Gamification in Higher Education: Enrollment and Retention

(Originally posted on the Scannell & Kurz Enrollment Management Blog) The word “gamification” has been thrown around a lot lately in the world of higher education. Originally used in the marketing sector, gamification’s popularity stems from its ability to sell a product or brand more effectively by using metagames (short, playful experiences) to interact with customersRead more

Five Takeaways From CASE Summit 2014

1. Ideas Trump Loyalty:  John Sexton, President of New York University, led an interactive session entitled “A Whole New World,” in which he posited that while a time traveler arriving today from one hundred years ago, or even from Oxford and Cambridge one thousand years ago, would likely recognize our universities and colleges as littleRead more

Experiential Websites: Focusing on The User

I spend a lot of time on the Internet. Some days I look at hundreds of web pages—checking my e-mail, conducting research, purchasing products or services, working (of course) and countless other tasks. In the past, there has been a tried and true formula for the most efficient and reliable way to set up aRead more

Effective Stories Take Risks

Improving storytelling is not just a simple matter of ensuring the college or university is portrayed as a catalyst or important ‘character’ within each story; it’s also about being bolder, braver, and more willing to create tension. Dramatic story telling involves protagonists and antagonists, good and evil, conflict and resolution. Too many stories written forRead more

Making Institutional Storytelling More Effective

Storytelling is all the rage these days in college and university marketing. Rather than endless promotional writing extolling the virtues of the institution itself, it’s understood now that it’s better to “prove” those virtues by telling the stories of inspired faculty, gifted students and successful alumni. Stories of human accomplishment are certainly more interesting toRead more

Viewbook 2.0

The conversation has been happening in Admissions and Marketing offices on college campuses across the country for years: Is the viewbook still relevant? A 2012 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, “For Courting Students, Glossy Viewbooks Lose Luster,” notes: “Of all a college’s courtship materials, the viewbook has long been the centerpiece. It seeksRead more

Unite Your Community of Storytellers

At a recent Brand Orientation Workshop at Keuka College, veteran staff members and current students learned about how a campus visit from Eleanor Roosevelt, back when the U.S. was on the brink of entering World War II, still inspires the Keuka College of today, especially its nursing students. Because they heard this story, they, alongRead more

Content Marketing for Higher Education

Effective marketing today, especially to college-bound people, must include a strong content marketing component. Content marketing is the art of communicating with your targets without specifically selling your institution. Modern prospects are savvy online shoppers, empowered by the vast array of information that the Internet can provide. Simultaneously, they have learned to ‘tune out’ muchRead more

We Are All Admissions Counselors

Though it was many years ago, my siblings and I were the first generation in our family to attend college. Today, as a volunteer and board member with the Horizons Student Enrichment Program, I have the privilege of being inspired by the young scholars in our city school system who are part of the HorizonsRead more

Institutional Advancement for Millenial Alumni

I am a millennial who has worked in higher education for several years. I love my alma mater, and credit it with giving me an incredible variety of experiences in just four short years. I believe colleges and universities play an important role not just in individual’s lives, but also in energizing our communities andRead more