You made the first cut. Now what?
Higher Education
07.12.2010
In:
Education
In many ways, the hardest part of branding starts when your college has gained entry to the considered set. You made it into a prospect’s “top five” and now she has to make the hard call: Which one do I choose? At this point, the conversation has to move beyond the nuts-and-bolts criteria like curriculum, cost and size. Because, on paper, you look a lot like the competitors on her short list.
At this stage in her decision process, research and experience tells us that the clincher is culture, experience and fit. You’ve already checked out on the basic criteria. Now the decision becomes emotional, and a prospect is wondering: Can I see myself here? What’s the campus really like? Will I like the people?
That means your marketing and advertising have to convey much more than a message point about rankings or academics. At this stage in the game, you have to give prospects an inside look at your campus experience. And most importantly, your communications must impart a sense of your campus’ distinctive culture.
So, how do you go about it? Here are a few thoughts:
Do it differently. Take a look at your peers’ branding, and you’ll see a lot of the same. Requisite classroom photos. Glowing student quotes. Pretty campus shots. Canned faculty profiles. All wrapped up in a conventional design package. When you look the same on paper, your levels of distinction hinge on personality, culture and creative format. So, get creative. For example, offer up student profiles that go beyond stats to include what’s playing on their iPods and their favorite place in town for late-night food.
Amp up the personality. Think about how you can impart your brand personality across communications and mimic an in-person experience of your campus. For example, if your brand personality is all about being approachable and down-to-earth, make sure your copy is conversational, your images are friendly and your designs are casual.
Tell real stories. Bottom line — your brand personality really comes down to people. The students who put their own mark on your campus culture. The professors who craft the academic experience. The alumni whose post-grad ventures speak volumes about where a student can take their education. So, tell real stories — or better yet, let your students, faculty and alums speak for you.
Get prospects connected. Social media presents a completely new platform for giving recruits an inside look at the campus experience. Take advantage of social networks to connect prospective students with current students, faculty and alumni. Get them engaged in conversation that sheds an authentic light on the campus experience. Or use the web to mimic the campus experience by letting recruits attend a webcast of an interesting course or lecture for a true inside look.
