Talking Tactics

Ep. 47: Attracting Grad Students Using Career Blogs


Listen Later

Graduate programs often focus on outbound marketing, but what about capturing students who are deciding whether to go back to school in the first place? Purdue Business found a solution that works—blogging. 

Shannon Hess, Director of Content and Communications at the Mitch Daniels School of Business, shares how launching a prospective graduate student blog led to a 425-keyword increase in non-branded organic search rankings, 680 additional website sessions per month, and 400+ new website visitors each month.

In this episode, Shannon walks us through the exact steps Purdue Business took to create a blog that drives real results, from SEO strategy and topic clustering to content creation workflows, and how AI can help. If you're looking to attract highly motivated prospective grad students, this episode is for you. 

  • Follow Shannon Hess on LinkedIn.
  • Subscribe to Talking Tactics for more real-world higher ed marketing tactics that actually work.
  • Attending CASE District V or EDU Digital Summit? Catch Shannon’s presentations for more insights on blogging and SEO.
  • Want to see the Purdue Business blog in action? https://business.purdue.edu/graduate-programs/blog

Guest Name: Shannon Hess, Director of Content and Communications, Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue University

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spnicholson/

Guest Bio: Shannon is a seasoned marketing leader overseeing brand, content, and creative strategies for the Mitch Daniels School of Business at Purdue University. Her proficiency in leveraging data to inform decisions and her drive to continually improve, break silos, and test hypotheses has led to an estimated $7M+ in revenue growth. She is committed to combining creative thinking with emerging technologies and fostering a culture of curiosity, transparency, and quality to solve complex problems and deliver imaginative solutions.


- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Dayana Kibilds
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dayanakibilds/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Talking Tactics is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! 

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 —  the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.

Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! 
The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.

Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Talking TacticsBy Dayana Kibilds

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

6 ratings


More shows like Talking Tactics

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,639 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,157 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

55,995 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

10,059 Listeners

Higher Ed Pulse by Mallory Willsea

Higher Ed Pulse

23 Listeners

A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek

A Bit of Optimism

2,166 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,356 Listeners

The Higher Ed Marketer by Caylor Solutions

The Higher Ed Marketer

50 Listeners

The Application with Allison Turcio by Allison Turcio

The Application with Allison Turcio

12 Listeners

Search Engine by PJ Vogt

Search Engine

4,045 Listeners

Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO — with Jaime Hunt by Enrollify

Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO — with Jaime Hunt

31 Listeners

Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager by Jenny Li Fowler

Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager

6 Listeners

HBR On Strategy by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Strategy

79 Listeners

AI Explored by Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner—AI marketing

AI Explored

78 Listeners

AI for U by Brian Piper

AI for U

9 Listeners