The Higher Ed Marketer

Higher Ed marketing is not one size fits all. Each institution is unique and can’t be all things for all people. Finding what consistently works for your brand and sticking to it is crucial to brand growth. The first steps towards success are removing personal bias, having a goal, and understanding that it requires investment. Jay Rathell , Senior Media Buyer for Yamaro83 , gets our conversation s...

It’s hard to ask for help.  Putting pride aside and leaning on others to enhance your knowledge is nothing to be ashamed of in the realm of higher education. Collaboration, shaking things up, and attempting different strategies can create waves and allow you to think differently. With over 35 years of experience in higher ed marketing, Bart Caylor , the Founder of Caylor Solutions , is launching h...

The admissions process can get stuck in an endless loop of application deadlines, essays, and transcripts. By investing in “radical hospitality” and focusing on relationship-building with students, admissions teams can discover the clearest path possible. Acting intentionally to show students they matter is key to unlocking their true career path. Hopping on the podcast today is John McGreal , the...

Customer service often takes a back seat in the process of higher ed recruitment.  Every interaction with a prospective student is crucial to how they view your institution. This means staying up-to-date, trying new tactics, and being intentional about your customer service philosophy. Above all else, consistency is key to maintaining mindful and constructive interactions.  Getting our conversatio...

Are you utilizing all the tools in your toolbox? Thinking bigger, more interactive, and focusing on fueling engagement is within reach. By learning with AI, your college or university’s fundraising campaigns can be crafted and completed much faster and even at the click of a button.  We get the AI ball rolling with Josh Kligman , the Co-founder and CEO of Storyraise . Josh is a big proponent of sp...

Making higher education accessible to all is big as we approach the enrollment cliff. Identifying the needs of all prospective students and really asking the ‘why’ makes Gen Z feel seen and heard. It’s time to tailor your marketing strategy to meet the needs of the next generation. We’re getting the conversation started with Spenser Smith , the Director of Admissions for Graduate Business Programs...

Telling the authentic transformative stories of students and staff on your campus helps foster real emotional connections. Without forming a genuine connection with your prospective students, they may see right through you. Stories are everything – it’s time to show the impact your university has had on those in your community. Documentary storyteller Ryan Koral , the Founder of Enroll Films , get...

Different generations are beginning to have an increase in educational influence. Having a marketing strategy that can adapt but be intentional when helping non-traditional students is key. With information expected to be accessible at the click of a button, how can your institution firmly support these prospective learners with potentially limited marketing resources? Brad Entwistle, Founding Par...

The higher education experience is changing. With attention spans shifting and life getting in the way, institutions need to adapt. Now more than ever, learning needs to be functional for the nontraditional student. Getting the conversation started is Troy Brown , the VP and Director of Recruitment and Enrollment at the University of West Los Angeles . As the new Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, Equi...

Welcome to the Gold Rush era of artificial intelligence. AI is integrating more and more into the world of higher education and everyone is hoping for their morsel of success.   It’s crucial now more than ever to begin educating yourself on the world of AI. Push off your studying and you may be left in the dust. This unique episode brings two guests, Andrew Cassel and Brian Piper , for an AI round...

If someone asked you to define your institution’s “Why,” could you? When was the last time you really looked through your brand guide to ensure you were sticking to the mission? Are all your ducks really in a row? DJ Menifee , Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, Communications and Retention at Bradley University , joined us to talk about why schools need to assess their assets. DJ, an avid sn...

There are always opportunities to learn in the higher ed marketing space. But there are also opportunities to teach. Higher education tends to move slowly, and with everything around us evolving quickly, we need to approach change as a team. We’re digging deep into collaborative change with Susan Kassab , Consulting Director at  focusEDU . One-on-one conversations and mutual understanding are at t...

As the saying goes, “Change is a part of life.” The same can be said for higher ed online classroom resources. How can schools meet the needs of students in the ever-advancing remote learning space? It’s time for colleges and universities to work for students. That’s why we’re talking to Sarah McMaster , Executive Director of Marketing & Enrollment Management at Champlain College Online . With...

Is your college or university's content engine struggling to chug down the track? Do you often find yourself scrambling to find where your next piece of marketable content will come from? It’s time to utilize what's right in front of you. That’s why we’re talking to John Azoni , Owner and Executive Producer at Unveild.tv John is big on getting on the ground with students and finding stories to bui...

Step right up as we unpack the U.S World News College & University Rankings. There’s methodology, there’s branding, but how does it all work together, and what other factors affect your school’s ranking? We’re talking to Adam Stoltz , Director of Enrollment Marketing at the University of Idaho . Adam wrote his dissertation on the U.S News and World Report’s Rankings subject, expanding on its h...

Higher education is not one size fits all. Markers need to wade into the data and demographics and focus on creating an intentional message for their target audience. That’s why we’re talking to Shane Baglini , Senior Director of Marketing Recruitment at Muhlenberg College . A dynamic higher ed marketer, Shane has a passion for authentic storytelling. In this episode, we delve into the importance...

Authenticity has taken a front seat in higher ed marketing. Branding your institution authentically is a big key to success, and it starts with improving the employee experience. That’s why we’re talking to Eddie Francis , Founder of Edify Ventures . With a diverse experience in various industries, Eddie holds firm that being valued matters. In this episode, we dive into the mechanics of employee...

Marketing in Higher Education is evolving more rapidly than ever. If we sit around and watch the innovations fly by, we might be out of the game before we know it. It’s key to ensure that when the right piece of marketing is available to your university, you seize it. That’s why we’re talking to Tony Fraga , Marketing Strategist & CEO at Direct Development . He’s all about implementing strateg...

Batter up! With the 2023 World Series just around the corner, we’re celebrating an all-star roster of The Higher Ed Marketer interviews. From CMOs to school presidents, we’ve had the privilege to talk to some of the most brilliant minds in higher education. And the best part? Each of this episode’s guests will be at the upcoming 2023 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education in Chicago,...

When it comes to alumni communications, print isn't dead yet. In fact, many alumni who are express great interest in receiving printed content. When done the right way, print not only provides a great ROI but also helps higher ed material to stand out in what is becoming an increasingly noisy digital landscape. That's why it's paramount that communications teams try to combine both a print and dig...

The market for public-facing generative AI tools has exploded since ChatGPT’s launch in November of 2022. And lots of higher ed institutions are still trying to wrap their heads around AI’s potential, for better or worse. But the truth is that the rest of the world is going full speed ahead with generative AI, and it’s time for higher ed marketers to catch up. In this episode, we’re joined by Gil...

Like a lot of higher ed departments, international student marketing has been on a rollercoaster since the pandemic. And while other global players like Canada and India are excelling in international recruitment, the US is falling behind. But Mary Catherine Chase , Director of Marketing and Communications at The George Washington University - School of Business , thinks domestic institutions have...

When It comes to building trust by empowering teams to take ownership, higher ed leaders must communicate frequently and not be afraid to push boundaries. Today, we're joined by the Senior Director of Enrollment Marketing at Baylor University , Jen McCrady . Jen talks about what helps her unique management style to not only establish trust with her team but also empower them.   How you support you...

For any number of reasons, higher ed institutions can sometimes get caught up in a branding dilemma. And it’s often up to their marketing departments to reshape — or rediscover — the magic behind their school’s messaging. Such was the case at the University of Louisville in 2017. It was then that the school’s Executive Director of Brand and Marketing, Kim Butterweck , and Director of Marketing, Er...

Are you setting the teams at your university or organization up for success? How are you supporting your colleagues to ensure that they are at the top of their game at all times? It all starts with being intentional, getting everyone aligned, and having a collaborative approach. In this episode, we are joined by Kathy Kissane , Associate Chief Marketing Officer at Thomas Jefferson University . Kat...