Hashtag Higher Ed

Have you ever heard someone say “don’t read the comments”? Across the web, the comments section is often affiliated with trolls, who incite others through polarizing opinions and offensive language. But on the University of Georgia’s Undergraduate Admissions blog, the comments section is a treasure trove of prospective student insight, with blog posts that occasionally receive more than 300 comments from interested UGA students. In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, David Graves, UGA’s Senior Associate Director of Admissions Operations and Evaluation, joins the show to talk about the blog he has run since 2009. We discuss the challenge of keeping content fresh in a cyclical environment, the pros and cons of blending the personal and professional on Twitter, and how one person keeps up with so many prospective student questions.

Ahh, the website. At once an essential element of your marketing strategy and a massive resource hog. Jason Buzzell, Director of Digital Communications at the University of Nebraska Omaha, knows the conundrum well. Five years ago, he was tasked with updating a website that desperately needed an upgrade. But at an organization that prides itself on lean operations, devoting resources to a full-blown redesign wasn’t an option. His solution: iterative web design. In this episode, Buzzell shares how the University of Nebraska Omaha redesigned their website using a phased approach, how his team prioritizes projects, the key to avoiding a Frankenstein website, and the “next big thing” that might require a change in their approach.

You know your way around Facebook, Linkedin, and Google. But are you using their business platforms to their full potential? In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed podcast, higher ed marketer extraordinaire Matt Hames joins the show to talk about the business platforms offered by Google, Facebook, and Linkedin and why your institution should be using them. We also discuss Google’s new product announcement, and why it’s a game changer for higher education searches.

On campuses across the country, content strategists and creators are sharing new and exciting ways to communicate with key online constituents. And yet, those ideas often fall on deaf ears when working with internal campus stakeholders, who just want to do the same thing they've done for the past 10 years. Why won't they listen to you? In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, Michael Powers, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, shares the value in moving from a conformance mindset to a collaboration mindset, turning client relationships into real collaborations.

Andy Fuller, Director of Strategic Content, and Liz Harter, Social Media Manager, join the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast to discuss Stories at Notre Dame, a strategic storytelling endeavor that shares long-form content through a variety of mediums, raising awareness for the lesser-known aspects of a University famous for faith and football.

Is your next website redesign project about new features and functionality? Or is it more about an internal culture shift in how and why you create content? In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed podcast, Harvard University Director of Content Strategy Mike Petroff shares insights behind the decision to redesign Harvard’s digital newsroom, the Harvard Gazette. We also discuss the challenges of scaling 1:1 communication in light of Facebook’s recent algorithm adjustment, choosing the right metrics for reporting and analytics, and the surprising new way Harvard is planning to make their content discoverable.

What does airport security have to do with application requirements? What can prospective college students and their parents learn from head lice? For Georgia Tech’s Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Rick Clark, blogging has been a consistent part of his job since 2015, and each week is a new opportunity to use personal anecdotes to share valuable insights into the college admissions process. In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, Clark joins the show to share stories behind some of his best posts, the surprising activity that helps him conjure up fresh topic ideas, and the altruistic nature of blogging.

If you work on the web for your institution, you've undoubtedly fielded a request to "put this on the website" or been asked "when the website will be done." In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, Amanda Costello, Lead Content Strategist and Editor at the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development, stops by to share how she views the role of a content strategist, reveals her best advice for working with stakeholders on publishing requests, and discusses why the perception of the website as a product is so rampant in higher education.

In 2015, Sweet Briar College was on the brink. In March, its board of directors announced that the school would close its doors in August, citing overarching and insurmountable challenges. But the college's alumnae famously saved the school, and in the time since, Sweet Briar has roared back to life. In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed podcast, Vice President for Communications and Enrollment Management Melissa Richards and Assistant Director for Content Strategy Janika Carey join the show to discuss Sweet Briar's new brand, the benefits and challenges of communicating with a female-only audience, and the role their admissions blog plays in attracting prospective students.

When University of Wyoming Director of Enrollment Marketing Jenny Petty arrived on campus, she realized that UW's website functioned more like an internal tool than a marketing machine. Admissions pages were hard to find, the site was not mobile friendly, and the only call-to-action on the entire site was "apply." In the season two premiere of Hashtag Higher Ed, Petty shares how the University of Wyoming transformed its website, adopted the inbound marketing methodology, and began generating prospective student leads via blogging, landing pages, and improved campaign measurement.

Shortly after joining Cabrini University, Vice President for Marketing and Communications Celia Cameron was given a clear directive: lead a school rebrand in 11 months with a small internal team and minimal budget. In the season finale of the Hashtag Higher Ed podcast, Celia Cameron details her organizational priorities for the rebrand, how her team gathered stakeholder buy-in throughout the process, and the challenges of maintaining a new brand post-launch.

Jackie Vetrano, Social Media Coordinator at Skidmore College, joins the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast to discuss the story behind Skidmore College's podcast series, "This is Skidmore." Jackie shares insights into how she develops topics for the show, the logistics of recording audio, and what she's learned after three seasons and 34 podcast episodes.

JP Rains, Director of Digital Strategy at Laurentian University, joins the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast and explains why your institution needs a student journey map. Plus, JP offers a step-by-step guide to creating journey maps that lead to tangible improvements in the customer experience.

Back in 2011, George Washington University embarked on a long journey with a lofty goal. Its “Making History” campaign would be the school’s third major comprehensive campaign and its first campaign to raise one billion (yes, with a b) dollars. Six years later, and one year earlier than expected, George Washington University successfully closed the “Making History” campaign. At its conclusion, it was the largest capital fundraising campaign in its history, with more than 66,000 donors contributing more than one billion dollars. Raising a billion dollars is no easy feat. It takes a great deal of planning, outreach, marketing, and one-to-one stewardship. To learn more about this impressive fundraising campaign, we were fortunate to welcome Matt Lindsay, the Executive Director of Digital Strategy and Engagement, and Jen Riordan, Executive Director of Donor Relations, to the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast.

Purdue University's Day of Giving is widely considered the gold standard in social media fundraising within the higher education space. In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, Kate Jolly, Director of Digital Fundraising, and Amber Turner, Senior Director of Annual Giving and Stewardship, take a break from planning for their fifth Day of Giving to share five key takeaways from their 24-hour digital fundraisers.

Andy Fuller, Director of Strategic Content, and Liz Harter, Social Media Manager, join the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast to discuss Stories at Notre Dame, a strategic storytelling endeavor that shares long-form content through a variety of mediums, raising awareness for the lesser-known aspects of a University famous for faith and football.

On this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, we explore the benefits, logistics, and best practices for social media takeovers, with panelists from Wheaton College, University of Tennessee, University of Surrey, and the University of Warwick.

This spring, Butler University made headlines when they sent care packages from their mascot, Butler Blue III, to the dogs and cats of admitted students. In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, Kristi Smith, Associate Director of Enrollment Marketing at Butler University, and Michael Kaltenmark, Director of External Relations at Butler University, discuss this innovative approach to yield marketing, the genesis and planning of their dog- and cat-vertising campaign, why they felt confident taking a risk on this unique approach, and what the response has been like from current students, admitted students, and their parents.

Dr. Liz Gross joins the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast to discuss the case for engaging in true social listening, how professionals on campuses can get started with social listening, and the number one mistake most people make when implementing social listening on their campus. She also offers a rundown of some of the more well-known software options available in the market, shares a few of her best practices for getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to installing social listening software on your campus, and peers into her crystal ball to give us a preview of what the future holds in this ever-evolving space.

In this bonus episode of the Hashtag HigherEd Podcast, marketing professionals from Temple University, The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, Peddie School, and Lehigh University discuss branding in higher education, the biggest shift in education marketing over the past decade, the importance of meeting students where they are, why brand ambassadors are the key to marketing authenticity, and more. This audio is from a 2017 Philly Tech Week event hosted by eCity Interactive, titled "Digital's New Role in Education Marketing."