Our Empty Words

Tag: Articles

  • Our Empty Words

    Our Empty Words

    We Need the Words

    Most of the content we seek online, especially around education or health care, is in the form of words, and should be. How can we deliver that content without drowning it in its own nothingness?

    We know how: don’t deliver it as a wall of words. Break it up. We learned this lesson in print, almost a decade ago, in a different focus group.

    Usability Testing the Words

    As we worked on the viewbook for a private, liberal arts university, we did audience research that included a live focus group of a dozen high school juniors and seniors. We showed them two different opening spread layouts.

    One was a very common, big impact layout: large, full-bleed photo on the left, with a beautifully typeset page of lovely prose on the right.

    Large, 2-page layout, with full-bleed photo

    The second layout broke the same content into small chunks, scattered across the two pages, with a large background image and small thumbnail images accompanying each chunk of text.

    Layout with small chunks of text

    You won’t be shocked to learn the second layout was the hands-down favorite. No one even gave the first one a second glance. “Too many words.”

    It’s Not the Word Count

    The kicker? The word count on the two spreads was the same.

    TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) is not a response to word count. It’s paragraph and line length, as well as the space around each. It’s whether the page or screen is scannable—and whether that scan delivers meaningful content through headlines, subheads, and photos.

    Presentation Is Everything?

    You might be tempted to say that the design makes the words seem readable. Yet, it’s more complex than that. Although the word count and topics were consistent, the content changed. Each chunk needed a subhead that worked with the logic of all the other subheads. This changed the words. The feel of this page called for a different tone, a different pace for the language. As the language changed, the layout evolved, too. It was a dance between the two crafts, writing and designing.

    Buena Vista University viewbook 2013

    See the complete Buena Vista University viewbook

    Make Space for Magic

    What can we take from this for our digital practice? We design components and the visual language of the site; we don’t layout pixel perfect pages. We type into WYSIWYG boxes in a CMS and dream about ways to make our pages of content look better. We are more siloed than ever, we writers and designers.

    Our skills need each other. Design carries purpose with real words. Words become more readable when well presented. We must make the time and the space for them to work well together.

    In real life, that means letting website editors try different blocks. Set up a sandbox where they can see what the five-paragraph story looks like if edited and broken across three cards. Get your digital assets (photos) organized and try for more interesting pairings of image and word. Every quarter, have a designer and writer review your highest exit page and see if they can guide visitors to a different action.

    During website redesign projects, when everything is up in the air and moving too fast, Stamats strives to bring the two disciplines together, to allow them to talk to each other, literally. We call it model content and use-case layouts.

    Words that Work

    The magic happens in the difficult, nobody-has-time-for-this, non-metaphorical conversations among writers and designers about how many words you can or should fit on a card or what to do about the 12-word perfect headline.

    For our words to carry water, to be worth reading, to be content, shape them for the space in which they will work.

    Related reading: Accelerated Content Pathways

    Is it time to update your homepage content or user experience? Schedule a free consultation now. 

    *TL;DR = Too Long; Didn’t Read

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  • Research on a Budget

    Research on a Budget

    Secondary Data

    1. Your own institution

    One of your best sources of data is your own institution. In particular, consider the data that is regularly collected by:

    • Your IR (institutional research) department
    • The registrar
    • Your alumni office
    • Admissions
    • Student affairs

    Based on my experience, these offices often have volumes of data, but often lack the time, expertise (IR folks notwithstanding), or even a specific reason to analyze it. Even a small investment in analysis can offer dramatic returns.

    2. The federal government

    While the federal government is a vast repository of data, there are three agencies that are particularly helpful to higher ed. First, the U.S. Census Bureau provides everything from basic demographic data to educational trends. You can learn, for example, the current and projected number of 17-year-olds in a given area and whether the population there is increasing, flat, or declining.

    Second, the National Center for Educational Statistics is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. In the higher ed space, the Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS) offers up a wealth of data via a series of interrelated surveys of colleges and universities. IPEDS data reflect all higher education institutions participating in Federal financial aid programs.

    Finally, the U.S. Commerce Department offers data on job trends and other economic indicators. Since students are especially interested in majors that lead to jobs, it is essential to keep a pulse on the job market.

    The odds are high that your IR office is already aware of these and other sources of existing data. Your challenge, then, is to convert this data into marketplace intelligence.

    3. Competitor research

    Another significant source of low-cost data and marketplace intelligence are your competitors’ websites. Here are some things you can routinely locate (and they will likely find on yours as well):

    • Strategic plan and vision
    • Enrollment and graduation data
    • Alumni data
    • Financial aid policies and scholarships
    • Brand strategy and assets
    • Marketing plan
    • Recently completed market research

    Related reading: Numerical Fluency and the Importance of Market Research

    4. Associations and organizations

    Every college and university in the country belongs to one or more associations and these associations often conduct research on behalf of their members. The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is just one example. NAICU offers myriad reports on everything from college costs and affordability to annual studies on tuition and available financial aid.

    Two more examples:

    • The Pew Research Center website has a huge database of free research, ranging from political attitudes and economic situations to social media usage and marketing statistics. Pew resources are either free or very low cost.
    • Statista boasts over 1 million stats and facts within 600 industries for more than 50 countries. It contains statistical data on more than 80,000 topics from over 22,500 sources. Statistica is a relatively low-cost, fee-based service.

    The Gale’s Encyclopedia of Associations is an extremely comprehensive listing of the more than 23,000 national and regional associations and organizations in the U.S., many of which conduct market research for their members. Can you guess which “industry” has the greatest number of associations? If you said, “education,” you are right. Although a subscription service, it is likely you already have access through your campus library.

    5. Just Google it

    I still am continually amazed at all the stuff you can find online. For example, I searched, “How students choose a college” and found:

    • How students choose which college to attend
    • Factors to consider when choosing a college
    • The 7 things students think about when choosing a college
    • The top 10 factors for choosing a college
    • How today’s students decide which college to attend

    Of course, when using Google or any search engine, carefully evaluate the suitability, currency, and credibility of the data/research you uncover.

    6. Publications and blogs—free and low cost

    There are a handful of free publications/blogs that often cite higher ed research you should be regularly reading. High profile ones include:

    Whatever your particular interest (e.g., recruiting, fundraising, branding, etc.), you will be able to find related content. As you review this material, keep a filter in place—many of these sources have a perspective or even an agenda that should be factored into any interpretation.

    If you’d like to discuss these and other options for your institution’s research data, reach out for a conversation.

    Next week look for low-cost options for gathering your own data.

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  • Using Market Research to Build and Enhance Your Brand

    Using Market Research to Build and Enhance Your Brand

    1. Research is used at the “Uh, oh” stage

    This is when you sense that something is wrong with your brand, but you’re not sure what. Perhaps enrollment has stalled, or your latest capital campaign is struggling. Your gut is telling you that something is amiss but you’re not sure what it is.

    Research at this point is largely perceptual and positional. You want to know how you are perceived or, also illuminating, misperceived by your key audiences. This might include audiences such as prospective students and nonmatriculants, current donors, and donors who have lapsed.

    Here are a few questions you want answered:

    • Why do students and donors we once served no longer consider us?
    • When these audiences think of us, what do they think?
    • To what other schools are they turning and why?

    This research can be used to help get your brand back on track. However, if it reveals a significant disconnect between you and your market, it might be time to use market research to develop a wholly new brand strategy (see below).

    Before we move to the second type of research, let me offer a quick thought. If students are electing not to attend because your facilities are increasingly out of date or your current curriculum is rightly perceived as poor, then these deficiencies must be attended to before your brand will gain traction. Remember, great brands are built on great products.

    Related reading: Four Questions that will Dramatically Improve Your Market Research

    2. Research can be used during brand development

    This will include the perceptual research outlined above but it will also include comparative/competitive research. In addition, your goal is to determine what niches are occupied by competitors and what potential niches (that you can fill) are still open.

    Some possible questions:

    • What niches are “owned” by our competitors?
    • What niches remain open?
    • With what schools are we compared by students?
    • What words and phrases do students use to describe our school and our competitors?

    For example, if you want to be known as the best liberal arts college in Iowa and you are not Grinnell, your brand strategy will fail. Grinnell owns that niche.

    Remember, one of the cardinal rules of brand development is that it’s always easier to fill an open niche than to nudge a competitor out of an existing niche.

    Not only does this research provide data that will help you develop your brand, but it also provides a baseline against which to measure, at appropriate intervals, the effectiveness of your brand strategy.

    One extremely powerful research tool to use during brand development is called a price elasticity and brand value study. This study uses choice-based modeling to not only determine how you are perceived and compared, but also how to identify the price point at which you will generate the most revenue and the college-choice attributes students value most.

    Please let me know if you would like more information about a brand value study.

    Read more: Options for Measuring Brand Equity

    Research can be used to determine if your brand strategy has begun to move the needle

    In other words, are you making progress against the baseline you established through your brand development stage?

    This involves repeating, at a lesser scale, the research you conducted as part of your brand development process.

    A couple of quick reminders before closing.

    Because you are going to be making significant decisions based on the data, you want audience research that is robust and inferential. This means incorporating surveys and samples (quantitative) and not just in-depth interviews and focus groups (qualitative).

    In the coming weeks we’ll look at the costs and benefits of different types of research, research options when you have a small (or nonexistent) research budget, and how to complete an internal brand audit.

    If you would like to talk about how research can be used to help you assess or develop a brand, please drop me an email. I’d love to show you how we have helped our clients refine their brand strategy.

    Read Next: 6 Signs Your Brand is Failing Your Institution

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  • NCMPR 2022 Takeaway: Connecting with Gen Z Audiences

    NCMPR 2022 Takeaway: Connecting with Gen Z Audiences

    Visit National Council for Marketing & Public Relations

    Though I found value in every session I attended, the keynote address by Justin Shaifer (a.k.a. “Mr. Fascinate”) was particularly informative and inspiring. An expert in Gen Z marketing strategies, Shaifer shared this key demographic group’s history, priorities, and motivations―insights that can inform every communication effort, large and small.

    5 Gen Z Communication Tips

    Born after 1997, members of Generation Z are true digital natives. They are on their phones (primarily on social media) for about eight hours each day. And, not surprisingly, they’re the most marketed-to generation in history.

    For Shaifer, marketers who hope to reach and connect with Gen Zers must first:

    1. Be original and authentic.

    Savvy marketers themselves, Gen Zers have little patience for brands without an original and authentic message. Focus on the truth of what you’re trying to convey. Be bold and speak with a fresh voice.

    2. Take a stance.

    Don’t waver. Express what your brand stands for and then prove it. Gen Zers expect the businesses and organizations they support to put action behind their words.

    3. Create interactive moments.

    Gen Zers respond to messaging that’s fun and participatory. Explore ways to promote interaction through tapping, swiping, clicking, or voting.

    4. Make it meme-able.

    Content may be king, but shareable content creates kingdoms. Social media messages delivered through memes are more shareable, and they help showcase a brand’s sense of humor.

    5. Use TikTok and Instagram wisely.

    These two video-focused social media platforms are not interchangeable. TikTok users prefer quantity over quality (more is better). Instagram users prefer quality over quantity (better is better). Know the difference and use each to your advantage.

    Finally, no matter what business you’re in, these tips serve as a good starting point for engaging this tech- and marketing-savvy generation. But with one important caveat: The best people to create Gen Z messaging are Gen Zers themselves. Older generations run the very real risk of not getting it right and producing truly “cringeworthy” campaigns. Remember: Voice and language matter, humor matters, and nuance matters.

    In addition, Mariah Tang, Chief Content Marketing Officer at Stamats, has presented and written extensively on Gen Z communication strategies. Check out her blog post for more tips.

    With this in mind, if you’re having trouble connecting with your most valued audiences, Stamats can help. Our custom content solutions include

    • Content audits
    • Strategy development
    • Content creation
    • Marketing and distribution

    Call or email to speak with one of our nationally-recognized content innovators.

    Read next: How Teens Use College Websites: A Fast-Scrolling User Journey

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  • Blog Governance: When to Archive or Update Old Content

    Blog Governance: When to Archive or Update Old Content

    Evergreen content continually drives traffic. For clients with active blog strategies, stories can drive more than 40% of total web traffic. And for many of our blog clients, stories we helped produce 4-5 years ago continue to be the top-performing content on their entire websites. Those stories are still relevant, are indexed by major search engines, and generally are not time sensitive.

    Regular content publishing is important for SEO and thought leadership. But content can become out-of-date quickly as laws, societal perspectives, and technology change continually.

    The decision to archive is not as simple as following a timeline. As you make decisions about which stories stay and which go, first consider your audience’s needs. Then follow these general guidelines for updating and archiving older blog content.

    Consider Archiving if the Content Is:

    No longer relevant

    If you have a blog detailing a program, service, or event that no longer exists or has changed substantially, that content no longer serves the reader. The same is true for any blog post that doesn’t agree with your organization’s mission and values or contains expired content.

    Can you update these stories with the next big thing? Or update them with the results of what transpired? If neither option makes sense, consider archiving the page.

    Inappropriate

    It’s like watching TV sitcoms from the 1990s—topics that were acceptable then often don’t age well. For example, it is intolerable today to publish content that evokes racial, sexual, or otherwise inappropriate undertones or direct statements.

    It’s vitally important to stay true to the quality and integrity of your organization. Often, content built around these ideas can’t be gently tweaked and would require extensive overhauling. Archiving is generally the most appropriate step. Don’t be afraid to remove content that isn’t appropriate from your site—do be prepared with a strong, unified response about why you’ve removed it. You don’t want to appear as if you are hiding something. Rather, by eliminating insidious content, you are affirming what your brand stands for and clarifying your stance with the community.

    Bylined by Someone Who Got in Heinous Trouble

    No one wants their website trolled for information about a person who is being investigated for an abhorrent crime. If you can’t rewrite it or re-byline it, archive it.

    Revise if the Content Is:

    A Solid Story with New Data Available

    We recommend this strategy often in higher education, healthcare, and business-to-business content marketing. For example, if key data points in a 2016 article are no longer current, that doesn’t mean the story is bad—it just needs a little freshening up.

    Ask yourself these questions to determine whether to revise the content:

    • Is the material still useful to the reader?
    • Can you review and rewrite to freshen the content?
    • Is new technology available to add (i.e., video, tutorial, interview)?
    • Would the addition of internal links to new content or research revive the blog?

    If you make changes, remember to update the time stamp and provide a simple statement about when and why the content was last reviewed. For example: This article was updated March 23, 2022, to include new information.

    A Little Out of Touch, but Not a Disaster

    Socially acceptable terminology changes over time (thankfully). The power of digital content is that it’s living and can be continuously updated. If the content is question is mostly on brand and appropriate—save for a few questionable terms or ideas—you might choose to update rather than archive the piece.

    Checking for these elements in your content every 2-3 years:

    • Update gender labels and social terms
    • Revise tone, verbiage, and/or data points for a new audience
    • Consider new platforms for publishing your content (print to digital, text to video, etc.)

    Many organizations review their most popular or traffic-driving evergreen content every six months or annually. Assign a point person or team to check SEO performance, Google Analytics, and key metrics on a set timeline—or sooner, if a big shift in terminology or mindset occurs before your planned review date.

    A Past Topic that is Trending Again

    In healthcare, blog posts focused on heart-healthy topics get new views every February. And in B2B, annual conferences around a specific topic lead to new eyes on existing content. News media, societal flux, and online conversations resurface generic topics over and over, giving existing pieces new life almost cyclically.

    When you see a topic rising on Moz, Twitter, or Google Trends, search your existing stories and see if you have an older piece to spice up. Adding a fresh intro, hot take opinion, or new call-to-action can give that existing content new legs.

    Related reading: How Strategic Calls-to-Action Improve the User Experience and Marketing ROI

    A Few More Tips

    Best practices for archiving a blog will change alongside the social and political landscapes. Consistently checking your past blog content is crucial to maintain your blog’s depth, credibility, and SEO traction.

    A good rule of thumb after you’ve been publishing for two years or more is that approximately 50% of your blog traffic comes from articles more than six months old. These stories have long-standing value and can continue to work for you if you tend to them over time. While investing in new stories is important, make sure your editorial calendar has a clear plan for past blog review.

    If you would like to talk blog strategy or need help crafting one, schedule time to talk with me. We’d love to help support your thought leadership goals.

    Read Next: 6 Content Strategy and Marketing Trends to Expect in 2022

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  • How Teens Use College Websites: A Fast-Scrolling User Journey

    How Teens Use College Websites: A Fast-Scrolling User Journey

    Being the ever-efficient mom 😊, I said:

    “Let’s look for colleges that have accelerated OT programs so we can work on college visits.”

    Daughter: “There’s this website that lists them all.” Pulls up the website.

    Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll even faster.

    Mom: “How do you even know what you are looking at?”

    Daughter: “I’m looking at the state it is in and if it is a state university.” (She wants a private Christian school.)

    Goes to a college website.

    Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll even faster.

    Mom: “How do you even know if you want to go there when you scroll so fast?”

    Daughter: “Well, I’m not going to read all this. I don’t read paragraphs. Look at this. Words, words, and more words. I just want short bullets first.”

    Daughter continuing: “I’m not going to read stuff that I don’t even want to know.”

    Mom: “Why do I even try to design websites then if this is all kids do?”

    So, What Can We Do as Higher Education Specialists?

    1. Make your differentiators clear. She knew she wanted “accelerated” and a “Christian school.” Whatever you think are your top three selling points must be very prominent.
    2. Understand the difference between your program page—which is to hook them—versus the detailed department content that is further along in their journey.
    3. Treat the program page like an interstate billboard in the ‘80s. Kids are driving by super fast. Your program page needs to get them to stop and visit. It doesn’t need to tell them the details.
    4. Test in mobile—if your paragraph of content fills an entire phone screen, consider it blank. That content shouldn’t live on a program page as a top-of-the-funnel journey.

    Want to discuss your website content strategy? Email us today.

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  • Building Your Brand Around a Handful of Academic Signature Programs

    Building Your Brand Around a Handful of Academic Signature Programs

    View How to Manage Your Academic Portfolio

    Signature Programs Strategy

    This strategy is based on a handful of realities.

    • First, it is more effective to focus limited resources on a handful of programs than on an entire curriculum.
    • Second, by swarming a smaller number of programs with more resources, you are more likely to have an impact in the marketplace and specific targets within that market.
    • Third, this approach, when successful, tends to boost campus confidence and support for the philosophy of a target audience-centric and market-based approach to academic programming.
    • Finally, there is a “rising tides” effect. It is highly likely that these programs will become cash cows, and the resources they produce will help lift those programs and areas—even the institution as a whole—that do not have the ability to generate sufficient resources on their own.

    Designating Signature Programs

    As you consider which programs to more aggressively promote, consider programs that:

    • Are already of consistently high quality at your institution
    • Are undersubscribed by prospective students (you have capacity)
    • Have high margins (think business programs rather than nursing)
    • Are scalable (easy to ramp up in response to market demand)
    • Have high interest in the marketplace:
      • Prospective students
      • Employers
      • Donors
      • The media
    • Offer co-branding opportunities
    • Offer distinct internship and co-op opportunities
    • Are not offered by your competitors
    • Have a faculty champion in place
    • Have a high barrier to entry for competitors
    • Lead to graduate school placement
    • Lead to high demand and high(er)-paying jobs

    While it is unlikely that the programs you identify will meet all these criteria, the more they meet, the better.

    Allocating Resources

    As you think about building and marketing keystone programs, you must be willing to allocate a disproportionate level of strategic resources to maintaining or enhancing the quality of these programs. This often includes investment in staffing, facilities, scholarships, and other non-loan based financial aid.

    Of course, this also means that you will focus more of your marketing attention and dollars on these programs. I offer two final thoughts.

    First, this is not a strategy to increase enrollment in programs that have little marketplace interest. Rather, it is a strategy that takes advantage of existing demand and marketplace interest.

    Second, the signature program idea does not need to be tied to individual academic programs as such. Cornell College in Iowa delivers education via one course at a time. In this case the marketing message and differentiator are not so much what they teach, but how.

    Students at Cornell enroll in one course for 18 days and when that period is done, they move to the next course. Most students participate in eight such blocks each year. Colorado College, Knox College, Tusculum College, and Spalding University have similar approaches.

    A Couple of Final Thoughts

    The decision to push some programs ahead of others will be met with cries of “that’s not fair” from programs that were not chosen. At one level, they are correct. It isn’t fair. But neither is pouring money into programs that are failing. The goal at all times is to benefit the larger institution rather than a handful of faculty and programs. You must stand firm and weather those cries.

    Ready to discuss strategies on how to best approach academic program marketing? Email us today for a free consultation.

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  • The Marketing Action Plan

    The Marketing Action Plan

    By definition, a marketing action plan (MAP) outlines a specific activity that will help you accomplish one or more marketing goals.

    For example, you might have a marketing goal to increase retention by six percent over a three-year period.

    Some of the individual marketing actions for that goal might include:

    1. Conduct a research study on why people leave
    2. Assess the current freshmen advising program
    3. Create a clear profile (persona) of a persisting student
    4. Conduct an evaluation of courses/programs with high withdrawal rates

    As you can see, a marketing goal is the “what,” and the marketing action plan is the “how.”

    Marketing Action Plan Template

    Notes on Marketing Action Plan Elements

    1. A clear but simple title of the action plan. This title is used on the planning calendar and appears as a line item in the overall budget.

    2. The marketing goal or goals this plan supports. If the action plan doesn’t clearly support one or more marketing goals, it should be discarded or refined.

    3. A detailed description of the action plan. This description is a brief overview of the action plan. In some cases, it includes milestones for action plans that will take longer to complete.

    4. The person who is assigned to complete this action plan. This can be an individual working alone or the leader of a team. The key is single-point accountability.

    5. Timeline or calendar for completion. Often includes a begin date and an end date.

    6. The budget includes the dollars and other resources required to accomplish this action plan and often includes information on whether this is a request for new dollars or reallocated dollars.

    The budget for individual action plans, when rolled up, becomes the overall marketing budget.

    It is important to remember that the budget commitment is often for multiple years. Be wary of leaders who refuse to commit long-term dollars to marketing.

    7. How and when evaluated. This includes not only whether the action plan was completed but also whether or not the action plan had the desired results. In other words, did it move the needle?

    8. Retrospection. This evaluation can also provide information on how to improve the action plan if it is to be repeated. For example, if the action plan involves holding an open house for campus visitors, this evaluation would include insights into how to improve future open houses.

    Improving the Effectiveness of Your Action Plans

    1. Make sure each action plan clearly supports one or more marketing goals.
    2. Properly sequence your action plans. For example, an action plan that involves market research should be completed before the action plan for implementing the results of that research is undertaken.
    3. Break larger marketing action plans into smaller, more easily managed and evaluated action plans.
    4. Always make sure you have a single, empowered person who is responsible for the plan.
    5. Make sure you have sufficient resources. This includes both available dollars and available talent.
    6. Schedule action plans that are relatively easy to accomplish early in the planning calendar. Accomplishing these action plans helps build momentum.
    7. Plot all action plans on a calendar. This helps you properly sequence and space your individual MAPs.
    8. Do not assign too many action plans to a single individual. You must counter the temptation to overuse and burn out your most talented people.

    By clarifying what is done and by whom, marketing action plans become an essential tool for both developing and managing your marketing strategy. Ready to get started? Email us today!

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  • 6 Signs Your Brand Is Failing Your Institution

    6 Signs Your Brand Is Failing Your Institution

    Let’s begin with a self-test:

    • Is your cost to recruit a student going up?
    • Are you more worried about getting the class than shaping the class?
    • Have you become their second or even third choice?
    • Do better students melt away?
    • Are you spending more of your institutional budget on gift aid?
    • Are donors and others concerned about your long-term viability?

    Any “yes” is a red flag. More than four? You’re in trouble—but you already knew that. What you may not know is the fatal flaw in your strategy and marketing that brought you here:

    You settled for being distinctive when you should have been compelling.

    Let me explain.

    Colleges that settle for merely being distinctive tend to be institution-centric. In other words, they spend an inordinate amount of time looking inside. They are very concerned with how they feel about themselves, their offerings, and their messaging. Their strategy is driven by a core belief that if it is important to them, it must be important to others. Or worse yet, if it is important to them, it doesn’t matter if it is important to anyone else.

    The result is a gradual distancing and even alienation of the institution from its audience. The institution loses its competitive place.

    Compelling Qualities

    Rather than being distinctive, smart institutions up their game and focus on their compelling qualities. Compelling characteristics matter to both you and the marketplace.

    Not just the marketplace. And certainly not just you. Both.

    Venn Diagram (at the top): The left sphere is “Our Passions,” and an arrow leads left towards “distinction.” The right sphere is “Their Passions,” and an arrow leads right towards “Distraction.” The overlap between the spheres is green and labeled “Compelling (Attraction).”

    It’s a pretty simple Venn diagram. The left sphere is what you care about—your core values, the programs you offer, or your commitment to the liberal arts. On the right is what your audiences care about.

    Chances are, you care about many things that your audiences really don’t. And the reverse.

    Survival depends on finding the overlap. Ignore the hot topics in the faculty senate as thoroughly as you ignore what’s trending on Instagram. Only when they overlap will it matter.

    (Brief interlude to imagine that overlap….)

    Let’s apply this Venn diagram to the problem of attracting prospective students. Their first questions are always about academic programs. Great! You care about academic programs, too.

    But they don’t want to hear about 140 all-equally-good academic programs. They want to hear about your best ones.

    Did that cause a gasp in the senate chamber (or Zoom)?

    Program Inequality

    In theory, every academic program is equal. In practice, some are better than others. Even the faculty senate knows this. Some have better funding; some have better pedagogy.

    To attract students, you must identify and push programs that:

    • Offer great classes & learning experiences
    • Lead to internships or co-op experiences
    • Lead to higher-paying careers
    • Create a clear path to rewarding work
    • Place students in good graduate or professional programs

    Did you notice that these five characteristics matter to both you and the marketplace? The language may be different when your audience talks about these things, but it’s still what they want out of college.

    Back away from the brink of distinction. Root yourself in the compelling center. Matter to your audience. And tell them about it.

    If you would like to be more compelling but are not sure how to proceed, give us a call.

    Stamats will listen to your situation and propose a solution that fits. We can shape and conduct audience research to understand where your audience and institutional needs overlap. We can turn that overlap into a compelling brand expression. We can pinpoint which academic programs have the greatest marketability. We can run a targeted digital campaign to drive enrollment. We can redesign your website to radiate your compelling strengths and integrate with your CRM.

    In short, we can walk you back from the brink of distinction. Email us today to get started.

    Read Next: 3 Gen Z Communication Tips for Marketers

    Ready to Get Started?

    Reach out to us to talk about your strategy and goals.

    Email Us
  • Micro-Credentialing and Short-Term Certificates Insights

    Micro-Credentialing and Short-Term Certificates Insights

    Developing Micro-Credentialing Plan

    Five steps to determine which short-term micro-credential you should be offering:

    1. Look at employer and industry needs in your region.

    While online means you can receive your certificate anywhere, students still prefer and more often select a location close to home. That means your local employment needs directly impact demand. Specific skills of high need are the places to start your search.

    2. Assess competitors in your region offering similar short-term credentials – consider non-higher-ed competitors as well as their price point.

    The competition is stiff, and similar to the change to offering more fully online programs, your institution needs to enter the short-term credential market and learn how to compete.

    3. Evaluate special business partnerships you already have to uncover needs.

    Employers are looking for more ways to train their workforce but also shifting benefits from office perks to growth and training. A partnership can provide a faster and lower-cost alternative to enrolling students.

    4. Involve tenured faculty who can switch to developing and teaching certificates.

    With the demand shifts, tenured faculty with only a few students in their programs is not uncommon. This can create a complicated situation, and one of the most successful solutions is evaluating how this faculty group can launch micro-certificates.

    5. Evaluate how the short-term credential can be stacked to a for-credit degree.

    The short-term credential may open the doors to students who had not considered you before and provide a new recruitment pipeline.

    2022 Demand Forecast

    Using Stamats’ analysis of the IPEDS Degree Completion Database, we would like to share insights and suggestions for your short-term certificate plan.

    Business Disciplines

    Business undergraduate certificates are the third-largest undergraduate certificate discipline in the USA; what do you offer?

    • The number of undergraduate certificate awards in Business (CIP 52) grew to 104,708 in 2020 (+0.5% year-on-year growth).

    Specifically in Business disciplines, the following subjects or skill sets posted larger volumes in undergraduate certificates:

    • Accounting
    • Financial Planning
    • Operations Management
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Human Resources

    Stand out from competitors by highlighting that your institution teaches to the industry standards or association standards, such as SHRM HR-Certified Professional or Certified Financial Planner.

    Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services

    • CIP Discipline 11 is the 7th largest undergraduate certificate discipline in the US.
    • Number of awards grew +4.7% to 46,204 awards in 2020.
    • This is where cybersecurity, networking, and specialized IT certifications come into play. CompTIA, Amazon Web Services and CISSP certificates are in demand by employers.
    • Many credit and non-credit options are available to students—don’t overlook non-higher ed providers in this realm when doing your competitive analysis.
    • The following map shows institutions reporting distance format undergraduate certificates in CIP code 11. The largest two providers in the country are not 2-year institutions:
      • MyComputerCareer.edu with 8 locations and online delivery conferred over 3,800 CIP 11 undergraduate certificates in 2020.
      • University of Phoenix – 1,057 CIP 11 certificates awarded in 2020.

    Institutions conferring computer and information science undergraduate certificates in the distance format.

    The larger the dot, the larger the number of certificates awarded in 2020.

    Big Data or Data Analytics

    Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (CIP 52.13) Post-baccalaureate certificates grew from 969 to 1,220, representing +33.4% in year-on-year growth (2019-2020). Some institutions are reporting their data analytics and big data certificates here.

    Data analysis and analytics skills are needed in a wide variety of occupations. Hopefully, your institution has a plan to prepare students from many disciplines in this area.

    Education

    Special Education Post-Baccalaureate certificates (CIP 13.10) grew from 1,680 to 2,229 certificates, representing +32.7% in year-on-year growth from 2019-2020.

    Most K-12 school districts are always on the hunt for teachers with special education skills. State teacher requirements differ greatly; some states require more education than a PB certificate.

    Curriculum & Instruction Post-master’s certificates (CIP 13.03) grew from 912 to 1,061 (+16%) from 2019-2020. Additional education at the master’s level may help licensed teachers increase their salary or career options. Again, state requirements for master-level education will differ, so pay attention to what your state department of education issues for salary differentials.

    Nursing

    Registered Nursing Post Master’s certificates (CIP 51.38) jumped 17% from 2,584 to 3,032 from 2019-2020. These certificates represent many specialties outside of Administration/Nurse Leadership. The Stamats research team can provide more detailed information on graduate nursing trends. As healthcare jobs become more specialized, your nursing programs may need to adjust to specialized fields of study in nurse practitioners.

    Law/Legal Affairs

    Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies Post-master’s certificates (CIP 22.02) grew from 352 to 472 (34%) from 2019-2020. Certificates and Master of Legal Studies for non-JD professionals are a growing trend. A wide range of legal areas is covered by these programs, such as Labor Law, Business/Finance/Tax Law, Health/Healthcare Compliance, Environmental Law, Intellectual Property, and Cybersecurity. Regulatory compliance is followed by various professions outside of law, so the need for additional training in specific areas of the law has increased.

    Source: IPEDS Degree Completions 2020 (most recent data available).

    Have a program you want to investigate?  Ask our research team to help! We have access to student demand trends, labor data, and competitor trends.

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    Reach out to us to talk about your strategy and goals.

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