About the Episode
On the latest episode of the Mission Admissions podcast, Jeremy sits down with Adrienne Barnes, a well-known content strategy and customer research expert.
Adrienne talks about the state of content marketing, how understanding your target audience helps you create more effective content, and why change can be such a big hurdle. She also offers tips on how to become a better writer, and shares insights about her life as a female entrepreneur and working mother.
Key Takeaways
- The State of Content Marketing is Crucial: Content creation is non-negotiable for engagement in today's digital landscape.
- Humanize Your Communications: Authenticity and clarity build trust and resonate with your audience.
- Know Your Audience Inside-Out: Conduct targeted research to uncover behaviors, motivations, and aspirations.
- Segmentation Leads to Personalization: Use personas to deliver tailored messages that align with audience needs.
- Better Writing = Better Results: Improve your writing by reading more and focusing on clear, concise messaging.
- Cold Emails Need a Genuine Touch: Start conversations by being transparent and helpful in your outreach.
Episode Summary
Why Content Marketing is Crucial in Higher Education
Adrienne highlights the necessity of content marketing as the backbone of digital engagement. She explains that content is more than blogs or emails; it encompasses videos, podcasts, and even social media posts. Higher ed professionals must understand that every interaction is an opportunity to connect with students, parents, and stakeholders meaningfully.
Humanizing Content to Drive Engagement
Authenticity and relatability are critical in communicating with prospective students. Adrienne shares how she adjusted her approach on LinkedIn to reflect her natural voice, leading to better engagement. For higher ed professionals, this means ditching generic templates and opting for a conversational tone that resonates with the audience’s emotions and concerns.
Understanding Your Audience: The Key to Success
Adrienne stresses the importance of understanding your audience's struggles, aspirations, and behaviors. For admissions teams, this involves talking directly to current students, conducting surveys, and leveraging social listening tools. Gathering actionable data allows institutions to address specific pain points and deliver value-driven content.
Creating Personas That Work
Most personas fail because they’re based on assumptions rather than actual research. Adrienne recommends focusing on real data and avoiding superficial traits like names or ages. Instead, segment audiences based on motivations and goals, ensuring the resulting personas are actionable and directly inform marketing strategies.
Turning Data into Actionable Insights
Adrienne advises institutions to use segmented data to craft personalized campaigns that meet the specific needs of each audience. Whether through email nurturing sequences or tailored web content, the goal is to deliver value at every stage of the enrollment journey.
Tips for Writing and Outreach
Adrienne emphasizes the importance of writing clearly and concisely. Reading widely and writing consistently helps marketers hone their skills. She also suggests creating transparent subject lines and focusing on starting genuine conversations in cold outreach efforts.
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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