About the Episode
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About The Episode:
How do you stay authentic when AI touches everything you create? In this episode, we talk with Stu Eddins, Chief Digital Strategy Officer at Stamats, about the human side of artificial intelligence and why authenticity matters more than ever. Stu shares how AI has quietly shaped digital marketing for years and why technology alone will never replace genuine connection. The conversation turns to higher education and the growing pressure to sound real in a world of automated tools and machine-written messages. Stu explains how schools and marketers can use AI to amplify their voice instead of losing it, focusing on clarity, purpose, and the kind of communication that actually feels human.
Join us as we discuss:
- [2:39] Is AI a bubble or the next big shift?
- [9:48] AI as the medium, not the message
- [17:27] How personalization and agentic AI could impact higher ed
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How can AI improve competitive content gap analysis in higher ed marketing?
Stu Eddins breaks down a highly practical use case: leveraging AI tools like Gemini to compare your program page content to the top 10 Google search results for the same program. AI can summarize competitor pages, identify missing content (such as career outcomes or faculty credentials), and flag opportunities to differentiate. This process is faster and more scalable than manual audits, freeing marketers to focus on strategic positioning and messaging.
Stu emphasizes that AI doesn’t replace your expertise—it supports it. By handling the grunt work of data comparison, AI allows marketers to apply their creative energy to telling a better, more resonant story.
Why is authenticity such a challenge—and opportunity—with AI?
AI’s power can be a double-edged sword. While it enables rapid content creation, the risk is coming across as overly generic or inauthentic. Stu notes that what makes higher ed marketing successful—especially for traditional undergrad audiences—is creating a real, emotional connection. AI can assist in content generation, but human judgment is key to ensuring it feels authentic.
His advice? Use AI to support your storytelling, not replace it. Let AI do the research, gap analysis, or formatting—but rely on human voices to bring warmth, empathy, and uniqueness.
What’s the biggest misconception institutions have about AI?
Stu is clear: "Your prospects are already using it—even if you're not." He likens today’s AI landscape to the early internet days, comparing it to AOL vs. Netscape Navigator. It’s a time of experimentation, and no one has it all figured out. But what’s critical is participation. Waiting on the sidelines while your audience is immersed in AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity is a missed opportunity to connect.
He encourages institutions to stop viewing AI as a threat to jobs or traditional processes and start seeing it as a bridge to better communication, faster workflows, and more personalized engagement.
What’s the future of websites in an AI-driven world?
One of the most compelling parts of the episode is Stu’s vision of how AI personal assistants will fundamentally change how people access content. In this near-future scenario, websites are less about flashy design and more about being structured repositories of information. AI agents will curate personalized content experiences—transforming raw data into videos, slideshows, or podcasts depending on the user’s preferences.
For higher ed marketers, this means content strategy must go beyond SEO and CTAs. You need structured, schema-rich content that’s AI-readable and adaptable for different formats and delivery mechanisms. Stu suggests preparing now—starting with how your CMS handles structured content and separating design from delivery.
What AI tools and workflows are most useful for higher ed professionals?
Stu shares two go-to AI workflows that save him hours each week:
- Content Gap Analysis via Gemini: He feeds competitor program pages into Gemini, compares them with his institution’s pages, and gets an instant read on what’s missing. It’s scalable, fast, and surprisingly accurate.
- Personal Productivity via Microsoft Copilot: Stu uses Copilot to prep for meetings by summarizing emails, extracting key takeaways, and organizing follow-up tasks. It’s become his personal assistant, allowing him to stay on top of communication and planning without manually digging through inboxes.
His parting advice? AI works best when it’s solving your problems, not someone else’s idea of what AI should do. Start small, experiment, and make the tools work for you.
Episode prompt:
You are a strategic marketing expert with a deep understanding of higher education. I need to conduct a competitive content analysis to identify gaps in my institution's messaging and content. I want you to help me systematically compare multiple competitor pages against my own to discover what I'm missing or where I could strengthen my positioning.**My Context:**- Institution: [Your institution name and type]- Content being analyzed: [Program page, admissions page, financial aid, etc.]- My page URL: [Your URL]- Target audience: [Who this content serves]- Key goals for this content: [What should it accomplish]**Competitor URLs to analyze:**1. [Competitor 1 URL]2. [Competitor 2 URL]3. [Competitor 3 URL]4. [Competitor 4 URL]5. [Competitor 5 URL][Add up to 10 total]Please visit each URL and analyze the content. Then provide:1. **Common Themes**: What topics, benefits, or information appear on 3+ competitor pages but are missing or underrepresented on mine?2. **Unique Differentiators**: What unique angles is each competitor taking that others aren't?3. **Content Depth Comparison**: Where do competitors provide more comprehensive information than my page?4. **Messaging Patterns**: What language, tone, or framing approaches are competitors using successfully?5. **Missing Questions**: What prospective student questions do competitors answer that I don't address?
Connect With Our Host:
Brian Piper
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
AI for U is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Mastering the Next.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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