No one in higher ed these days needs to look beyond today’s daily news headlines to recognize that times are challenging. Things are changing at a head-spinning pace. In stark contrast to the past 50 years of growth, higher education today has fallen deeply into a market-share driven economy. Winners are determined by fending off competitive forces through superior strategies. Losers? Well… they lose.
At the same time, as I meet with cabinet leaders in enrollment and marketing around the country, there’s a collective movement underway to adjust strategies to meet today’s challenges. That invigorates my spirit.
It was little more than a decade ago when institutions were arguing about whether a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) was needed. Today, the role is essential at nearly every institution, given the complexity of recruiting and fundraising. Today’s best practice is to assemble a highly data-driven and strategic marketing operation that performs critical functions for enrollment, strategic communications, and fundraising to deliver true return on investment in all areas. Marketing is a key performance engine, not a service organization.
Brand reputation is an essential strategic point of any modern university’s marketing operation. Crafting, managing, and elevating a brand reputation strategy that drives audience engagement, awareness, and institutional reputation to feed optimal enrollment and fundraising performance is vital. A strong brand is not a “nice to have” but rather something that must be in place to form a winning strategy.
Four Essential Elements of A Strong Higher Ed Brand Reputation Strategy
To guide the discerning higher ed leader on how to think about effective brand strategy, here are four essential elements to aid your thinking as you consider your current and future brand strategy solution.
Story Over Facts
A quick look at the content produced and promoted by most higher ed institutions reveals an unfortunate truth: Universities are caught up in facts and statistics. Facts, on their own, aren’t bad, but without a connected story, they lack relevance to most external audiences. A great brand elevates the emotive story while using facts to support the authenticity of their story to create a more powerful attraction with their audiences.
Distinction
Ask any prospective student about the materials they receive from colleges and universities, and they’ll tell you everything sounds mostly the same. The best university brands find a way to unlock critical distinctions that separate their narrative from the competition. With students getting so much material from so many schools, it’s critical you find ways to make your materials stand out.
Human Expression
The most valuable asset on earth is human connection. The best brands recognize this and have a human element at the core of their branding, either a strong emotion or personality embodied within them. Find a method to humanize your institution’s brand in a way that creates meaningful connections with your constituents. This means doing so consistently. Making the expression of your brand personality the core of your brand work, and not just an occasional way to make something look good.
Personalized Segmentation
A great brand is no longer developed through the creation of a strong and centralized campaign with consistent expression across audiences. Instead, today’s best practice is highly data-driven, involving a centralized campaign that segments its expression in a highly personal way to individual audiences to create stronger engagement, attraction, and lasting memory.
The Power of a Strong Brand
In today’s challenging times, it’s more important than ever that you tell your story authentically and transparently. While you can’t control what happens in the news, you can control how you present your institution.
Looking to elevate your brand to meet enrollment goals. Carnegie’s Brand Strategy team’s unique, personality-driven approach offers a way to humanize your brand and connect with your audiences. Start a conversation to learn more.