

Start by researching how your tuition and admission requirements compare to other universities. Another option is to focus on career-connected education, showing students that you specialize in fulfilling their employment aspirations.įurther differentiate yourself by selecting value propositions for your academic programs.

News & World Report rankings are great starting points, but there are many other ways to share your tangible benefits.įor instance, you could build credibility by highlighting your high-profile accreditations, such as AACSB for business programs and CCNE for nursing programs. Your value propositions should focus on how you can best meet students’ needs and the outcomes you’ve achieved. “Then you can determine the best ways to differentiate your brand and the programs you offer.” Begin with schools you believe are in your caliber of competition, but don’t disregard any schools you are actually losing students to,” said Jocelyn Stiefel, our Senior Director of Partner and Brand Marketing. “A good litmus test is to compare your university’s messaging and advertising with your competition. Which value propositions should you select for your brand? Answering that question demands analyzing what makes your university unique and the market trends influencing whether your academic programs will resonate with learners. This way, you can focus on connecting with the students likely to enroll and thrive in your academic programs - and avoid allocating your limited resources toward trying to convince unlikely candidates. But that approach only clutters your message, making you blend in with the crowd instead of standing out.Ĭentering your brand on three to five distinct value propositions will always work best.

In response, establishing a broad brand that’s “everything to everyone” may seem appealing. In addition to competing with other universities in your region, you must also compete with online academic programs that have a coast-to-coast reach.

Let’s face it: higher ed is a crowded industry. Let’s walk through practices that help you develop the brand, strategies, and infrastructure for attracting more learners to your online and on-campus programs, and ultimately, support strong student outcomes. When university marketing is done well, learners will think of your university first when they decide to enroll in classes.īecoming a top-of-mind university involves many moving parts. Spreading the word about your academic programs is an opportunity to show learners your unique ability to provide education that fuels their aspirations and leads to achieving their goals.
