Talking Tactics

This episode is about this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Ph0-mO9Bc. Go watch it!

A new program has launched — how do we make people aware of it? We make a video, of course! But, not all videos are created equal. In this episode, Emanuel Díaz from IE University will share how a team at the university (shoutout to Sofía, Lucia, and Elena) created a video to boost enrollment in a marketing program that ended up being a finalist for the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards, used by TikTok and LinkedIn Corporate as a great example of content, and received 20% more views than other program videos. 

The video was produced with a low budget and featured Andrew McCarthy, an academic director, taking viewers through the experience of working in the MarCom world — in a fast-paced, funny way. The team faced challenges with budget constraints but overcame them by utilizing in-house talent and resources. The video set a precedent for adding soul to video content, and opened the doors for creativity for all productions moving forward.

Guest Name: Emanuel Díaz

Guest Bio: Emanuel lives for a good story to weave, so he describes himself as a storytelling lover and aficionado. His passion for content started in the banking industry in his native Puerto Rico, where he was leading copy and digital marketing for the institution. The challenge of making a bank soulful caught him.

A Fulbright grant took him to Madrid to study at IE, where he stayed as the Associate Director of Alumni Communications. He is now Head of Content Marketing where he brings to life his passion for creativity, emotional content, and weaving stories that showcase the beauty of working in the educational sector. He is also a proud collaborator in LGBTQ+ initiatives and does improv theater in his free time.

Guest Social Handles:  LinkedIn

And social links for the video co-creators too:
Sofía Quetglas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiaquetglas/
Lucia Malmierca Wainstein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-malmierca-wainstein
Elena Böhm: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-b%C3%B6hm-20729026/

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Picture a world where the standard social media engagement rates for educational institutions are 3.26% on Instagram, 1.36% on Facebook, and 0.51% on TikTok, as outlined in Hubspot’s December 2023 report. Now, imagine Duquesne University smashing these benchmarks with a remarkable 11% engagement rate, far surpassing what's typical for its size. This exceptional performance is thanks to Ian Hurley, Director of Social Media, who utilized a straightforward but effective tactic: listening and responding. By emphasizing relationship-building and redefining their voice, Duquesne University set a new standard for university engagement that carries relationships started online all the way to campus. Ian Hurley proves that just an hour a day can have significant community-building results. 

Guest Name: Ian Hurley

Guest Social Handles:  
https://twitter.com/ianphurley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianhurley/

Guest Bio: Ian Hurley is the Director of Social Media at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. He has over 20 years of experience in the marketing and communications field, working for Northeastern University, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, the World Health Organization and CQ Roll Call, among others. He holds a B.A. from West Virginia University and an M.A. from American University.
At Duquesne, Ian works to align the social and brand strategy among campus partners and help to advance the Division of Marketing and Communications and University strategic goals.  

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Imagine requesting information for a master’s program and being asked about your favorite movie… that’s what Lydia Fine did at the University of Iowa Tippie School of Business! As the Senior Marketing Technology Specialist, Lydia faced a challenge: form submissions were okay on desktop but not quite up to par on mobile. Taking matters into her own hands during the transition to Drupal 9, she took advantage of the in-page, multi-page option and revamped the request-for-information forms to be more engaging. Lydia's clever idea? Making the first question effortless to answer, with a twist of fun. This approach has been a game-changer, skyrocketing their MBA program RFI's conversion rates by 192% and an extraordinary 595% on mobile.

Check out this very effective (and fun!) form on the Tippie College of Business website: https://tippie.uiowa.edu/masters-finance

Guest Name: Lydia Fine

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

Guest Bio: Lydia is a 14-year higher education veteran with a focus in marketing technology, lead generation, web conversion tracking, CRM, integrations, data analytics, and all the ways that technology and marketing intersect. She’s currently the Senior Marketing Technology Specialist at the University of Iowa Tippie School of Business and she has a BBA in Marketing and an MBA, both from the University of Iowa. Lydia runs a photography business and chases her two kids around in her free time, and wishes that Reese's Eggs were on the shelves all year long.

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This special cross-over episode features clips from Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO, Talking Tactics, and The Application with Allison Turcio. These discussions highlight the significance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education marketing. Through these carefully selected clips from several podcasts within The Enrollify Network, this episode illuminates the multifaceted approach needed to authentically represent and engage a diverse student body.

Key takeaways include:

• The Importance of Diverse Leadership and Marketing: An engaging story from Jaime Hunt and Kevin Tyler reveals the impact of having openly gay and black leaders in higher education. This segment underscores the pivotal role diverse leadership plays in shaping inclusive marketing strategies and fostering an environment where all students feel represented.
• Amplifying Voices through Authentic Stories: Dayana Kibilds and Mikki Collins delve into how the University of Chichester's podcast initiative succeeded in significantly boosting social media engagement by sharing real, unfiltered stories from minority and underrepresented groups. This discussion highlights the power of authentic narratives in enhancing a university's reach and its commitment to DEI.
• Accessibility as a DEI Pillar in Digital Marketing: The conversation between Allison Tucio and Raman Bhalla explores the often-overlooked aspect of DEI - web accessibility. It offers practical insights into how a systematic approach to making digital content accessible can serve as a form of advocacy for inclusivity, demonstrating the crucial role marketers play in ensuring all students have equal access to information.

Listen to the Full Episodes Featured:

Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO - Episode 42: Authentic Allyship: Crafting Campaigns That Support LGBTQIA+ Students Year-Round

Talking Tactics - Episode 17: Walk The Walk On DEI And Amplify Reach With Raw Authentic Stories

The Application - Episode 34: Roadmap To Web Accessibility Success For Higher Ed Marketers

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Getting a mention on social media is only half the win. Real engagement happens when we respond. This was Sabreen’s philosophy going into this shift in mentality for Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. As the sole social media manager for the university, she decided to devote at least as much time to social listening (and responding, and reposting) as content creation. The results have been incredible for RFU: In under one year, their mentions have gone from 600 to 7,200 (that’s over 1,000% increase), and the number of people engaging on social (aka unique authors) from 170 to 1,600. Want to reach more people on social? Rebalance your listening to posting ratio and get these astonishing results.

Guest Name: Sabreen Alfadel

Guest Social:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabreen-alfadel/

Guest Bio: Sabreen Alfadel is the Digital Communications Specialist with the Division of Marketing and Brand Management at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, where she’s responsible for establishing and executing a strategy for the university’s social media channels. She specializes in content development for social media efforts and initiatives, actively engages in online conversations with prospective students, enjoys building connections around campus, and takes pride in revealing the university’s tight-knit community across social platforms. In Sabreen’s free time, she likes to attend concerts, cook, travel and discover new restaurants. 

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Email is a sea of sameness. Just ask any sophomore or junior in high school you know: they are getting bombarded with thousands of emails and they all sound the same. Katie Mills-Erickson wanted to break through the noise to share the University of Iowa story. But how? In email, it starts with the subject line. Her tactic was to change the tone so they would sound and feel more quirky, more human, more fun. The results were astonishing. Email open rates increased by 20%, with some emails hitting open rates in the 80-90% range. 

In the episode, we talk about Katie’s cool “My job is Email” shirt. 
You can get it here: https://www.raygunsite.com/products/my-job-is-email

Guest Name: Katelyn Mills-Erickson

Guest Social:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelyn-mills-erickson-957aa8188/

Guest Bio: Katie is currently a communications and marketing professional at the University of Iowa. She has worked in higher education for the past five years, primarily in the realm of admissions. When not at work, she enjoys bad reality dating shows, attending college football and women's basketball games, and spending time with her three kitties: Gerry, Watson, and Lacey.

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When yield is the focus, personalization is key. But, just how personalized could an event be? John and his team at Waukesha County Technical College had an idea to create an event where — no matter where you were in the post-app funnel — you would leave the event as an enrolled student. Yes, that included transferring credit, accepting, advising, scheduling courses, and committing — all as part of one single event. They called it, Admission Accomplished, and that they did: 75% of the attendees left the event completely enrolled.

Special shoutout to Kaylan Gaines and Dee Dee Wallace at WCTC who made Admission Accomplished a tactic we all want to try!

Check out Admission Accomplished: https://www.wctc.edu/events/admission-accomplished/index.php

Guest Name: John McGreal

Guests Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfmcgreal/

Guests Bio: John McGreal has been an enrollment professional for his entire career and has worked for multiple styles of institutions. He is currently the Dean of Enrollment Services at Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee, WI. John has also been involved with NACAC and his state affiliate, the Wisconsin ACAC, serving as a member of the President's cycle for WACAC and on the Affiliates President's Council for NACAC. During his free time, John spends time with his family, watching and reading science fiction, is an avid sports fan, runs, and is a grill master.

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If the atomic unit of content is usually a story, what happens when we redefine it to be a snippet or a single quote? That’s what Mackenzie pondered, then implemented at UW-Eau Claire in preparation to launch their new website. In the process, she realized she had ready access to a treasure trove of content she could use to make quick videos, quotes, or add to emails. The results? Her team can produce meaningful content within hours instead of weeks, and the university is engaging with audiences it hadn’t quite reached before.

Guest Name: Mackenzie Huber

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-m-huber/

Guest Bio: Mackenzie Huber is the Content Strategist for the office of Integrated Marketing and Communications at UW-Eau Claire in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Before joining the team at UWEC, she was the Associate Director of Digital Communications at Lawrence University. She is happiest during a brainstorming session with teammates, making lists on colorful sticky notes, or when she has an excuse to mind map a new idea. Currently engaged in her second full website rebuild, Huber is tired. When she's not working, Huber enjoys playing sand volleyball, eating soup, and hoarding books she'll never have time to read.

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The podcast Profcast at the University of Antwerp isn’t just thinking outside the box, it’s checking multiple boxes. Each episode features one professor, focusing on their research but also on the person behind the research. Building academic reputation? Check. Establishing good partnerships between academics and marketing in house? Check. Helping current students know their professors? Check. Reaching international audiences? Check. Celine Kuysters joins us to share how the podcast she co-created has generated over 27,279 listens in 31 countries over its four seasons.

Listen to Profcast episodes: https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/about-uantwerp/faculties/faculty-of-business-and-economics/news/profcast/

Guest Name: Celine Kuysters

Guests Social Handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celinekuysters/

Guests Bio: Celine is a Marketing and Communication Strategist at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She started her career in higher education in 2019, with master’s degrees in both strategic communication and journalism. Besides being responsible for managing the faculty's international recruitment strategy, digital campaigns, content creation and social media, she is also committed to building its alumni community. Since 2022, she is part of the EMFD Marcom, Alumni and External Relations steering committee, and since 2023, part of the CASE Europe Newcomers Track. Having traveled to 33 countries and speaking 5 (and a half) languages, her nickname at work has become Celinternational. When she’s not abroad, she fills her spare time with pilates, fitness, photography and drives classic race cars with her dad.

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The task was monumental: Write career content for 70 different programs. In late 2022, before AI was top-of-mind for any of us, Patrick was thinking... How can I do this with AI? With the help of his student employees, Jasper.ai, a spreadsheet, and the =CONCATENATE() function, they created powerful, search engine optimized content that resulted in these incredible results: 217% increase in clicks on the site and 166% increase in impressions from search sources and 358% increase in clicks and 226% increase in impressions from unbranded queries only.

Guest Name: Patrick Kelly

Guests Social Handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickkelly1976/

Guests Bio: Patrick Kelly has 23+ years' experience in web marketing for higher education and health care organizations, including Rush University Medical Center, Swedish Hospital and Loyola University Chicago. He holds a master's degree in writing from DePaul University in Chicago. Patrick currently serves as web content manager at Harper College overseeing the college's website, harpercollege.edu. 

This podcast is brought to you by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform. Learn more about how Element451 can enhance student engagement, boost enrollment, reduce expenses, and increase staff productivity.

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/ 

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 AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.