The Higher Ed Marketer

In this episode, we are joined by the Director of Content and Strategy Assessment at the University of Rochester">University of Rochester, Brian Piper">Brian Piper.

 - Where your content can make the greatest impact [10:24]

- How to identify which metrics truly matter for your objectives [13:38]

- Where customer personas and audience comes into play [18:04]

- The importance of adapting to AI and a rapidly changing landscape [25:57]

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Brian Piper">Brian Piper

- University of Rochester">University of Rochester

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

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Higher ed marketers sometimes forget that they’re not merely engaging with prospective students. They’re selling their brand’s value proposition to future alumni.

That’s why Ellen Johnson">Ellen Johnson, Vice President For Enrollment Management at Allegheny College">Allegheny College, says her school’s enrollment marketing speaks to the entire breadth of the student life cycle. And by making their brand storytelling part of everyone’s mission, they’ve created a winning culture of recruitment and retention campus-wide.

Ellen tells us how Allegheny is successfully promoting a liberal arts education in a digital-first world and how they’re strategizing for the enrollment cliff.

Join us as we discuss:

- Approaching prospective students with a retention mindset (6:08)

- Storyboarding campus tours with tactical on-site branding (14:18)

- A commitment to helping students from low-income families (27:42)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- [email protected]">[email protected]

- Twitter">Twitter

- Allegheny College">Allegheny College

- Commitment to Access Program">Commitment to Access Program

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Jenny knew she and her team needed to bring positivity back to the school’s messaging. And she started by taking everyone to “Brand Camp.” Today, Montana has experienced consecutive semesters of growth for the first time in years.

Hear how Jenny and her team helped inject confidence back into a bleeding brand by engaging with students and adopting authentic messaging that reflects Gen Z’s priorities.      

Join us as we discuss:

- Marketing management and collaborating with outside partners (9:17)

- Incorporating student feedback into higher ed rebranding efforts (15:41)

- Tangible benefits of rebranding and the Ted Lasso effect (20:10)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Jenny Petty">Jenny Petty

- Twitter">Twitter

- University of Montana">University of Montana

- The Servant Marketer">The Servant Marketer

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts">Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or our website">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.

Many college and university admissions offices are so focused on processing applications that they forget that students want to feel a connection with their school.

As Liz Rainwater">Liz Rainwater, Director of Admission Marketing and Communication at TCU">TCU, reminds us, trust is the foundation for every relationship. That’s why the folks at TCU prioritize giving over taking when they start a dialogue with prospective students and their parents.

Liz tells us why building a two-way connection early in the admissions process is so important and how they’re getting parents actively involved in their children’s futures.

Join us as we discuss:

- Laying the foundation for lifelong relationships with students (1:24)

- Why any CRM can handle batch personalized comm flows (15:27)

- Leveraging early connections in the transfer funnel (27:39)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- [email protected]">[email protected]

- TCU">TCU

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts">Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or our website">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 creative teams have seen incredible changes since Covid, for better or worse. We saw a shift that included a greater appreciation for work-life balance for employees, but is there a point when leadership’s focus on caretaking hurts more than helps?

Wayne’s harrowing climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2018 gave him a unique perspective on confronting the fear of the moment. Now, he’s using that insight to help unlock leaders’ superpowers so they can get the most out of their higher ed creative teams. And it starts with pausing to take in the view.  

Join us as we discuss: 

- Why higher ed leaders need to find the courage to pivot (5:02)

- A strategic view of getting back to your school’s mission (9:45)

- Confrontation and how to deal with elevated stakeholders (17:20)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Jaro.Win

- Wayne Barringer">Wayne Barringer

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts">Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or our website">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.

As digital marketing channels continue to elevate new ways of promoting user-generated content, higher ed marketers have to continue identifying emotional stories that will speak to their target audience.

That’s because prospective students want to feel a genuine connection with their peers through real stories. Nate Jorgensen">Nate Jorgensen, Senior Director of Strategic Academic Marketing and Communications at Miami University"> Miami University, believes higher ed marketers can bridge that need.

They just need to start thinking less like a big brand and more like Ted Lasso.

Nate sheds light on the need for empathy in enrollment marketing and why showcasing user-generated content is essential to building trust with student leads.

Join us as we discuss:

- Identifying emotional stories prospective students will connect with (7:02)

- Why authentic content is superior to overly-produced marketing (13:46)

- Stretching yesterday’s brand guidelines to solve today’s problems (26:28)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Good Services">Good Services

- [email protected]">[email protected]

- Nate Jorgensen">Nate Jorgensen

- Miami University">Miami University (Ohio)

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts">Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or our website">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.

A practical SEO strategy is critical to keeping your school’s enrollment website. But how can you know when to invest in pay-per-click ads versus the long content game?

Guus Goorts">Guus Goorts, Founder of DutchMarketer.com">DutchMarketer.com and author of Successful Student Recruitment With Google Ads">Successful Student Recruitment With Google Ads, believes building an SEO strategy is like planning a road trip. A common issue is that most schools know where they want to go, but they forget to check a few boxes along the way.    

Guus brings us his valuable insight into the three essential components of an organic SEO strategy and why neglecting one will diminish the returns in all of your marketing channels.

Join us as we discuss:

- Identifying short-term SEO strategies for your enrollment website (8:16)

- The 3 core components of an organic SEO roadmap (13:40)

- Building on and measuring returns in your marketing channels (19:24)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Guus Goorts">Guus Goorts

- DutchMarketer.com">DutchMarketer.com

- Successful Student Recruitment With Google Ads">Successful Student Recruitment With Google Ads

- SEO Review Tools">SEO Review Tools

- Semrush">Semrush

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts">Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or our website">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.

Guy Kawasaki">Guy Kawasaki has been a marketing icon since his early days with Apple spreading the word of a product that’s now synonymous with personal computing, Macintosh. Today, the best-selling author and host of the Remarkable People">Remarkable People podcast is the Chief Evangelist for Canva">Canva.

Guy talks with us about why his fandom made him a perfect fit with Canva and how their product puts the power of design right into marketers’ and students’ hands.

And you won’t want to miss Guy’s thoughts on campus tours.

Tune in to hear how Canva can democratize your school’s marketing communications!   

Join us as we discuss:

- How Canva’s ease of use levels the marketing playing field (5:52)

- Empowering students with accessible digital tools (14:04)

- Why Guy believes ChatGPT and AI will be a force for good (19:59)

- Secret shopping your school’s product, including campus tours (27:16)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Remarkable People">Remarkable People

- Canva">Canva

- Force for Good">Force for Good

- The Art of the Start 2.0">The Art of the Start 2.0

- The Art of Social Media">The Art of Social Media

- [email protected]">[email protected]

- Guy Kawasaki">Guy Kawasaki

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts">Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or our website">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.

Drone shows are much more than pretty lights in the night sky. Through curated storyboarding and other audiosensory elements, these innovative spectacles can bring communities together by painting a larger story.

After Joy Fulkerson">Joy Fulkerson, Director of Leadership and Civic Engagement at East Tennessee State University">East Tennessee State University (ETSU), saw a local theme park show, she knew her school’s community needed that experience. Once she suggested the idea to Leah Adinolfi">Leah Adinolfi, the school’s Dean of Student Engagement, they started looking for experts in the field.

That’s where the folks from Pixis Drones">Pixis Drones come in. Joy and Leah join Pixis’ VP of Operations Martin Codd">Martin Codd, Chief of Staff Maria Booker">Maria Booker, and Sales Coordinator Ethan Delinski">Ethan Delinski to discuss how drone shows can engage higher ed communities.

Join us as we discuss:

- The emotional benefits of drone shows in brand storytelling (5:06)

- How ETSU and Pixis collaborated on their storyboard and keywords (12:57)

- Incorporating creative elements to conduct a multisensory experience (18:23)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Pixis Drones">Pixis Drones

- East Tennessee State University">East Tennessee State University

- [email protected]">[email protected] (Joy Fulkers)

- [email protected]">[email protected] (Leah Adinolfi)

- [email protected]">[email protected] (Martin Codd)

This episode is dedicated to the loving memory of Maria Booker.  Maria passed away in a car accident on Sunday June 4th, 2023 returning home from giving her time to help others.  

Her life, light, and vibrance are sorely missed by the Pixis Drones team and all of us here at The Higher Ed Marketer.  In this, her final interview, please take a moment to send a thought or a prayer to her family and the Pixis Drones team in this tough time.  

Donations can be made in Maria’s memory to a charity of your choice or one of the many charities important to her. 

Capital Area Food Bank">Capital Area Food Bank

Chance for Life Foundation">Chance for Life Foundation

Central Virginia Horse Rescue">Central Virginia Horse Rescue

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As a veteran of the newspaper business, Jaime Hunt">Jaime Hunt, Vice President for University Communications and CMO at Old Dominion University">Old Dominion University, has seen firsthand how resisting change can destroy industries.   

That’s why she believes higher ed institutions and organizations need to hit the pause button on banning ChatGPT and other AI services. Rather than branding it as a threat, higher ed marketers need to treat ChatGPT as a powerful tool that can take their content marketing to higher heights.

Jaime gives us a glimpse into how she’s been harnessing the power of ChatGPT to save her mental bandwidth as we dive into AI in higher ed marketing.  

Join us as we discuss:

- How ChatGPT helps streamline mundane work (7:54)

- Tailoring advanced chatbots to your specific marketing needs (16:06)

- Using automation to hyper-personalize comm flows (24:18)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- LinkedIn">LinkedIn

- Twitter">Twitter

- [email protected]">[email protected]

- Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO">Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO

- Old Dominion University">Old Dominion University

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts">Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or our website">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.