SUNY Niagara’s Post

With economic concerns and uncertainty within the higher-education industry fueling nationwide drops in enrollment, the SUNY Brockport team was determined to turn it around.   DS+CO was tasked with developing and executing an integrated paid media campaign to help reach prospective students and their parents.   👉 The goal was clear: increase applications and drive awareness of the significant scholarship funding available.   🧐 But through our discovery, we uncovered an internal obstacle: the different schools of SUNY Brockport weren’t aligned in how they positioned themselves. Although each school has a lot to say and even more to be proud of, they lacked a uniform method of speaking to it—a sense of true north they all could connect with.   What they needed was to identify their brand core. And that’s exactly what we did.   🤝 In close partnership with the SUNY Brockport team, DS+CO connected with stakeholders of all kinds—staff, students, alumni, leadership—conducting surveys and in-depth interviews to learn what truly makes the university so unique.   🌟 Next, we identified the essence of the SUNY Brockport brand: Excellence within your reach. A multitude of truths pointed the university toward this brand core, but two stood out among the rest: the high-quality education the students receive and the affordability they can access.   🙌 Combining this customer-focused message with a creative media strategy, SUNY Brockport crushed its enrollment goals. 🎓   💯 For the 2023-2024 academic year, the university welcomed its largest class of undergraduate students in nearly 50 years and its largest class of graduate students in the past 20 years.   Excellence within your reach, indeed. 💡   Link in bio to our work in education, healthcare, nonprofits, sports and more. 

Here is the most underrated marketing channel and how institutions can tap into it to increase non-traditional student enrollment. 👇 Direct mail. 📨 Yesterday, a fellow education marketing podcaster from Motor City, USA, interviewed me about my time as a non-traditional student adult learner and asked me about some of the marketing strategies and tactics that work best for this target demographic. I love doing these interviews because I reflect back on the different points in my academic journey and how it all worked out in the end. Now, as a marketer, I can speak on and appreciate the tactics used to get me from awareness to enrollment. I remember receiving this direct mail piece about two semesters before graduating with my AA from Hillsborough Community College. The card held a magnet with the tagline: "The Gator Nation is Everywhere." 🐊 That's it. Simple. Yet, life-altering. 🙌 Up to that point, I wasn't aware that the University of Florida had an online program. The dream, as for many Floridians, was to attend the University of Florida. I lived in Tampa, at the time, and commuting to Gainesville wasn't going to happen. After doing more research on the University of Florida Online, my decision was made. UF was the only school I applied to before graduating from HCC. Luckily I got in! 🙏 But you know the kicker? UF Online was the ONLY four-year school that targeted me via direct mail. I don't know if any other school marketed themselves to me via digital marketing efforts. If they did, they were lost in a sea of saturation, never to be thought of again. As for the magnet, it's still hanging on my fridge to this day. Higher-ed marketing friends, do you use direct mail in your marketing strategy? #highereducation #marketing #directmail

Across Mission Minded’s partnerships with independent schools of all kinds and sizes across the country, we’re seeing themes and patterns that suggest challenges ahead. Just one example: As more families consider public schools or look at a larger set of independent school choices, schools must stand for something highly unique with corresponding value that is clear and unquestionable. Yet when enrollment dips, schools default to the complete opposite: rushing to fill seats by promising families they are whatever the family is seeking. Learn more from Mission Minded’s Romayne Levee about the challenges schools need to plan for in the coming year — and the solutions to keep your school on the path to success. https://lnkd.in/gFM3kF9w

March Madness isn't just about buzzer-beaters and bracket-busters—it's also peak season for college-related paperwork! As a notary public, you're in the perfect position to capitalize on the flurry of activity surrounding college admissions, scholarships, and more. Check out this week's blog post, all about how to make the most of your March marketing. https://lnkd.in/gya5r5uF

REMINDER: Strategic marketing is key to a successful lottery season. Developing a strategic marketing plan is essential to attracting a diverse pool of applicants and increasing your visibility within the community. By utilizing a variety of marketing channels, including social media, local publications, community partnerships, and word-of-mouth referrals, your charter school can reach prospective families from all backgrounds. Be sure to highlight details like your school's academic achievements, extracurricular opportunities, supportive learning environment, and other unique characteristics to ensure your school stands out! Get more tips for a successful lottery here: https://lnkd.in/eaqd_ZQy #StudentRecruitmentTips #CharterSchools #EdLeadership

Check out the key education marketing opportunities coming up this February and March. 👀 Always a delight to chat with John Smith and Ben Sawyer, as we reveal the key themes, funds and insights that will connect you with educators and education staff. If you'd like to find out how to get your education marketing up and running this term, send me a message for free edu-marketing advice. #educationmarketing #SprintEducation

Check out the inspirational study about one of my former students, Brian Durbin! #LopesforLife

Listen to the University of Lynchburg's President, Alison Morrison-Shetlar and RNL's Greta Daniels, CFRE share how university leaders are thinking differently about what it means to be "sustainable" today! On-Demand Webinar: Optimizing Revenue in Higher Education—Taking Your Strategic Planning Process to the Next Level (ruffalonl.com)

Voting is open! So it's important to know what I stand for and what I intend to achieve. There's four key reasons to vote for me--four avenues we can improve the Eccles Experience for all. FIRST, I'll continue to advocate for your student voice by promoting and supporting initiatives like Bites with BSG, discussing with the BSG Representatives, and pushing to establish additional feedback programs. SECOND, I'll expand our resources for business clubs to include communal event and arts & crafts supplies, so we can have more creative, unique, and inventive events and marketing. Using arts and crafts for events has a high barrier to entry because of the amount of supplies and tools that must be bought, but go unused. One of my favorite experiences as Recruitment Advisor for Phi Sigma Pi was assembling our poster board (pictured below). As Senator, I'd like to break down that barrier, and enable more clubs to experiment with marketing. THIRD, I want to create more marketing opportunities for clubs. A common complaint among students is the lack of awareness about events and opportunities. I have two suggestions. First, install more bulletin boards in the SFEBB, as the current boards are hidden behind stairways. More bulletin boards will create a visibly more active campus community. Second, I want to organize marketing, social media, and leadership workshops for students to make their clubs, campaigns, and programs as widely known as possible! FOURTH, and finally, I will use my extensive experience collecting student feedback in Business Student Government (as Director of Student Voice this year, and the Accounting Representative last year) to support the other 17 senators in connecting students to the administration--the most important function of student government. We've made great strides in the Eccles School integrating students' opinions into the decision-making process, and I hope we can create a culture where that's the case in every college.

Bravo to two recent efforts getting the word out on the value of college! 📣 The National Association of Higher Education Systems (representing 65 state systems from across the country) created their “College is Worth It” social media campaign to change public perceptions on the value of higher education with stats like a 65% income boost. Well done Jason E. Lane, Tristan Denley, and team! 🚎 The Gates Foundation US and Strada Education Foundation and Roadtrip Nation have organized a road trip and public television series about how people find their paths with students sharing their stories, stopping at campuses, and meeting experts along the way. Can’t wait to tune into this. Applications are due 4/14 so spread the word! What are you doing to communicate and increase the value of #highereducation? I’m working on this problem from the top down and bottom up. 🎓 At Buro Happold we work with #collegesanduniversities to enable #studentsuccess with better facilities, support services, and technology. 📗Through my book How to Get the Most Out of College, I get the word out to students and families that it’s not just where you go to college but what you do while you’re there that determines value and drives #collegeROI in #highered