Marketing is one of the few functions on a college campus that everyone believes they understand, yet few comprehend its true value. Too often, it is viewed as a cost center rather than the strategic driver of enrollment, reputation and institutional growth that it is. Just as often, people misunderstand what marketers actually do.
“You design stuff, right?”
Or the proverbial question often said as a statement:
“How come no one knows about us.”
I once joined an organization where many of my colleagues indicated my function was not needed as they proudly boasted, “what we offer is free and we pay people to participate!” I politely offered another perspective with the comment, “Oh, people don’t have a choice?”
It didn’t take long for them to realize that even in a free market, with competing organizations offering similar services, communicating value and building brand loyalty are necessary to sustain and grow market share. (For those of you still wondering, it was clinical research, and it was highly regulated. Try marketing where every word, image, and placement was critically evaluated.)
We’re all competing for the same few seconds of attention. In a world where audiences are constantly bombarded with information and advertisements, earning attention has never been more difficult.
Marketing professionals have long referenced the “Rule of Seven,” the idea that a prospective customer may need multiple exposures to a message before taking action. While the exact number varies by audience and channel, repeated exposure remains essential to building awareness and trust. Wait, are you still here?
On top of that, the market is saturated with so much advertising noise, we’re plagued with where to look first. And I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading this online, I’m competing with an ad that has retargeted you for whatever you’re currently looking to consume. Has your vacuum recently broken or were you just talking about the Formula 1 races and you’re being teased with an advertisement for the ultimate driving experience?
With the market, especially in higher education, more competitive than it’s ever been, plus natural inflation, the cost of promotion has significantly increased. Leaning on public relations aids our effort but, it too, is plagued with noise saturation and the sad reality is that most people can’t tell the difference between what’s real, AI-generated, or what they dismiss as “fake news.” Last, but not least, everyone has an idea of how to market your product.
Why don’t I see your enrollment advertisements?
As a professor, I always take the opportunity to educate. So, when a stakeholder or influencer says, “my friends and network say they don’t see our advertisements,” I ask, “do they have a vested interest? Do they need a college degree, have children or is their passion education?”
I then ask what kind of car they drive. Let’s say it’s a Mercedes. Is it fair to say that since driving a Mercedes, you now notice them more on the road. The answer is almost always a resounding, yes. To which I reply, thank you, now help us create a vested interest.
Despite these obstacles, effective marketing remains one of the most powerful tools institutions have for driving enrollment and strengthening their brand.
So, how do we tackle these challenges and declare victory? How do we fill our pipeline with quality leads that become loyal students, stakeholders, and even influencers?
We creatively tell a story using as many mediums as possible with a focused goal, whether that is to increase bachelor’s degree enrollment, reach Hispanic students or grow a nursing program.
For example, using an integrated marketing and communications campaign, my team was able to increase the headcount enrollment in baccalaureate programs by 5.9% and 12.9% in credit hours. That took strategic focus.
How? We performed a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis because effective marketing starts with understanding where opportunity exists, not promoting everything equally. And this was before AI.
I want to emphasize the importance of performing a SWOT analysis with each campaign and creating focused campaigns based on goals and a clear set of priorities. With higher education institutions having very broad program offerings, it’s nearly impossible to promote every single one on the budgets we’re given with successful performance outcomes.
Lastly, research consistently shows that influencers are the top referral source for college students, which supports advertising on every possible medium, including print—that despite being declared irrelevant—still has an impact.
Jamie M. Smith is the public information officer and associate vice president of government relations at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota and a member of the Insight Into Academia Editorial Board.
