Embrace all aspects of marketing, not just what’s comfortable.

What higher ed marketers need to know

Most of us took at least one marketing course during our undergraduate years or through continued education post-graduation. However, it may have been years since you’ve sat, crusty-eyed in your 8:30 am Principle of Marketing class, so allow me to level set.

Marketing is not just sales, nor is it only about the production of products. Marketing is a beautiful blend of art and business with a focus on current and future customers. It challenges us to look objectively at our product, to test it against the needs of our customers, and to be open to critique about the experiences our organization offers.

While marketing isn’t (as they say) rocket science, it also isn’t a template.

You need to:

1) know your institution, what is offers, and how people experience those offerings,

2) know your competition (within higher ed and beyond, e.g. Coursera, Google, and General Assembly),

3) test your theories on audience behavior and conversion — through content optimization, focus groups and pulse surveys, and journey mapping exercises,