About the Episode
In this episode, Jeremy has a conversation with an amazing marketer and leader, Allison Turcio, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at Siena College. There’s so much in here that will provide value for you regardless of your title or role. The core of their chat revolves around what it means to truly be student-centered and collaborative as an entire enrollment management division. They also chat about intentionality, leadership, staff retention, dealing with failure, dealing with change, what motivates her, the importance of constantly looking at data and evaluating and questioning what’s working and what’s not, tips and tricks for emails, texting, and social media, plus Allison shares her greatest A:B test accomplishment. Enjoy!
Key Takeaways
- Adopt a Student-Centered Mindset: Shift from institutional-centric to student-centric marketing by using language and content that resonates with students' emotions and needs.
- Embrace Collaboration Across Teams: Building a marketing plan is more effective when admissions, financial aid, and communications teams work together, alongside student feedback.
- Short and Authentic Communications Work Best: Focus on clear, concise messages in emails and texts, and prioritize authenticity over overly polished content.
- Data-Driven Decisions Matter: Use analytics to continuously refine messaging and strategy, and ensure all team members understand the "why" behind decisions.
- Empower Your Current Students: Leverage current students for user-generated content and feedback, ensuring your communications reflect genuine student experiences.
Episode Summary
The Power of Collaboration in Higher Ed Marketing
Allison shares how Siena College has fostered a culture of collaboration across teams to create effective marketing strategies. By pulling in admissions, financial aid, and even student interns, they build comprehensive, student-centered plans. She emphasizes the importance of personal relationships, which are central to Siena’s Franciscan mission, as a foundation for cross-departmental collaboration.
Building Student-Centered Strategies
One of the most impactful shifts Allison has led is creating a marketing plan that prioritizes the student perspective. Instead of focusing on institutional achievements, the strategy centers on what students need to feel heard and connected. For example, personalized emails from admissions counselors invite students to share more about themselves, reinforcing that the institution values their unique experiences.
The Role of Data in Refining Communications
Data plays a crucial role in Siena’s marketing efforts. Whether it's A/B testing email templates or analyzing engagement metrics on social media, the team continuously evaluates and adjusts their strategies. Allison explains that being data-driven helps justify decisions to leadership while ensuring marketing messages remain effective and relevant.
The Shift Toward Authenticity
Authenticity has become a cornerstone of Siena’s communications. By using real student voices in their campaigns and leveraging unfiltered student-generated content, Siena creates messages that resonate more deeply with prospective students. Allison also highlights the importance of avoiding overly polished templates in emails, focusing instead on crafting messages that feel personal and relatable.
Leadership and Team Development
As a leader, Allison focuses on fostering a team culture that values innovation, learning, and feedback. She acknowledges the challenges of balancing work and personal life but stresses the importance of intentionality and mindfulness. For her, being a leader means continuously evolving and supporting her team’s growth.
Practical Tips to Elevate Your Enrollment Marketing
- Shorten Your Emails: Keep messages concise and to the point. Avoid overloading emails with information—focus on one or two key points.
- Make Text Messages Personal: Let students know they’re engaging with a real person, not just a bot. Ask questions and be responsive to build trust.
- Leverage Social Media Reels: Use authentic student-generated content, like reels and videos, to engage with audiences on Instagram and beyond.
- Test and Iterate: Run A/B tests on communications and be willing to adjust strategies based on data and feedback.
- Involve Students in Content Creation: Recruit students to contribute to videos, photos, and feedback on marketing materials, ensuring your messaging feels genuine.
This episode is brought to you by Gecko - a student engagement platform offering multiple modules to help institutions better engage with students and lighten the load for their staff.
Mission Admission is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Our podcast network is growing by the month and we’ve got a plethora of marketing, admissions, and higher ed technology shows that are jam packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks all designed to empower you to be a better higher ed professional. Our shows feature a selection of the industry’s best as your hosts. Learn from Mickey Baines, Zach Busekrus, Jaime Hunt, Corynn Myers, Jaime Gleason and many more.
Learn more about The Enrollify Podcast Network at podcasts.enrollify.org. Our shows help higher ed marketers and admissions professionals find their next big idea — come and find yours!
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