Education Marketing Leader with Chris Rapozo

This special episode of the Education Marketing Leader Podcast brings you inside our August Book Club meeting, where we discussed Chasing Mission Fit with the author himself, Bart Caylor. 📖 Chasing Mission Fit tackles one of higher ed’s toughest challenges: finding and connecting with the students who are the right fit for your institution. In this episode, Bart and our book club community of hig...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Kristen Johnson , Founder of Wise Marketing Strategy , to talk about how colleges and universities can better use data to guide enrollment marketing. Here are some of the key takeaways for higher ed marketers: ✅ Focus on inquiry conversion Don’t just count inquiries—track how many convert to applicants, accepts, and enrolled students. That’s where you’ll se...

What does it look like when a creative director is also a former student? Luis Landeros brings that full-circle perspective to his work at Arizona Western College , and it shows. We talked about: Why stock photos kill authenticity and how real images connect better with community How one unplanned photo shoot turned into a national Paragon Award The power of being a real-world practitioner in the...

🎙 New Episode: Using Stories to Market to International Students Guest: Kris Achten , Manager of International Marketing & Recruitment at Karel de Grote University College and Founder of P eople Like You . We covered a lot in this one, from environmental triggers to user-generated content to a student who went from doubting he could afford college to landing a job at TikTok. Here are the highl...

In this special episode of the Education Marketing Leader Podcast, we revisit highlights from our July book club meeting with Day Kibilds and Ashley Budd , co-authors of MailedIt! . This conversation brought together higher-ed marketers, enrollment pros, and communicators to unpack how small, intentional email campaigns can lead to big results. Together, we explored key lessons from the book. Here...

Most faculty pages are outdated directories. No story. No strategy. But in today’s landscape, faculty visibility impacts everything, from citations and media to enrollment and funding. In this episode, Dr. Hashim Zaman breaks down how higher-ed marketers can support faculty online without adding to their workload, or risking trust. Here’s what you’ll take away: Why personal branding feels performa...

Your website might be compliant. But is it neuroaccessible? If it’s not, you’re losing students before they even apply. In this episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I talk with Beth Jendro Noël , Director of Communications and Creative Services at Middlesex Community College . She breaks down what most higher ed marketers are missing when it comes to accessibility, and how to fix it....

In this episode of The Education Marketing Leader , I talk with Mike Barzacchini, Director of Marketing Services at Harper College , about how to stop being seen as a service desk, and start being viewed as a strategic leader. Mike shares how his team made that shift by putting strategy first, building credibility through clear planning frameworks, and creating a culture of collaboration with lead...

On the latest episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I interviewed Laura Rudolph , founder of Square One Consulting and former higher-ed marketer at Transylvania and Marshall University. We talked about the two audiences that are often overlooked in enrollment strategy: parents and high school counselors. Laura put it plainly: "Parents aren't along for the ride. They're driving the car...

In this special episode of the Education Marketing Leader Podcast, we revisit highlights from our May book club meeting with Jamie Hunt , founder of Solver Higher Ed , former CMO of Old Dominion, host of Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO, and author of Heart Over Hype . This session was an exchange between higher ed marketers, strategists, and creatives reflecting on the real-world impact of empathy-...

On this episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I sat down with Mariah Tang , Chief Content Marketing Officer at Stamats . We unpack why niche content is the most underrated growth strategy in higher ed marketing right now, and how to actually make it work for you. This isn’t another talk about SEO basics. It’s a roadmap for building search-visible, AI-resilient, and student-relevant co...

In this episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I sat down with Seth Odell , Founder & CEO of Kanahoma , to unpack the brutal truths facing higher ed marketers. From the enrollment cliff to vanishing name buys, Seth doesn’t sugarcoat what’s ahead, and why speed, focus, and fundamentals matter now more than ever. What You Need to Know The cliffs are real. Enrollment. Search. Percepti...

On this episode of Education Marketing Leader podcast, Jennifer Lonchar , co-founder of AmbioEdu , breaks down what higher ed marketers need to know about Performance TV, and why it's becoming an essential part of the enrollment marketing mix. What is performance TV and why it matters Performance TV refers to unskippable streaming commercials on platforms like Hulu, Roku, Peacock, and Pluto, excep...

In this special episode of the Education Marketing Leader Podcast , we’re diving into highlights from our latest Education Marketing Leader Book Club session We were joined by Jenny Fowler, award-winning social media manager at MIT and author of the breakout hit Organic Social Media: How to Build a Flourishing Online Community . Jenny, fresh off her Harvey Chute Award win for Best Nonfiction in Bu...

In this episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I sat down with Dane Dewbre , Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at South Plains College . We talked about shifting public perception around community colleges and why the old narratives need to go. Dane’s been with SPC for 29 years, and he’s seen firsthand how students of all ages, backgrounds, and ambitions thrive when th...

In this episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I sat down with Yane Nemeroff, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Miami Dade College and host of the Non-Traditional Scholar Podcast to talk about how to market to non-traditional students without the fluff. Yane joined me to break down what higher ed marketers need to know about this growing audience. ⚡ Key takeaways: “Non-t...

In this episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I sat down with Jaime Hunt , Founder and President at Solve Higher Ed Marketing and author of the new book Heart over Hype . We covered the real work behind building an authentic brand in higher ed. No fluff. Just strategy, leadership, and lessons you can actually use. Here's what we covered in the episode: ✅ What's behind the title "Hear...

The humanities are facing an uphill battle in higher education, with budget cuts and declining enrollments. But are we missing an opportunity? 🤔 In this episode, Kyle Campbell joins host Chris Rapozo to discuss the shifting landscape of SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy) subjects and how universities can better market them. 🔍 Key Topics Covered: ✅ The m...

Higher Ed Marketing is at a Crossroads The demographic cliff is here. Competition is tougher than ever. Institutions are losing talent to the private sector. So how do we fix it? I sat down with Suzan Brinker , Co-Founder & CEO at VIV Higher Education and author of Pass/Fail , to unpack what institutions must do to survive the next decade. Here’s what you need to know: 1. Integrated Growth Pla...

The higher ed marketing vendor landscape is shifting—fast. More VC-backed companies. More consolidations. More agencies blending into one another. If you're a higher ed marketer evaluating vendors, you need to know what’s happening behind the scenes. In this episode, I sat down with Kevin Renton , Principal at Electric Kite and Publisher at Volt Magazine , to break it all down. We covered: ✅ The...

Email isn’t dead. It’s just misused. On the latest episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I sat down with Day Kibilds (VP of Strategy at Ologie) and Ashley Budd (Senior Director of Advancement Marketing at Cornell University) to talk about crafting higher-ed emails that build relationships, not just fill inboxes. The duo shared insights from their Amazon bestselling book, Mailed It! Ke...

In this special episode of the Education Marketing Leader Podcast, we're diving into the highlights of our Education Marketing Leader Book Club meeting, where we discussed the book Epic Content Marketing for Higher Education by Brian Piper! 📚 We were thrilled to have Brian Piper , Director of Content Strategy at the University of Rochester join us. Brian answered questions and shared valuable ins...

Higher education is facing a trust crisis. Institutions are under scrutiny. And instead of leaning into transparency, many are doubling down on restrictive social media policies for staff! 😲 But what if faculty and staff voices are exactly what’s needed to rebuild credibility and trust? On the latest episode of The Education Marketing Leader , I sat down with Scott Cline, Ed. D. , Founder of Scot...

In the latest episode of the Education Marketing Leader Podcast , I sat down with Granit Doshlaku , Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Manaferra . We discussed how AI-powered search transforms SEO and what it means for higher-ed marketers. Granit shared actionable insights to help you stay ahead in this rapidly evolving space. Here are three key takeaways from the episode: 1️⃣ Expect Quality...

Season 3 of Education Marketing Leader is here! I kicked it off with Dan Giroux , former AVP at Drexel University and Principal at DJG Marketing LLC , to discuss a pivotal shift for advancement teams: Evolving from reactive service providers to proactive strategic partners. Dan predicts 2025 will be a defining year for higher-ed advancement. Here’s how teams can adapt 👇 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Advancement is...