In the final episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast of 2023, I interviewed one of the show's early supporters, who kept me accountable and introduced me to guests when needed.

Meet Kat Liendgens, my boss and CEO of Hannon Hill.

Kat, a fellow German immigrant, moved to the United States a few decades ago. After earning degrees in English and Information Technology, she used her academic and technical expertise as Associate Dean of IT.

Following several years in the IT space, Kat took an opportunity to join Hannon Hill in 2009 as Professional Services Manager.

She was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in January 2011 and then appointed Chief Executive Officer in November 2011 to strengthen culture and revitalize growth.

A strong culture and an organization that operates with a growth mindset is what I found when I started at Hannon Hill in July 2022.

Things are trending upward for the company, and that's what we want for our clients, most of whom are higher-ed institutions, as well.

The episode focuses on how colleges and universities can harness the power of website personalization during the shifting higher-ed landscape to help attract new students, retain current ones, and keep alumni informed most efficiently.

Personalization is especially relevant in the face of the demographic enrollment cliff, where it's more important than ever to create a digital experience that resonates with each visitor when they reach a website.

But how should one get started?

During our chat, Kat acknowledged the hesitations marketers often have about implementing website personalization.

She recommends starting with small, focused experiments, particularly targeting personas that are harder to convert.

Kat reiterated the power of being intentional with personalization efforts and that the key is to be thoughtful and understand the unique needs of each visitor.

We also covered:

• How higher education institutions can effectively utilize data to personalize their websites without compromising privacy.

• Common challenges universities face when implementing web personalization, and how can they overcome them.

• Emerging trends in web personalization that higher education marketers should be aware of?

To catch Kat's insights on leveraging website personalization in higher education for increased engagement, enrollment, and retention, tune into the latest episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast.

Contact Kat on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected] to continue the conversation.

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Until next time. ✌

#marketing #highereducation #webpersonalization #personalization