marketing universities

An article in the Chronicle highlighted a couple interesting points.  The article was an interview with AVP for External Relations at the University of Cincinnati, Mary Stagaman.  Of particular interest:

1. Involve all stakeholders.  Stagaman mentions talking to faculty, students, and campus leaders (no real mention of staff unfortunately!).  When talking about reaching faculty, she states: When we launched our first big ad campaign, we sent out a mailer to all employees and got some immediate negative feedback from some faculty about what we might be spending. But when we explained that the goal was to build a better reputation for UC and showcase the great work that our faculty and students were doing, they became our proponents.
2. My favorite quote is: Start with research to determine how your institution is perceived in
   key audiences you want to attract. Then you can build your plan based
   on what you learn. The tactical elements have to come out of that
   process and a realistic appraisal of what your budget can support. One
   caution: Make sure your leadership understands that they must make an
   investment. Too little money will not provide benefits. We have been
   successful in getting more funds by demonstrating the potential return
   on the investment.  It gets to knowing your market AS WELL as how to secure funding!
3. And even on the University-wide level, market research isn't expensive.  When asked how she fosters student input, she stated that she consults students frequently (and she includes high school students in the discussion -- after all, she is trying to recruit, so talking to potential students is important!).  Her favorite method is an informal focus group -- over lunch.  She conducts the focus groups herself and lunch itself isn't particularly costly. 

Link: Good Research and Faculty Buy-In: 2 Keys to Effective Marketing - Chronicle.com.