to learn more about video marketing, he mentioned Rob Clark, the creator of That Tall Family.That Tall Family has over 2 million followers across three channels:

• YouTube
• TikTok
• Instagram

The brand is on track to reach 2 billion organic views in the last 22 months. I thought I’d be a long shot to get Rob on the line, but he graciously agreed to meet and share some of his insights on creating successful videos with me. Rob started making videos during the early years of YouTube. Initially, he saw little results. Sound familiar? But as the saying goes: it’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.So, he kept at it, continued cranking out content, and by the time short-form videos became popular, he had the necessary skill set and know-how to hit the ground running, ride the trend and gain popularity. One piece of content can change everything because you never know what will happen to it when it’s out there. That is what happened to one of his YouTube videos that initially didn’t see much engagement. That is until six months after the posting, a morning show in India, equivalent to Good Morning America, shared it with its audience, helping it gain up to 170 million views!Thus far, Rob has achieved most of his short-form video success with The Tall Family on TikTok. However, he predicts that YouTube will be the video platform of 2023 with its expanding YouTube Partner Program updates, enabling more creators to make money with Shorts, including revenue sharing on ads.Plus, YouTube is the second biggest search platform on the internet, so marketers would be wise to create video ads for people searching for products on that platform.His advice to anyone entertaining the idea of getting into video marketing: “Make as many videos as possible, don’t overthink it, and don’t decide which video is going to do well,” he said. “It’s impossible to predict what will do well and when. Just keep producing content.” As with everything in life, if you’re willing to invest time in something, it will pay off. “The more you do it, the better you get at it, and the more your brand grows,” he explains. And that’s what we’re all trying to achieve as marketers. We want to expand our reach, gain visibility and grow our brands.I hope you’re inspired to go all-in with video marketing in 2023 and step out of your comfort zone to try new things, like getting in front of the camera.Oh, and a Mensch is someone to admire and emulate. Someone who gives without expecting something in return. That’s who Rob Clark is to me after our conversation, and I’ll be sure to pay it forward when I’m in a position to help someone who can’t help me back. Until next time. ✌️