Be Ready For Monday

Branding In Higher Education

With more than 4,000 higher ed institutions in the US, colleges need to consider how brand recognition impacts their ability to distinguish themselves from other schools, attract students and donors, and maintain connections with their alumni and community stakeholders.

Brand is more than a color scheme or a style guide.  It’s what makes an institution unique.  It’s the outward expression of mission.

When assessing opportunities, marketers should strive to remain true to the brand.  To weave the fabric of a college and it’s culture into every campaign. Students and community supporters want to be ‘part’ of something.  

Facts tell, emotions sell.

It’s How You Say It

Authentic Attitudes Generate Successful Brands

Labor of Love

Retaining Top Talent

Recognizing with Gratitude

External Input and Influence

The Ghost of Branding Past

Circumventing Controversy

Shrinking Tuitions: Game and Response

Keeping in Contact

The Value of Your Personal Brand

Higher education loves to use acronyms and academic lingo in publications and on web sites - and to be fair, it’s useful.  It saves time and takes up less space.  FAFSA and CSS profiles; Title IV;  PLUS loans; FERPA; FWS; LMS; VA; TOEFL; and PSB are common acronyms just to name a few.  The list of abbreviations and terms specific to academia is long. In fact, there are numerous glossaries online to help parents and students decode them.

Acronyms and academic jargon have their place, but not on the front end; not when you are trying to get students in the door.  There are lots of ways that colleges can declutter their public-facing web assets and printed collateral.  

We suggest schools engage potential students with brief, direct, and meaningful language.  

On websites, in emails, and in all marketing materials and student resources, it’s important to keep sentences clear and concise - and free of terms with which only college personnel are familiar.

Be Direct

Websites are the most cost effective way to engage with potential students. Don’t scare them with overwhelming, dense information and academic lingo.  Instead, use inviting language to directly answer questions and to simplify steps to enrollment.

Pay close attention to your calls to action.  A prominent apply now button is much better than a buried link to the admissions department. For example, a page titled Paying for College is more compelling than Financial Aid, and for a first-time student, easier to understand.

Cross-link

Use cross-linking to drive your potential students to where you want them to go.  If your program titles are a little clunky, there is no reason you can’t guide your prospective students to where they need to be using layman's terms.  Don’t assume potential students are familiar with every program your college offers.  They may know the overarching category that sparks their interest, but may not know what the actual program is called or how to look for it.  

For example, a potential student interested in sustainable resources might explore the science department, engineering department or any number of other paths online to find what they need.  Put yourself in the shoes of potential students, and create multiple avenues to guide them to where they need to go.

Learn from the better-funded

Schools that are completely online or for-profit typically have much larger marketing budgets than traditional colleges and universities.  Take some time to explore what they are doing and see how your college might implement similar strategies.  For instance, look at the University of Phoenix.  Paying for School is one of the top menu items, and a quick hover over the tab reveals simple text describing costs. The language is simple; the results are immediate.

Western Governors University touts themselves as being “student obsessed.”  That’s not a phrase you’d find on most college websites, but it certainly gets the point across.  It’s not academic jargon, and is easily understood.  Prospective students will expect that they will have access to help when needed. 

Remember, today’s prospective student pool is accustomed to instant access from anywhere, at any time. Creating short, direct, appealing content in order to move students through your admissions process efficiently will resonate with students whose attention spans are constantly bombarded with any number of distractions. Continuously evaluating your web assets and promotional materials for clear and straightforward content will not only help potential students but will also help you to clarify your message.

As members of a team we rely on the strengths of the group, but as individuals we must accept the boundaries of our personality and experience. We should never try to be who we aren’t, because success comes when the world responds to how authentic we are. While authentic attitudes generate successful brands, quite often manufactured brands only generate empty disinterest.

For college brands to be successful, the brand must connect with the emotions of its audience, attracting those that find value and benefit from what your institution offers. To be efficient, eliminate the programs in your course offerings that do not match your brand or align with the goals of the institution. To further remain relevant, branding should include only the aspects of your brand for which you want to be known.

Use the core of your beliefs as a base, and never present an idea that is not connected to it. 

Higher education marketing has a tendency to become intimidated by the attempts of its peers, which results in unique brands becoming nothing more than static in a homogeneous sector education. We know that our business attitude and belief system differs from our peers, and yet we allow what others are promoting to define how we promote ourselves. Just as a seasoned performer may still get nervous prior to stepping onto the stage, we may get nervous right before we lead others according to what we know is right. That feeling is okay and it generates prudence. 

What is not okay is to abandon your authentic leadership power and knowledge so you may feel safe. Brand safety is common, bland, and uninspired. Reject that notion and support your brand with who you are and what you represent.

We've written in the past that we believe authentic attitudes generate successful brands. Those that create and lead with passion are those that people want to be around and follow. Whether in business, on the athletic field, or in the classroom, leaders that demonstrate a passion for their craft attract the attention of others. It's only natural to find attractiveness in the happiness and joy that often lies beneath the surface and the freedom that's evident when someone has found their calling.

The same is true of brands within higher education. Most people come to learn about big institutions by the torches that their alumni carry or the prowess of a collegiate athletic program's success. Some young children grow up being able to identify the names and mascots of institutions, but only as they near college age does the nature of the type of education and campus experience offered become known. This begs the question: Can a brand be bigger than the product? If one were to ask a marketing professional, this may not be an issue. But a campus administrator or a faculty member may have other thoughts on the topic. What one party sees as the brand another may take issue with, and vice versa. All institutions strive to be known for the academic programs that they offer and the graduates that they help produce, but most also understand the role that athletics plays, as well as the campus tour and online admissions experience. Together, the brand has many facets.

With the rise of social media campaigns also comes the need for constant vigilance. An institution's brand can be both a blessing and a curse. Much in the way that a business faces criticism when its customers voice concerns via social media, institutions have found that their brands can also be tainted when unexpected media attention is showered upon it in the wake of an unfavorable story or event.

This reality has forced many institutions to grow their social media marketing department and ask them to wear many hats. The days of publishing a communications calendar and then updating a few social media outlets with content on a set schedule have passed. Now, in addition to promoting the "brand," these social media teams serve a more 'journalism-meets-customer service' role.

"Is there an event happening on campus this weekend?" "We need to publicize it and monitor social channels in real time."

"There's an emergency on campus! We need to let everyone know!" "Send out messages immediately to ensure campus safety and protection of the student body, and direct questions to the University spokesperson." 

What was once considered an institution's brand is now less about the look and feel of a logo, the presentation of a publication, or even the main website, and more about the communications shared and the experiences one has when interacting with members of the campus community.  Enhancing the design of a logo or updating the messaging on a website won't change the content of the character that a school's leadership, faculty, or students possess. Brands are what they are because they've likely grown out of someone's labor of love.

The social media posts and the mailings to prospective students will continue to evolve with the style of the times. Institutions that place emphasis on these social channels today are wise to try to meet their campus community where they are, and they will likely be best suited to change when the next iteration happens. But the brands that will outlast the others are the ones that can embrace the tools and communicate authenticity.

A few years ago, I started reading articles that discussed how companies were hunkering down during the recession and shedding unnecessary expenses in order to make it through without necessarily introducing layoffs. The author went on to note that these businesses were focused on hoarding cash and attempting to build liquid assets (rather than invest too much in infrastructure, etc.), and in doing so would be in a better position to grow quickly once signs of a recovery started to appear.

When I look at colleagues and friends in the past year, a number have been presented with new opportunities, almost all of which stemmed from their ability to deliver consistent value to their present organizations. 

In part, I am certain why each was offered a new opportunity and given the chance to forge a new career path as a result of years of hard work.

For those that were recruited away to join other businesses, it’s worthy to note that each approached their job as a team player, and none took a “me first” attitude. These new opportunities came from companies that are now capitalizing on attracting top talent as a result of their recent strategies to cling to cash and wait for the market to return. According to conversations that I have had with friends and colleagues, even individuals that weren't happy in their position tended to wait out the state of the job market before attempting to look elsewhere for employment.

Competition for talent has been increasing, and in certain sectors of industry, it’s almost become a job hunter’s market (especially among those that possess sought-after skills and the longevity on their resumes to demonstrate commitment). On the flip side, those employees that approached their positions only as an opportunity to gain promotion via job hopping are actually at a disadvantage when standing up against comparable candidates. (One of the main things that I would note when screening resumes was longevity in employment. I also took note whether or not the candidate was presently employed or not.)

Introduce the Social Job Hunt

Back in the days following the burst of the Dot-Com bubble, the place online to look for jobs was Monster.com. (Industry-specific sites also crept up, like computerjobs.com and dice.com.) Now, with the rise of social media platforms and massive adoption, the job hunt has evolved. In fact, LinkedIn has become the standard, natural way to build online professional references and highlight credentials through existing (mostly business) relationships. Just like Amazon and eBay introduced the world to peer-reviewed products and consumer experiences, LinkedIn enables both employers and employees the advantages of ratifying one’s work ethic and acumen to getting the job done.

This trend will not subside, and in fact is predicted to grow significantly over time. Use it to your advantage.

Marketing One’s Personal Brand

As more information becomes publicly available (the majority of which is now self-published on social media sites), it is imperative that employees and job hunters maintain an online presence that is representative of their professional appearance and goals. To that extent, here are a few pieces of advice that I can offer:

• Cultivate the persona that highlights the attributes demonstrating the job that you seek not the lifestyle you live. (This is an extension of the saying that, “You dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”)

• Maintain your online presence and do represent yourself, but stray from expressing polarizing viewpoints or discussing topics that employers might find unbecoming or questionable.

• Avoid any photography that you wouldn't want displayed for the general public to see.

• Don’t post anything online that you wouldn't write on the back of a postcard.

• Deactivate old accounts. If you’re not using a social network or website anymore (think MySpace), delete the account.

This final point is important. Be sure to maintain the information that you've posted online. It’s common for potential employers to Google you to see what is returned, and one of the last things you want to appear is your profile from a website that you no longer frequent. I had an applicant last year that was very professional on paper and in person, and her resume touted her knowledge and savvy with current technology; however, a quick search on the web (using her email and her name) brought back a slew of results, including a MySpace page that had not been updated in over three years.

Before you apply for that next position, take into account how your personal brand might represent you. Be sure to Google yourself, and take note of what is returned.

Higher Education institutions are so complex that recognition for the performance of staff members is usually personal, but many times disconnected from the community their work impacts the most. To better suggest a way for connecting employees and community, consider how the spirit of Thanksgiving runs parallel to the marketing efforts of a local brewery and the magic of Disney.

Last week’s Thanksgiving holiday presented many with an opportunity to reflect on that which makes us who we are and what we’ve become, and to express our gratitude among family and friends. The holiday ushers in a time of reflection, of giving, and of recognition for all things great and good.

In the spirit of giving thanks, this week a local brewery that we follow on Instagram started a profile series of its staff members designed to highlight the services and contribution of its employees and the connections that each makes with its customers.  

The first post received great feedback, and comments ranged from the congratulatory to reflections on positive experiences with the featured staff member to expressions for overall satisfaction of the product. 

What a great culture building exercise! The idea is free, the effort is minimal, the recognition is easy, and the attention that it brings to those that deliver services on behalf of the brand are immeasurable! By showcasing its staff, the business is making an effort to highlight the contributions that each person plays in delivering a top-notch product, and it shows with the reception of the posts and every interaction at their business.

Instagram takeovers (in which an employee or a guest speaker assume creative license over the brand’s social media account) are not new on the social platform. But this is one of the first times we’ve seen employees specifically profiled as features of the brand and the product. As a growing business, the decision is paramount to increasing awareness about its staff and connections to the community the business serves. 

We’ve written before about an adage most associated with Disney: “We take care of our employees, our employees take care of our customers, and our customers take care of our profits.” By promoting team members AS the brand, businesses like Disney and our local brewery each have the potential to create an immediate connection with everyone outside of the organization.

Award plaque gifts help employees build a story of personal success, which is relevant to other employees. Using your institutional voice to tell your clients how you love your employees deepens a sense of responsibility in the employee, and thankfulness in the hearts of your clients.

We’ve witnessed great professionals get increasingly frustrated about "not being heard." The ethos of this problem can be best characterized as "the failure to convince others your ideas are more important than theirs."

Often the selection of best ideas coalesces not on the merit of such ideas but on the personalities of those presenting them around the table.  The question becomes, "How do I make my strategy evident? How can I best support what I see in my mind as the best way forward?" Unfortunately, you can’t do it on your own. Every expert we’ve ever met bases their expertise not a self-enclosed definition of their own knowledge set, but on external vindication of their expertise. In other words, the opinions others have about your professional acumen gives more validity to your strategies than your own attempt to prove their worth.

The great news is that this system is easily penetrable. 

All one must do is to create a personal network where expertise is shared, judged, and vindicated. There is indeed merit in debating what you believe with others who have no stake at your professional actions. As an example, in my previous CIO position, after considering several factors, I adopted a policy that reduced the importance and focus on thin clients at my institution. Although I was not debated on that decision, had I been asked to explain my position, I could have explained it in detailed as related to the needs of our institution. BUT… I would have also been able to say that I’d discussed the use of thin clients with a group of 10 other CIOs, which included a CIO of a company with distributed offices in 85 countries, and they all agreed with me. It is not that I am not smart on my own, but that my peers will appreciate that I am not acting on baseless impulse rather than carefully considered decisions.

We suggest getting involved with groups that can vindicate your ideas, and arm your decision making and influence with stories about those who succeeded and failed at the same task. If you can’t find such a group, create one.

The “Can you hear me now?” Verizon spokesperson has switched carriers. In a what seems to be brilliant campaign (and no matter what you say, ad campaigns do work), Sprint hired the former Verizon spokesperson to say a couple of succinct points on TV:

1. In the past, Verizon was better than anyone else;

2. ...But in 2016 all carriers are great; but

3. The difference in reliability between Verizon and Sprint is now 1%.

Here is how to translate these points.

1. You used to believe me, and I was telling you the truth all along;

2. I will continue telling you the truth, and the truth has evolved; and

3. Why pay more for an insignificant difference (whatever that difference may really mean)?

Verizon could have kept their spokesperson (who was the face of the company for a long time) on a retainer for the rest of his life to avoid this exact situation. Verizon, however, thought its brand was larger than the face of its spokesperson, and they let him go. That is a branding mistake that could cost the company a great deal of business in the future.

The opinion of those leading Verizon’s marketing strategy seems to illustrate that past branding efforts of Verizon are done and over, and the new effort will yield better future results.

So, what is the actual truth? Is Verizon smart for letting go of old branding (and letting others own it), or is it a foolish oversight? If you paid the most consecrated strategist in the world $100,000,000.00 to weigh in, his answer would likely be as good as this one free advice: No one knows. The only thing that matters is that there are two teams strategizing to move forward in this story, and both of them are acting upon something.

Don’t let a seasoned veteran, or a consultant tell you what idea is the best. Choose for yourself, and then act upon it. The only thing a seasoned professional or consultant is good for is to help you see the repercussions of your decision to move forward, and in that they have incredible value. They will help you better prepare for that which may come. Never, however, confuse their role with that of a true strategist. Don’t listen to their negative comments as “truth”. Listen to them as “fear” or “lessons learned from past failures” and file it properly in your considerations.

It's only an opinion, but it seems that Sprint will gain a lot of ground with this particular approach, and this may translate to the company capturing a larger portion of the market. Would you be willing to give them a try? It doesn't seem like a bad idea.

What is an institution to do when negative press hits right in the middle of a hot admissions cycle? The answer to this problem is not a simple one, however there is one basic step that you can take to influence how much of a drop you will see related to incoming (and retained) headcount: Flood the wire with positive media releases immediately and constantly. This requires a strong communications office and the internal planning to execute if and when the time comes that the media turns its eye on your school. You must find a cadence and publish positive stories about your institution regularly. An institution can't respond to bad press with good press at the same time the attention turns negative. You have to create momentum long before and continue well after. 

Existing and incoming students understand that an institution is, indeed, an institution, and that it will survive well beyond the current administration or the current news cycle. The Internet, however, will perpetuate any stumbles and mistakes in ways that didn’t exist before the early 90’s. 

Publish as much as you can, across as many platforms as you can, and do it immediately.

"Control the story and get in front of it."

Use the opportunity to be honest and accept mistakes. Imagine for a moment that you are working one day and someone sticks a microphone in your face and asks, “What do you think about the current scandal?” Unless you serve as the key media relations contact for the institution, the straight response should certainly be, “My name is [name], and I serve as [role] here at the college. I am not fully aware of all details, but the college will release a statement as soon as we have it.”

React to unforeseen circumstances as if a microphone was placed on your face. Respond immediately, stating that once the details are known, the college will release them instantly. People are accepting of mistakes but instantly reject those who they believe to be hiding information. Think of the current news cycle: there are likely many examples of journalists or pundits talking ill or criticizing someone or some entity of not being forthcoming with all of the details. This is a side effect of how the media engages its audiences and the nature of how myths or untruths can be perpetuated over time. 

Your institution is not about your president or anyone else who works at the college: It is about students learning, succeeding, and graduating into a life of self-fulfillment and lasting success. Remind current students that those who divert our attention from the true mission of the institution have nothing to do with a student's personal narrative and the time spent in attendance or as a proud alumnus of the institution.

I consider higher education strategies involving reduction of tuition and fees to be environmentally inspired. Like many times before, once an idea becomes environmental it spreads not by its own merit, but because original ideas are scarce. This is true in business, music, arts, design and any other facet of human work. Consider the following blog as a perfect example of environmental idea propagation. The wording may be designed to be funny, but the message is powerful.

http://yourlogoisnothardcore.tumblr.com/

Healthy educational institutions should keep a close eye on this process because, not only all mid-size struggling institutions will follow this trend blindly (regardless of its merit), but also because it will expose a larger gap between the cost of struggling and thriving educational institutions. Struggling institutions can reduce the sticker price while cutting financial aid and trying to maintain a net 0 income difference, but healthy institutions will be left out of the game. Healthy educational institutions already support a low discount rate and their sticker price accurately describes their cost. While there is no doubt healthy institutions are operationally better off, they have no room to play the “race to the bottom” game.

It seems that every time I open my inbox, I receive another update on the topic of tuition reduction and fiscal realignment at an institution. This morning, I read about schools in South Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

As a strategy for, say, admissions or marketing, the articles succeed in bringing the name of the institution into the circle of those joining in this trend. But I question whether or not the strategy will provide beneficial results to the bottom line and financial health of the institution.

The way I see it is that if you have a quality product, why discount it just because others are flocking to be next in line and become recognized for reducing perceived value? Of course, I would have to see the figures upon which justifications were made, but I believe that these types of moves are only a perceived reduction in cost. Have these schools weighed out the negative implications that may result from such a reduction?

For example, when looking at the consumer products market, one doesn't see Apple reducing the cost of the iPad just because Google and Samsung have created tablet offerings. Instead, Apple attempts to innovate and create a product that differentiates itself from its competitors. Why isn't that the aim in higher education?

Now, do I think education should be free? Yes, to an extent. I believe that knowledge is there for those with the desire and capacity to learn. However, I am realistic in that I have seen the expenses related to running an institution of higher learning, and as such know that these costs consist of so many other factors (including living arrangements, dining, access to events, technology, maintenance, administrative overheads, salaries, etc.) But by simply removing the sticker price, what will happen to the quality of education and the overall level of service that students and parents pay to receive? I believe institutions need to take a harder look at their long-term financial strategies before wading into the pool of tuition reduction.

Each year between Christmas and New Year's Day, I set aside one morning and partake in an annual exercise of managing my contacts. To some, this may seem overly ambitious or even unnecessary, especially with the abundance of contact methods and social platforms available for business and personal uses. Yet it is the ubiquity of the networks that make it more important than ever to take stock of those in your digital Rolodex.

I began the practice of merging contacts -- updating phone numbers, deleting old business email addresses -- about nine or ten years ago. At first, it was a great way to fill the day and listen to music while maintaining a skeleton staff at the university. The exercise was a distraction from the everyday running around, phone calls, emails and application development. It was before LinkedIn became the hub for professional contacts that it is today.

Today, there is a level of satisfaction to knowing a great deal of what one's contacts may be doing. With every login to your social network of choice, you see the faces and the updates and the tidbits of information about what he or she has been up to, where they've visited, their latest share. But at what point do you actually engage with them? And how often? In a lot of cases, there is an imaginary conversation taking place, one never spoken but simply dreamed up, the false perception that knowing the latest about your contact actually equates to dialog and interaction. There's a natural inclination to think that just because one is 'following' the activities of others that it actually translates into a tangible relationship. But how realistic is that practice? For that matter, I 'know' all there is to know about the celebrities I read about in the tabloids or the political figures I read about in the news.

In order to ensure that the communications are relevant, I try to always keep a log of the contact and some tidbit of importance. Sometimes an interaction is fleeting, and in the event that I bump into the person again at a conference or industry event, I want to at least remember something about our previous interaction. So, when I receive a business card, I typically jot down three or four things of meaning about each individual. The notes are less about whether or not the person wears glasses or has brown hair, but more about where he or she went to school, the number of children that they might have, an interesting hobby, vacation spot, or even the place that we ate lunch. (With the CRM tools that exist today, this practice has evolved from scribbling notes on a business card to now placing a digital note attached to a person's profile.)

We can't rely on technology alone to manage contacts as if we were a grocery list. Revisiting your contact list ensures that you aren't overlooking important and meaningful past relationships. A lot can change in a year. In the case of individuals that you may have worked closely with over the years, even shared an office with or had lunch with weekly before moving on to another position, why shouldn't you make the time to learn about what he or she is doing now?

Despite all of the communication methods available in today's connected landscape, it is the communication itself that is often overlooked.

This morning I was intrigued by a sticker on my Eight O’clock coffee package announcing I could win one million dollars or other prizes. I checked the website listed in the package and learned that the only way to participate in the sweepstakes was to “Like” the Eight O’clock brand on Facebook.

Brand recognition is such an important asset to business that even after regulations impeded companies from requiring consumers to purchase their products to participate in sweepstakes, they continued these contests without the requirement for their products being purchased at all.

My Facebook account is a very public profile of who I am and it is just as important to my personal brand as a corporate brand is to the Eight O’clock Coffee Company. So I abandoned the idea of participating in their sweepstakes all together. I have their product in my house, and their coffee is fine, but there is nothing about it that makes me leap out of my chair to applaud it.

In other words, I have no compelling reason to criticize their product, but I will also not praise them undeservedly so I will have a chance to win a free coffee maker. My very public personal brand on Facebook is much more valuable than any free prizes I may receive.