The Higher Ed Marketer

With the enrollment cliff on the horizon, change might be just what your school needs to survive the drop.

But switching up your enrollment strategy doesn’t have to be a big scary beast. Reaching out and finding support for development and mentorship can help you stay afloat in turbulent higher ed waters.

We’re joined by Bridget Kurkowski, the VP of Enrollment Services at Encoura, who emphasizes how even just one LinkedIn message can go a long way in professional development.

Join us as we discuss:

• [8:08] How to curb admissions turnover

• [20:27] Why you shouldn’t beat around the investment bush

• [33:18] Mentorship for engagement and growth
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Chasing Mission Fit by Bart Caylor

• [email protected]

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

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It’s all too easy in higher ed marketing to get caught up in chasing the next shiny object. Sometimes, bouncing from tactic to tactic without taking a step back or even reverting back to last year's plan may seem like the only option.

We’ve got two words for you — “strategic communication.”

In this episode, we take a look at starting with your school’s “why,” which starts with auditing all the tools in your kit.

Kicking off our conversation is Eric Henry, the President of Carousel Digital Signage, who shares with us the importance of crafting a plan around generational preferences.

Join us as we discuss:

• [4:24] Intentional student engagement in higher ed marcomm

• [14:57] Starting with strategy instead of winging it

• [24:33] Generational preferences among prospective students
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Carousel Digital Signage Booklet

• [email protected]

  
  

If you’re interested in getting your hands on a copy of the Higher Education Booklet Eric talked about in our podcast please reach out to: [email protected] with the subject line “Send me the Higher Ed Booklet”.

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

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Authentic engagement means more than just editing a template and calling it a day.

It’s about sitting down with stakeholders and talking through the marketing process. It’s about getting to know your current and prospective students and learning about their journeys and schedules.

It’s about taking risks and trying new projects – not reverting back to the comfort of the same old, same old.

That’s why we’re talking to “Marketing Dude” Patrick Stone, the Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing at Cape Cod Community College. Taking big swings and zigging when everyone else is zagging are just some of the keys Patrick brings to the table in this week's episode.

In this episode, we unpack crucial components of authentic engagement with prospective students.

Join us as we discuss:

• [3:28] A deep dive into higher ed budgeting

• [13:39] Transforming prospective student connections

• [20:57] Tools that will help with student retention
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Patrick Stone on LinkedIn

• [email protected] 

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Higher ed marketers, a digital watering hole has appeared on the scene that you should be taking advantage of.

The ZeeMee app allows for authentic connections between your university and prospective students on their terms. This app is revolutionizing the college recruitment game by meeting students where they are.

We’re joined by Olivet Nazarene University’s Executive Director of Traditional Enrollment, Luke Franklin, and Asbury University’s Vice President of Enrollment & Marketing, Jennifer McChord, to talk about how ZeeMee has transformed campus culture at their institutions.

In this episode, we break down why you should give ZeeMee a try today.

Join us as we discuss: 

• [5:22] Fostering relationships through ZeeMee

• [7:42] What is ZeeMee?

• [13:52] How Zeemee can help marketers glean Gen Z insights

• [26:10] Why Zeemee is a critical enrollment funnel asset

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• The ZeeMee App

• Chasing Mission Fit by Bart Caylor

• Harrison “Soup” Campbell at ZeeMee

• Tyler Groepper at ZeeMee

• Jennifer McChord on Linkedin

• [email protected] 

• Luke Franklin on Linkedin

• Olivet Nazarene University’s Website

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

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With a marketing world that feels like it's shifting every day, our teams need to be agile. 

Having a team with a diverse background is paramount to handling whatever life throws your institution's way.

Being intentional when building or integrating teams and having an understanding of everyone’s background is critical to team cohesiveness.

It’s about finding the right seat on the team bus for the members of your unit.

Kin Sejpal, the VP of Marketing and Communications at University of Redlands, gets our conversation started on the keys to navigating challenging mergers.

In this episode, we dive into the keys to crafting an efficient and effective team.

Join us as we discuss: 

• [6:41] Changing up perspectives in team building

• [10:34] Weighing aptitude versus attitude

• [20:07] Being taught to learn

• [28:05] Company culture reimagined

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Kin Sejpal

• Jensen Hong, The Future of Technology video

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

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It’s time to switch from transactional to strategic.

In an era where making your institution stand out is a top priority, raising the bar for Marketing and Communications is essential.

By developing and implementing a maturity model, your university can start elevating the student experience.  

Knocking down the silos and utilizing an integrated approach to marketing and communications can completely change the game.

2023 AMA Higher Ed Marketer of the Year and Senior Executive VP of RW Jones Agency, Jamie Ceman, sat down with us to dive into the integrated MarComm approach.

In this episode, we break down the essentials of marketing and communications in higher education.

Join us as we discuss: 

• [2:47] Marketing and communications as one integrated unit

• [14:26] How CMOs can stay active in marketing strategies

• [18:33] Measuring an institution's brand perception

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Three Things That University Presidents Should Know About Marketing

• [email protected] 

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Generating ownable brand ideas can spark from unique qualities hidden in plain sight — not taking the little things for granted. What may seem like an odd quirk could set your university apart.

Strangers with experience can get the conversation started and completely transform your school's brand.

We’re chatting with Brian MacDonald, the co-founder & CCO at Zillion. After working with big consumer brands, Brian wants to bring higher education institutions to the same level of branding focus.

In this episode, we tackle finding distinctive brand ideas.

Join us as we discuss:

• [4:40] Unique selling propositions and brand ownership

• [10:32] Building brand credibility

• [22:32] Finding strength in your brand’s detractors

• [30:48] How to tailor your school’s narrative
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• zillionagency.com

• Brian MacDonald on LinkedIn

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

On November 30th, 2022, ChatGPT changed the world.

Just months before, Dave Hunt, Director of Digital Marketing Communications and Creative Director at Old Dominion University, had been developing a large-scale email marketing campaign at another university.

Dave discovered that the months of work that went into creating it could all be done in minutes now. It hooked him into looking at how to use generative AI further to keep his new team at ODU doing the creative work instead of grunt work.

In an episode that will change the way you think about using generative AI with your team and how it factors into the marketing of your college or university, we’ll discuss:

• [8:32] Focusing on the tasks AI can’t do

• [22:38] Enhancing audience engagement with prospective students

• [28:34] The challenge of authenticity with Gen-Z and Gen Alpha

• [33:42] Achieving brand voice alignment when using AI
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• vectorizer.ai

• Monday.com

• heygen.com

• openai.com/sora
  

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The enrollment cliff is real, and it will be here before you know it.

If small and medium-sized higher ed institutions want to survive this drastic dropoff in traditional-aged college students, marketing teams will need to prove their brands’ value.

For the introductory episode in our weekly review series of Bart Caylor’s book, Chasing Mission Fit, we’re joined by Chris Rapozo, Marketing Specialist at Hannon Hill. Chris helps unpack the book’s first chapter, which focuses on the enrollment cliff and what steps colleges and universities should take to ensure their survival.

Join us as we discuss:

• [8:31] Why mission-fit strategies will be critical in enrollment marketing

• [19:19] Redefining future traditional student demographics

• [27:06] The potential impact of influencers on higher ed marketing

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Chasing Mission Fit on LinkedIn LIVE with Troy Singer - April 3, 2024

• Education Marketing Leader With Chris Rapozo

• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)

• ZeeMee

• Navigating the Demographic Enrollment Cliff

• The Demographic Enrollment Cliff: Forecasting the Great Dropoff featuring Tim Fuller

• Take Your Voice Back: Being Change Agents in Higher Ed Marketing featuring Carrie Phillips

• 2024 Cascade User Conference Keynote

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Higher education has been known for its slower pace of adoption and for often resisting change. With approaching headwinds, including the enrollment cliff, disruption of generative AI, the negative public perception of higher ed, and competition with outside players (Google, Amazon, etc.), it is more critical than ever to lean into the mission-fit marketing.   

That’s why many institutions are turning to partners like Ologie, a higher ed branding agency that helps schools by leveraging their most important asset — curiosity.

Fernando Bergás-Coria, Ologie’s Chief Digital and Media Officer, joins us to share how Ologie is helping schools optimize their marketing efforts through a lens of renewed professional growth and innovative strategies. 

Join us as we discuss:

• [4:40] How higher ed red tape stunts new ways of thinking

• [14:30] A tactical approach to segmentation and personalization

• [23:31] 4 buckets for optimizing enrollment marketing outcomes

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• [email protected]

• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.