Transform Your Enrollment Strategy by Owning Your Audience

About the Episode:

In this episode, Allison welcomes back Louis Miller, partner at Electric Kite, for an in-depth discussion on the importance of owning your audience in higher education marketing. They explore how direct control over your communication channels can transform marketing strategies, reduce costs, and foster stronger relationships with prospective students. Through examples from Red Bull to HubSpot, they illustrate the impact of a media-minded approach and offer practical tips for higher ed institutions.

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Key “How Tos” you’ll hear in this episode: 

• Diversify marketing efforts by building and nurturing your own platforms alongside using third-party channels.
• Invest in creating valuable, evergreen content that continues to attract and convert students over time
• Treat your institution as a content creator and publisher, focusing on topics that resonate with your target audience.
• Use various media formats (blogs, podcasts, videos) to tell compelling stories that attract and engage prospective students.
• Align your team around a clear content strategy and brand messaging to ensure consistency and authenticity across all channels.

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Why Owning Your Audience Matters

Louis Miller emphasizes that higher ed institutions need to shift from reliance on third-party platforms (e.g., TikTok, College Board lists) to owning their communication channels. This approach reduces risks associated with platform changes, like TikTok bans, and allows schools to maintain control of their messaging and audience relationships. Owning your platforms builds long-term cost efficiency and delivers stronger ROI by creating evergreen content that drives engagement long after publication.

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Case Studies: Inspiration from Brands

Miller cites brands like Red Bull and HubSpot as examples of organizations that have successfully transitioned into media companies. These brands create content not just to sell products but to attract and engage target audiences on a broader scale. For higher ed, Harvard Business Review is a great example of how a university can publish authoritative, value-driven content to elevate its reputation while building a dedicated audience.

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From Concept to Execution: Higher Ed Strategies

To succeed, institutions must:

1. Define Core Brand Pillars: Clarify who you serve, what makes your school distinct, and how your strengths benefit students.
2. Create Focused Content: For example, a school emphasizing career readiness could produce a podcast on teaching liberal arts for career success or showcase alumni outcomes.
3. Engage Emotionally: Beyond rational details, emotional connections—like relatable student stories or experiences—are key to enrollment decisions.
4. Leverage Existing Channels: Audit current assets like your website, campus tours, and brochures to ensure they align with your core messaging.

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Transforming Teams for Media-Minded Marketing

Higher ed marketers must expand skill sets to include:

• Journalism-style storytelling.
• Data analysis for content strategy optimization.
• Content creation for varied formats, such as blogs, podcasts, and videos.
• Audience segmentation and platform-specific publishing strategies.

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Barriers and Solutions

Challenges include aligning stakeholders on brand messaging, ensuring authentic storytelling, and navigating limited resources. Miller advises starting with content audits, focusing on manageable media opportunities (e.g., blogging or podcasting), and amplifying successes through social and paid channels.

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The Power of Emotional Marketing

Campus visits and interactive events remain the strongest marketing tools because they foster emotional connections. Miller shares examples like food truck festivals and unfiltered student blogs, which showcase authentic campus life and create lasting impressions on prospective students.

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Actionable Steps for Marketers

1. Conduct a Brand Audit: Align your website, brochures, and tours with your core brand pillars.
2. Create Owned Content: Launch a blog, podcast, or newsletter around a key institutional theme, such as sustainability or career readiness.
3. Highlight Authentic Stories: Let student voices shine through blogs, videos, or social takeovers.
4. Engage with Emotion: Invest in experiences and content that make students feel connected to your school.
5. Experiment and Refine: Use data and audience feedback to identify what resonates and adapt your strategy accordingly.

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‍About the Show: The Application is your playbook for the ever-evolving world of higher education enrollment marketing. This podcast zeroes in on the niche, often-unexplored areas of the field, delivering a potent mix of actionable insights, practical strategies, and cutting-edge perspectives.

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Connect With Our Host:

Allison Turcio

https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/

https://twitter.com/allisonturcio

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About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Application with Allison Turcio 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 Mission Admissions and Visionary Voices: The College President’s Playbook.

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 —  the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.