Leadership & StratEDgy

Social media may necessitate a different kind of interaction between alumni and their institutions – one that mirrors the shift marketers have made from broadcast marketing to relationship building. And the fun is just beginning, because while all of this requires new skills and ideas, it has also ushered in new dimensions to some all-important roles.

Marketing is everywhere and everyone is a marketer. Each encounter with others – the way people answer the phone, the tone of your website, what the school tweets, the ease of doing business with the registrar’s office, how faculty interact with students, how you speak with the press, or how the institution hosts a reunion -- is a marketing encounter. And every encounter is an opportunity to reinforce what the institution stands for.

In higher education, there are demand drivers for different degrees and credentials and institutions can choose to respond accordingly. One thing is certain - even a new degree or school created based on the most careful, accurate mapping of external trends with internal capabilities may fall short if the timing is off.

I came across an interesting article in The Economist the other day. According to this article, based on data from LinkedIn, “one of the fastest-growing job titles in America is ‘adjunct professor’ (an ill-paid, overworked species of academic).”

Will prospective students have a positive experience trying to interact with your school?

While the concepts of strategy and marketing are not complicated, doing them is rarely easy. A solid understanding of the market and the school’s strengths form the foundation for success – and are areas in which marketing can take the lead.

It’s been seventy-one days since we made New Year’s resolutions. For those of us who resolved to learn something new this year, “lifelong learning” has never been easier.

We had another great discussion in our Strategy and Competition in Higher Education class last night. This one was on disruptive innovation in higher education and featured a very special guest.