How Long is Too Long for a Webpage?

Tag: Articles

  • How Long is Too Long for a Webpage?

    How Long is Too Long for a Webpage?

    When the User Becomes Bored, Your Page is Too Long

    I know, I know, this isn’t a clear-cut answer. So, let’s dive deeper into what this really means.

    Internal clients often have a lot of information they want to put on their webpage. However, if the user quickly glances over or clicks away before consuming it, the internal client still will not have delivered the information.

    No amount of research will give you a word count for your user’s attention span. We can, however, measure their attention as they interact with a page. We can identify what they pay attention to and what they ignore.

    When You Stop Answering User Questions, Your Page is Too Long

    As we study audiences, we also come to understand what questions they ask and what content answers those questions. Therefore, we analyze a page for where the content and the attention span part ways.

    Each year, I watch thousands of videos showing how visitors interact with a page. (We only see the page data—not the visitor data.) Almost everyone scrolls immediately, stopping at points that interest them, usually identified with a heading or a graphic. After a quick scan, if interested, they will scroll again a bit slower.

    Easy Scrolling & Scanning Matter More Than Word Count

    Teenagers scroll fast, whether on social media or your website. How easy your page is to scroll and how quickly and effectively it grabs their attention matters more than word count.

    The more unwieldy your content becomes, the tougher it is for your audience to take the next conversion step. A short page with clunky graphics or a hard-to-spot call to action performs worse than a long page that’s well organized.

    On average, a prospective student visits your site 4–12 times before they take a conversion step, such as Schedule a Visit or Apply. That means they might visit the same page more than once, and each visit has a slightly different job to do.

    For example, the first visit to a program page is to see if they have your program. Several visits later, they might (or might not) be interested in the course details. Making those answers easy to spot on a quick scroll makes your page perform better with return visitors.

    Let the Audience’s Goals Organize Your Content

    Focus first on whether the content addresses the audience’s needs and questions. Define your audience, and then ask yourself, does this content answer their questions? This might seem overly simple, but it is a crucial step.

    For example, do prospective students really need to know the department’s mission, vision, and values? Challenge your assumptions. Even if a faculty member or current student seeks that content, would a prospect?

    Now that we know the audience and agree that the content is necessary, let’s break down a couple of other key parts of any webpage, regardless of length.

    About 60% of users will scroll 90% of the page. Once you exclude those that immediately bounce, this is a fairly strong scroll pattern. The question is, do they pause to consume the content?

    Give Them Clear Calls-To-Action

    A webpage’s effectiveness often hinges on its ability to guide users towards specific actions. Clear and conspicuous calls-to-action (CTAs) serve as signposts, directing visitors on the desired path—whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, applying to a program, or registering for an event.

    Well-designed CTAs, strategically placed throughout the page, drive conversions and make for a better user experience. On a longer page, they can appear as buttons, inline links, and callout features, so the user doesn’t go too long without an action to take.

    Users expect to click again. They want to take actions that make sense for their journey. Many websites repeat the same conversion-goal CTAs on every page (often it’s Apply, Visit, Request Info). On longer pages, however, be sure to add CTAs that are smaller and specific to the user’s current journey point. You don’t need to make every CTA loud, either.

    An “Apply” CTA in body text can outperform the same callout in the top navigation!

    Listen to our podcast: Why CTAs are a Big Deal

    Interlinking: Body Links Work

    Mobile users are even more likely to click on body copy links, probably because menus and callouts disappear quickly when scrolling fast on a small screen. We know most people are not ready to convert immediately, so we want them to dive deeper into your offerings before leaving.

    That’s where interlinking comes into play. Add links to relevant pages on your site throughout your content so that your readers can easily follow their questions to next steps.

    Read More: Brick by Cascade Brick: A Smarter Way to Build Your Web Content Strategy

    Save Yourself Time!

    If you are on Cascade, an not using Bricks, we have a resource to save you significant time.

    Brick by Brick: A Smarter Way to Build Your Web Content Strategy

    Accordions: Use Only to Improve UX

    Accordions hide content from the scrolling user. That’s both a virtue and a danger. You might be tempted to bury longer content in an accordion section. However, you should examine the content carefully and build the best user experience (UX) for that content. Don’t hide content that people need to read.

    A good rule of thumb for an accordion: If I need to scan all the headings and pick a few to read more, make it an accordion. If I need to read all the content, consider expanding “read more.” Having to open each section just makes extra work.

    Keep the Topic on One Page

    You might also be tempted to break a long page into several smaller pages. Help them scroll by giving them useful headlines, callouts, and clear answers to their questions. Nobody says “too long; didn’t scroll”—keep the ideas together and let them scroll. It’s better than several pages with very meager content.

    Regardless of length, your webpage should answer questions, allow for user engagement, and be easy to navigate.

    Key Advice to Crafting Your Page

    • Although people do scroll, put the most important information at the top. Consider that your bumper sticker for the page.
    • Use larger text at the top and key messages.
    • Break up text with headlines and design elements.
    • Keep key information on the left side of the page; it’s more likely to be picked up as they scroll.

    Ready to take your webpage to the next level? Stamats experts are here to help. Email us today.

  • Essential Questions to Guide New Program Development

    Essential Questions to Guide New Program Development

    For most institutions, it takes up to two years to get a new program launched. That’s a lot of time and resources that could be directed to supporting other program enrollment goals.

    Over the years, I have developed the following essential questions to guide the new program development process.

    Essential Questions

    1. What is the employment opportunity for students in this program? Students are seriously considering their career outcomes when searching for a college to attend. What does this program offer in terms of jobs, employers, work settings, and skills to meet employer demand in your area? Make sure your program leads to positive outcomes and use data to tell that story.
    2. What type of student will this program serve? There are myriads of student types today—first-time undergrads, transfers, adult students, degree completers, grad students, international students, etc. Defining your audiences by type and geography (e.g., student personas) will help you position and market the program more effectively.
    3. What is the target enrollment figure for considering this program a success? In one year? Two years? Five years? Getting a hard figure from leadership at the outset will go a long way before more resources are committed.
    4. Can we offer this program at an attractive price point? In an attractive format? Price and place must meet student requirements and expectations. Online programs often achieve a higher success rate than those only offered in person.
    5. Who else offers this program in our target market? What is their market share? Will our program be sufficiently different and compelling to achieve our target enrollment figure?
    6. Who will be the main faculty champion of this program? This person must have a vested interest in the new program and the time and support to champion a new program through internal reviews and the accrediting approval process.
    7. What other programs can be co-marketed with this program to support our wider academic portfolio? Often students have multiple interests so co-marketing-related programs, certificates, or offering 4+1 programs can meet that need. While some may find this new program more attractive than existing programs at your institution, the goal is to keep them at YOUR institution and not go elsewhere. Program marketing is essential in enrollment marketing today.
    8. What cooperations, synergies, and partnerships will this program create? Who can join you—employers, institutes, other institutions, or well-known entities? These relationships could help drive enrollment, reduce costs, or increase visibility or knowledge bases.
    9. How will the program be named? Faculty champions, often not knowing how prospective students search for programs, choose names they believe set the offering apart from others. SEO is important so appropriate naming is critical to being understood by students and being found by search engines. Key word metrics should be included in your evaluation before a program name is approved.
    10. Who will be responsible for ensuring the success of the program? Is there a dedicated marketing plan? Is there a dedicated marketing content writer? We often encounter institutions where faculty are responsible for—and generally not successful at—creating program page content. It’s part of the marketing plan to assign metrics and measures to hold different entities accountable for success. Asking faculty to become student marketing experts is not a sound strategy. Asking faculty to be part of online information sessions with prospects or starring in short videos to highlight program advantages is a better use of their talents.

    Enjoying Success

    When faculty and marketing work together to identify, shape, and launch new academic programs you’ll achieve greater success with your program launches.

    I’m here to help! Contact me at [email protected]

    Read Next: How to Know When a Program Has Run Its Course: Using Academic Program Assessments

    Ready to Get Started

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

    Email Us
  • 18% Enrollment Increase, No Extra Budget Required: Pro-tips from NCMPR 3

    18% Enrollment Increase, No Extra Budget Required: Pro-tips from NCMPR 3

    Among the incredible presentations at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations District 3 conference was Enrollment Results-Driven Marketing: Pro Tips to Increase Your Results with Your Current Budget by Tasha Hussain Black, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Marketing and Communications at Owens Community College and Lisa Starkey-Wood Account Executive at Stamats. Bringing over 40 years of experience to the table, Hussain Black and Starkey-Wood offered straightforward advice on how to work hand-in-hand with other departments on campus and maximize your existing budgets to achieve meaningful results.

    In higher education, teams often operate in siloes. Admissions works independently from marketing, which works separately from student life and academics. But when these departments synchronize and work together, marketing strategies become stronger. Unified efforts can lead to innovative solutions and greater impact overall.

    So, without further ado, let’s dig in.

    1. Align Your Ad Spend Budget with the Enrollment Cycle

    One of the most common opportunities for budget optimization is to treat each month’s allocated ad spend like a unique budget. We know all months of the enrollment cycle are not created equal—splitting ad spend evenly across 12 months of the year means that excess budget is wasted in months that don’t need the extra boost.

    Instead, plan increases in your ad spend around the most important dates in the enrollment cycle, such as application deadlines, registration deadlines, or the start of classes. Strategic timing delivers your messaging to prospective students when they’re most engaged and likely to interact. If the start of your fall semester overlaps with your winter nursing application deadline, increase your ad spend in the months leading up to those dates to increase conversions and see results.

    Using this strategy, Owens Community College increased their conversions by 135% with a 53% decrease in cost per lead within two months of launching their campaigns with Stamats—without any increase in their ad spend budget. Aligning your ad spend strategy with prospective student behaviors in addition to daily campaign optimizations leads to meaningful results.

    Related Reading: Strategic Planning Checklist: Tips for Higher Ed Marketing Teams

    2. Push Admission Deadlines in Ad Campaigns

    Deadlines spur people to action. Dates turn the dream of getting a degree from a notion to a real goal with steps. Let’s say classes start in January. A good time to push the deadline, according to Hussain Black and Starkey-Wood, is starting in November, giving people time to apply and arrange their lives to fit classes into the mix. This timeline aligns with when Owens tends to see application numbers increase before the start of each semester.

    Ads aren’t the only place to push deadlines. Campaign landing pages should also emphasize application timelines and align with the copy in the ads. Owens Community College uses a countdown banner on their campaign landing page starting 45 days prior to the deadline. This way, prospective students can visualize exactly how much time they have left to enroll in this cycle and see a consistent message on their journey from the ad to the campaign landing page.

    Owens website homepage.

    Something as simple as promoting your upcoming deadlines can help push your campaign to the next level. Using this method to promote their January deadline, Owens Community College achieved a 57% increase in conversions and a 40% increase in click-through rate. This was a remarkable success, especially considering the increased competition for ad space around the holidays.

    Related Reading: How to Increase Application Yield

    3. Incorporate Admissions and Campus Events in Your Ad Strategy

    Ad copy can get stale, fast. Don’t you get annoyed when you’re served the same ad over and over? Your prospective students feel the same way.

    One way to keep ad copy fresh is to incorporate campus events and photos into your overall strategy. Showcasing events gives prospective students a better understanding of the energy on campus. It can also convince more students to visit campus–and it’s a well-known fact that students who visit campus have a higher yield rate.

    Results of Owens Community College’s 2023 open house campaign speak to the effectiveness of this strategy: 50% increase in prospective student event attendance and 49 applications attributed to open house attendees. According to Hussain Black and Starkey-Wood, one of the most frequent questions prospective students ask is what campus like will be like—there’s no better way to show them.

    Related Reading: 3 Ways Stamats Specialists Leverage Personal Higher Ed Marketing Experience for Clients

    4. Give Audiences What They Want, When They Want It

    Timing is half the battle, according to Hussain Black and Starkey-Wood. If there is a time-sensitive campaign for visiting students to enroll to take classes over the summer, it may not make sense to run those ads throughout the year. Prospective students likely are not thinking about what they will be doing during the summer until February or March. You don’t want them to see your ad in December, think “Cool,” and then forget about it.

    To give students the information they want when during the right time in their decision process, Hussain Black and Starkey-Wood worked together to create a campaign with ads and landing pages specific to visiting students, with content that went beyond generic “enroll here” messaging. They launched the campaign three months before the deadline when students would be thinking about their summer plans. This strategy led to a 13% increase in the visiting student summer program

    Making sure ad and campaign landing page copy contain messaging related to what students are interested in is very important in driving conversions. This strategy helps improve campaign performance and gives prospective students the information they are craving. To promote the Owens Community College pipefitting and plumbing program, Stamats swapped generic manufacturing ad language with verbiage tailored to the specific program. This change led to a 150% increase in conversions and $6 decrease in cost per conversion in just one month.

    Another similarly tailored campaign for adult learners, with photos, headline, and content specific to them, led to 178 conversions in just one month.

    Real Impact from Strategic Marketing: Proven Strategies to Drive Growth

    Hussain Black and Starkey-Wood left the audience with a quote from marketing specialist Jake Victor. “When your marketing is done right, your audience won’t see it as an interruption. They’re glad it came on their feed.”

    With these strategies combined, Owens Community College increased their new student enrollment by nearly 18% from 2023 to 2024. We’d love to help you develop a strategy that will increase your enrollment numbers with your current marketing budget. Schedule a consultation with Lisa Starkey-Wood to start your strategy today.

  • Brand Taglines Built to Last

    Brand Taglines Built to Last

    In the dynamic world of branding, taglines and slogans are the cornerstone of a brand’s identity. A tagline is a permanent fixture that summarizes a brand’s essence, values, and promise, much like BMW’s enduring “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” One of the most iconic examples is Nike’s “Just Do It,” which was inspired by the last words of Gary Gilmore and has motivated athletes since 1988. Apple’s “Think Different” and McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” are other notable taglines that reflect the brand’s identity and resonate with consumers on a personal level, often evoking emotions and experiences associated with the brand.

    On the other hand, a slogan is more transient, often tied to specific marketing campaigns or products, like KFC’s “Finger-Lickin’ Good.” Brands evolve, and their slogans can change to reflect new directions or offerings. For instance, companies like Coke have shifted their slogans multiple times, from 1886’s “Drink Coca-Cola” to its iconic 1969’s “It’s the Real Thing” and 2021’s “Real Magic.” This adaptability allows brands to stay relevant and maintain a dialogue with consumers as their products and the market landscape transform.

    Today, the use of taglines continues to evolve with the digital age, where brevity and the ability to stand out in a sea of online content are more important than ever. Modern taglines must be adaptable across various platforms, from traditional print media to the ever-changing social media landscape. They are not just a means of advertising but a part of a brand’s identity, often becoming synonymous with the brand itself.

    The creation of a successful tagline now involves a deep understanding of the brand’s core values, target audience, and the cultural context in which it operates. As businesses continue to navigate the complexities of global markets and digital transformation, the art of crafting a compelling tagline that captures the essence of a brand and its promise to consumers remains a vital element of business strategy.

    When creating a brand tagline, it’s essential to consider the brand’s unique story, the impact it wishes to make, and how it wants to be remembered. A well-crafted tagline can transcend time and become a powerful tool for building a lasting brand legacy.

    Stamats has the largest repository of higher education taglines and is now growing a healthcare tagline repository.  We are fascinated with taglines and have been for decades.

    We’d love to help you discover your brand’s unique story — email me today.

  • 3 Ways Stamats Specialists Leverage Personal Higher Ed Marketing Experience for Clients

    3 Ways Stamats Specialists Leverage Personal Higher Ed Marketing Experience for Clients

    If you’ve never worked in higher education, it can be tricky to understand the nuances. Colleges and universities have a language all their own.

    At Stamats, we’re fluent in higher ed.

    “Higher ed needs expertise,” explained Lisa Starkey-Wood, Stamats Account Executive and former director in marketing and admissions roles for Keuka College and Hartwick College. “It has to be strategic and data-driven. It’s helpful to have someone like Stamats experts drive the strategy, especially when we’ve been in their shoes.”

    Starkey-Wood is one of several Stamats team members with deep experience in higher education. Because we’ve been there, we’re well-equipped to help our clients see the big picture, understand the varied perspectives of students, faculty, and staff, and help manage change in large organizations that are often dedicated to tradition.

    In light of the changing dynamics of higher ed, it’s more important than ever to ensure marketing is strategic, insightful, and precise.

    “Whether it’s a community college or a university, the challenges facing higher education are real,” said Leslie Schmidt, Senior Digital Project Manager at Stamats and former Highland Community College marketing and community relations administrator. “We have deep expertise in the big picture challenges and day-to-day struggles our clients face, and we’ve developed solutions that work.”

    1. Outside experts with insider experience

    In a crisis or an enrollment pinch, politics can get stormy. Even the steadiest ship can get tossed on the seas of overwhelming projects and competing priorities. When it comes to knowing which way the wind blows, it helps to have a weatherman (despite what Bob Dylan’s been arguing for 60 years now).

    That’s where Stamats comes in. Our experts have walked a mile in our clients’ galoshes, and we’ve weathered these storms before.

    “One asset of people who have worked in a higher education environment is that we’ve been a part of that culture,” explained Lin Larson, Stamats Digital Strategist, who held strategic director positions through a 20-year career in marketing and communications with the University of Iowa and the University of Wisconsin. “But we also have enough experience outside it to see how the culture operates across different institutions and projects. It allows us to have a broader perspective.”

    When the interests of faculty diverge from the institution’s marketing goals, seas can get rough. It helps to be an experienced sailor.

    “Faculty and marcomm priorities are different, and they should be different,” explained Stamats Senior Digital Project Manager Kelly O’Brien, who held several marketing and communications roles at the University of Minnesota. “Every place has politics. Understanding how these priorities and politics intersect and how to ensure the marketing team’s voice gets heard is one way I help my clients.”

    Jennifer VanGenderen, Stamats Senior Account Manager, worked in the financial aid office at St. Ambrose University—an experience she said helps her understand how her clients work together for students.

    “Working in the financial aid office helped me understand the importance of the work they do,” she reflected. “I also learned how admissions, marketing, and financial aid all work together in the enrollment process, which I use when helping my clients make strategic decisions and think through workflows.”

    Stamats’ experts navigate with more than just expertise. They use data to make and support decisions that get results for clients—in the conference room and on the bottom line.

    “I do a lot of work in website designs and information architecture,” Larson explained. “I stress that whatever recommendations we make are supported by data. Our recommendations tend to be accepted by faculty and administrators. We don’t get a lot of pushback because we’ve done the research and we can show the data.”

    Data is central to creating designs that inspire and knowing your audience’s voice is key to motivating them to action.

    Related reading: Ban These Words from Your Higher Ed Content

    2. Speaking the many languages of higher ed

    At their best, colleges and universities are diverse, exciting places where thoughts collide, new knowledge is formed, and future leaders take shape. In that environment, there are a lot of voices talking at the same time, and it can be hard to understand who’s speaking your language.

    Stamats experts are steeped in the languages of higher ed, and we have experience crafting communications that hit the mark with distinct audiences.

    Take it from me, a former journalist and marketing specialist for Hartwick College who is now a Senior Content Writer at Stamats. You wouldn’t talk to an alumna with a Ph.D. the same way you talk to a high school senior who just visited campus. They value different things about your institution, and they’re looking for different outcomes from their interaction with you. If you use the same language for both audiences, neither one will be well served.

    Julie Toomsen, who worked in distance learning at Kirkwood Community College for more than 30 years, knows understanding how different people communicate is an important part of her role in proofreading and content migration for Stamats clients.

    “It’s always valuable to understand the different voices and audiences of higher ed,” she said, “and I always appreciate how Stamats creates and implements easy-to-navigate websites.”

    In recruitment and philanthropic materials, websites, print publications, and emails, Stamats helps our clients find their voice and make sure it resonates with the right audiences.

    For instance, recruitment communication plans are complicated by nature. Knowing when to send the right message to the right audience (and how!) can be the difference between hitting your goal for the incoming class and scrambling all summer to make the numbers work.

    We’ve been there. We’ve hit home runs for our colleges and our clients, we’ve learned how to pivot when a mistake happens, and we’ve learned how to build a strategy that gets results.

    “I can help our clients now because I’ve had to put my waders on and figure it out,” said Marianne Sipe, Senior Director of Enrollment Strategies at Stamats who’s worked in all aspects of strategic enrollment communications for Eastern Oregon University and Blue Mountain Community College. “Now I can give them that perspective. I wish I would have had someone to help me like that when I was in their shoes.”

    Related reading: Enroll More Now: 3 Steps You Can Take Today

    3. Managing change in an adverse environment

    Some higher education institutions are great at change. They’re nimble, agile, and ready to adapt. Others … not so much.

    It’s entirely understandable that large organizations built on tradition and shared decision-making can turn like a tanker. Progress can be slow and agonizing—a dangerous proposition when change is happening quickly.

    Stamats teams have led major projects resulting in major positive change. We build momentum, get buy-in, and support important decisions with data that can help us forecast results.

    “Higher ed can sometimes be a culture of ‘yes,’” explained Starkey-Wood. “When a faculty member wants something on the website, we can help say ‘no’ if what they want is not focused on the strategy, user, and student journey. We can speak truth to power when it comes to overcoming obstacles to effective strategy.”

    Just like saying ‘no,’ big picture change management can be difficult when you’re embedded in a marcomm office that needs to respond to internal pressures.

    “We did a big website project where we centralized control of the website, and we knew people were going to freak out,” O’Brien recalled of her time at Minnesota. “We prepared them by acknowledging the pros and cons, we shared the analytics and trained people how to understand them, and we formed a steering committee that included people from across campus.”

    Getting ahead of concerns and practicing transparency can help manage change, as can having someone to keep an eye on the big picture.

    “We’re helping clients look at their holistic communications plan, discover where those issues are, and track traffic from digital ad campaigns through email communications,” said Katie Eckelmann, Stamats Digital Specialist and a former director of enrollment technology and operations at Hartwick. “That helps our clients get the best ROI from working with us because we can provide that outside perspective on their overall strategy.”

    Related reading: Campus Protests: 4 Tips for Crisis Planning

    Why diversity of expertise is more important than ever

    Not every strategy is the same for every college, so Stamats experts come from a diverse range of backgrounds. We’ve been insiders at sprawling public universities and tiny private colleges. We’re as well versed in career-focused community college offerings as cutting-edge research science and religious institutional cultures.

    No matter your organization’s story, we can help you share it with audiences who want to hear from you.

    “Our clients have different needs, and we all have different backgrounds,” explained Schmidt. “No matter where our clients come from, we’ve been there.”

    As the landscape of higher education shifts, it’s never been more important for colleges and universities to produce thoughtful, strategic communications that advance institutional goals.

    “We see a lot of institutions facing real enrollment challenges, and we see some closing up shop. I don’t think that is going to change,” Larson reflected. “I think that going to college, earning traditional credentials and new credentials, is going to continue to be important. But the market is shrinking and changing, and it’s going to move in some ways we don’t expect.”

    That’s why understanding what the data mean for your institution and executing strategic communications is more important than ever.

    “The enrollment cliff is real,” said Sipe. “Marketing and communications are essential because these strategies help schools attract students who are a good fit. It’s so important to have the conversation about value and to be prepared for when employers start prizing credentials again.”

    The combination of inside expertise and outside perspective allows Stamats to offer clients particularly effective guidance in challenging times.

    “The stakes are so high, and for many of our clients, resources are being cut,” O’Brien reflected. “It’s incumbent upon us to understand and anticipate the trends, to work with our research team to know everything we can about jobs, outlooks, and demographics, and to help translate that for our clients so they can be ready for opportunities.”

    Are you ready to get some help with your digital, content, and enrollment strategy projects? Stamats’ team of experts is here to help. Contact us to get started.

  • Boost Enrollment Today: The Impact of Cohesive Branding

    Boost Enrollment Today: The Impact of Cohesive Branding

    A student signs up for your mailing list and is attracted to the warm, personable tone in the email. It makes them feel heard and understood. But when they go on your website, they find your copy is clipped and professional—not warm at all. Both tones are valid but they will attract a different type of student. In this case, the contrast can be jarring to a potential student or family member. The experience leaves a student confused and losing interest if they find the website doesn’t have the same tone as the initial communication that brought them in.

    So, what is the common theme in both scenarios? Brand. These examples are something we have all experienced and may not have thought too deeply about. But the experience leaves an impression that leads to a decision. Branding is of the utmost importance. A brand is what makes you seem like a trustworthy and professional institution. In today’s competitive landscape, where attention spans are short and choices are abundant, strong branding sets you apart and positions your institution for success.

    Audit Your Collateral

    An institution’s marketing team encompasses a wide range of materials, including emails, website content, flyers, brochures, and text messages. Essentially, anything that communicates your brand’s message falls into the category of marketing collateral. Auditing that collateral means reviewing these materials to better understand the current state of a college’s brand voice and strategy.

    So where does one start? First, make sure that the brand is consistent across assets.

    • Are the same colors used from one piece to another?
    • Do the recruitment and internal staff emails follow a similar style?
    • Is the logo or font the most up-to-date?
    • Are there places where one can visually identify where the brand has fallen short such as graphics or a foreign font that somehow made it into the mix?
    • Check the images. Do the pictures across assets look authentic and part of a larger story about the institution?
    • How about graphics? Do the icons align with the look and feel of the website, emails, and other pieces?

    Next, review for tone. How does one characterize the tone used on the college’s website? What about your emails? Do the two sources of information mesh, and sound like they came from the same source? What about the print materials? Access the institution’s brand guidelines and review the tone of the college. Keep this in mind when evaluating materials. Does the tone in the guidelines align with what is under scrutiny? If they match—that’s great! If not, you have some work ahead of you.

    Related Reading: Inclusive Branding for Diverse Audiences

    Find a Brand Standard

    The next step is to decide on a standard piece that will act as an example or a reference that everything else compares to. Visually this means the asset aligns with the institution’s brand standard and checks all the boxes for color, logos, and tone. It fully represents the brand. For instance, maybe a digital asset, such as the website or a collection of emails captures the look, feel, and tone of the brand. Or, one may find an example in a publication, such as a fair piece or viewbook.

    This asset that checks all the boxes for brand is the north star for creating all other content. Use it as inspiration. Reference the details such as how the fonts line up. Are they all or mostly left-justified? Or maybe headers are mostly centered, bold, and heavy? While working through and evaluating, it may become obvious that a secondary accompanying brand standard is needed to add additional information about tone or style to help shape the brand.

    As one works through these steps, it may seem all too much. Maybe the brand is tough to discern, and the institution has traveled too far down a trail with no return. Not all is lost at this juncture. Realizing the state of the branding and the preliminary work that needs to be done before evaluating assets is an amazing mile marker for the college.

    That is where we come in. At Stamats, we will conduct market research to determine what brand would best resonate with your intended audience. We collaborate in multiple workshops with your team to find your unique message and style. Through these processes, we generate a brand standard that is custom to the institution.

    Related Reading: 5 Signs Your Brand is Ready for a Refresh

    Following these steps can help launch a path to a strong brand with recruitment tactics. Whether it’s social media posts, print publications, or a website, a cohesive brand will attract and retain students, affecting enrollment numbers and overall outcomes year over year. If you’re having trouble pinpointing your brand, Stamats is here to help refine the institution’s focus.

    Ready to build a better brand? Contact [email protected] to schedule an appointment and discuss how to boost your enrollment numbers through effective branding.

  • 3 Ways Career-Focused Storytelling Wins in Higher Ed—and How to Get Started

    3 Ways Career-Focused Storytelling Wins in Higher Ed—and How to Get Started

    BestColleges.com reports that student outcomes ranked second only to affordability among decision factors for prospective students. Your audience wants to know if they’ll be able to:

    • Graduate without a lot of debt
    • Get a job after graduation
    • Make enough money in their new career

    Your institution has the data to answer these questions. And you can use it to fuel a career-focused storytelling strategy that builds community with prospective students—and supports your enrollment goals.

    Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, is one example of a forward-thinking institution that’s leaning into this strategy. Here are some pro tips from Mike Barzacchini, Director of Marketing Services at Harper, and Mariah Tang, AVP of Content Marketing at Stamats, about creating career-focused stories for your institution.

    1. Show the Proof with Alumni Career Stories

    Prospective students are more likely to trust testimonials from current students and alumni than from faculty or staff. Stories from alumni naturally avoid the advertising-speak that can creep into your marketing materials—and that young consumers can spot from a mile away.

    “Career-focused stories from alumni hold so much more depth and relevance than the typical ‘graduated and got a job’ approach to alumni testimonials,” said Mike. “As a community college, we emphasize belonging, and we intentionally focus on the community impacts of our alumni. We feature stories about people who live and work here after graduation, alongside stories of alumni who are now making waves in a new community.”

    Cool Head®

    Here are four examples of career-focused alumni stories from Harper:

    • Social media: In the LinkedIn series, “From Harper to…,” Mike’s team shares the stories of Harper students who transferred to a university after graduation.
    • Podcast: The Harper Talks alumni podcast discusses the challenges alumni faced in their journey to a rewarding career and how Harper laid their foundation for career success.
    • Blog story: Eric Emery, Harper College graduate and welding inspector, drew from his education in welding and electronics to design and patent Cool Head®. This innovative device fits in a helmet to help protect welders from the harmful effects of fume inhalation and heat exhaustion.
    • Video: Harper graduate Klara Carrera is pursuing a four-year degree while working at the House of Blues. This video and text story of how the Audio/Video program at Harper prepared her to pursue a career in audio engineering performs well on Google, and that SEO power drives relevant traffic to Harper’s website.

    By promoting alumni and student success on LinkedIn, Harper demonstrates the real-world value of their career-focused curriculum.

    Pro tips:

    • Build your stories on your website and share them on social. That keeps the original content under your ownership and potentially draws SEO.
    • Share alumni stories and news in memorable, bite-sized chunks on social media and in eNewsletters.
    • Include a call-to-action to guide the prospective student to the next natural step.

    2. Answer Career-focused Questions

    Prospective students (especially adult learners) need a clear understanding of their return on investment before committing to your college. Show them why it’s worth their time, energy, and money to enroll by creating content that answers their burning—and often specific—questions, such as:

    • What degree or certification do I need to get this job?
    • How long will it take to graduate?
    • Will I make a good salary after college?

    To answer these important questions, use current career data from EMSI and other trusted resources to craft a broad overview story about a growing industry or in-demand career. Include testimonials from alumni who’ve been there, along with details such as future job demand and the degree needed to achieve their goal.

    In 2020, UT Permian Basin worked with Stamats to create a roundup story about in-demand careers in growing industries in West Texas. The story opens with an alumni story, in which a student discusses her ROI.

    The meat of the story is a description of certificates, degrees, and job titles to reach for if learners are working or trying to get into top fields like healthcare, manufacturing, or hospitality. The story still ranks on Google Page 1, four years later.

    Pro tip: Include links in the text that direct readers to specific programs and fast-tracking strategies to graduate early. Strategic interlinking to helpful next steps shows that you “get” them and you are here to help.

    3. Create a Virtual Job Shadow Experience

    Partner with local businesses in your community to give prospective students a look at what specific careers are really like. Or talk with students in particularly intense training programs to show incoming learners what to expect.

    In 2021, the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center worked with Stamats to create this award-winning timeline, A Day in the Life of a Neuro ICU Resident, to visualize a neurology trainee’s daily schedule.

    The story continues to outrank major competitors’ program pages due in part to its compelling, narrative approach to answering audience questions.

    Pro tip: “Day in the life” stories let prospective students picture themselves in a career or in your program. Offer detailed and transparent timelines—how long the program takes, when it is offered, and how to get it done around work and family.

    Career-focused storytelling lets you highlight your programs in a way that is helpful and relevant to prospective students. While it does take work to connect with alumni, gather career data, and keep your content fresh, the investment is worth the result: Click-worthy, engaging content that helps more students choose your institution.

    Ready to create career-focused stories that convert? We’d love to connect to discuss your content strategy and how career-focused storytelling can support your enrollment goals. Email Mariah Tang today.

  • Build a Better Recruitment Piece: Key Strategies to Earn Enrollment

    Build a Better Recruitment Piece: Key Strategies to Earn Enrollment

    One mistake we often see for recruitment pieces is the lack of an exact target—trying to serve all prospective students. This will lead to publications that feel formidable, and full of information that overwhelms the reader while failing on design principles and brand continuity.

    If you’re unclear about where to start, here are some key points to consider when reviewing last year’s publication or designing a refresh. Start with audience and budget. Imagine the information you have to offer is like the ingredients to cook your favorite dish. The final dish will vary depending on the chef’s intended audience. In other words, you have a grocery list of information to use; how you choose to deploy it depends on the audience you’ve decided to target.

    The 4 Pillars of Any Recruitment Piece

    Every recruitment piece should address four categories of crucial information every potential student seeks to answer when shopping for a college. These are the four pillars of recruitment.

    1. Do You Have My Program?

    Often institutions include large program lists at the back of their catalog with every program available. While this is one strategy, it can also exhaust the reader to pore through every degree, certification, endorsement, and everything in between. Additionally, the complex titles of the programs are missing transparency and can be difficult to decipher for a high school senior.

    Additionally, there is an opportunity for an institution to strategically design its program list to fill seats. Institutions mindful of programs to highlight and feature in publications can help push the needle on enrollment for those programs. Identifying institutional goals and KPIs for program enrollment helps the same programs that may get lost on a large shopping list in a recruitment publication.

    How does one find the programs that may need additional attention? Collaborate with your Institutional Research team or the Strategic Enrollment Management team to pull institutional data. The data will help you find which programs to spotlight.

    If your institution has chosen to go with a simpler list, then one must provide a channel for accessing the full list. This is where part of the marketing strategy includes a keen website.

    Add a link or QR code with a call-to-action to access a full list of programs. On the website, provide a program finder that is dynamic and helps inquiring students look through program options to help tailor their career and educational goals.

    Concerned about feedback regarding which program is listed in the publication? Let the decision for your publication come from a governing body or group such as the Strategic Enrollment Management team. Then the decision is not from a single person or department but rather a governing body that represents the facets of the institution.

    Pro tip: Use vanity URLs and QR codes. Long URLs can dissuade people from visiting your website. Your vanity URL should be as simple as institution.com/programs.

    2. Can I Afford It?

    Financial transparency is an important topic for a recruitment piece. This can include:

    • Tuition
    • Student fees
    • Meal plans
    • On-campus housing, and more

    The Cost Of Attendance (COA) is a great place to highlight any funding options for students. Share the information with large infographics and other visuals to tell the story. Keep tables with a bunch of numbers to a minimum – even better if they can be eliminated. Does your institution participate in SARA for States? Include a map and basic information about students from outside the institution’s residing state and the reduced tuition rate.

    3. How Do I Get In?

    This one is simple. Students want to know how they can apply, and general qualifications for admission. Provide an easily accessible link or QR code to complete an admission application. Include the basic information on how to apply along with contact information for assistance.

    Is there an application fee? Make sure to include this to help applicants prepare before they sit down to complete the application. Or if your application is free, make sure you highlight this feature and benefit for applying. Often, institutions can overlook the obvious features that can be highlighted as a benefit to the applicant.

    4. What Is the Fit?

    Cultural fit is one of the most important yet intangible pillars of recruitment. When structuring the recruitment piece, take inspiration from a Denny’s menu. Yes, I’m serious. Denny’s menus are highly image-based, with small descriptions. Similarly, focus on images and testimonials with easily digestible accompanying text. This will help students absorb the culture of the college to understand what makes the institution unique—the things that are sometimes difficult to convey with the written word.

    Pro tip: When designing recruitment pieces, first focus on making a larger print piece or viewbook. Afterward, it’ll be much easier to use pieces from this larger piece for social media posts, emails, and other tactics.

    The Key Audience Buckets

    The approach is slightly different depending on your target audience or personas. The stage of a lead or inquiry influences what content is included.

    1. High school seniors: Seniors are actively choosing plans after high school. It’s important to describe the next steps with transparency. Both high school seniors and juniors are interested in campus culture and how they perceive themselves fitting—highlight clubs, athletics, campus events, and extracurricular activities to help inquiries find a niche or group they can see themselves belonging.
    2. High school juniors: Some high school juniors are proactive about finding the right college. On the other end of the spectrum are juniors waiting until the following year to start shopping. Most juniors fall somewhere in between. Regardless, while it’s still important to highlight next steps, it’s more of the focus to help them find programs of interest and encourage them to visit campus. Like car sales, the opportunity to yield another applicant lies in the proverbial test drive through a campus visit to help them visualize themselves as a college student at your college after graduation. Ongoing recruitment and marketing for this group payout in net gains when it’s time to apply.
    3. Adult learners: Adult learners are focused on how college can fit the adult learner’s established life. This segment is raising families, working, married, helping family members, and more. In addition to wanting information about the first three pillars, they want to know how college will fit into their lives. Not interested in marketing fluff, adult learners want to get to the heart of what it takes to attend and the steps to get started. They look for how previous credits will be accepted. They may want to know about schedule flexibility and online options. Include topics like these and who they can speak to today for topics about credits that will transfer and how fast one can complete their degree.
    4. Dual enrollment students: Consider dual-enrolled or concurrent enrollment students as a significantly untapped source of potential enrollment for colleges. This audience is a brilliant marketing opportunity. Taking advantage of the pre-existing tenure with your college is an excellent strategy. For example, strategically distribute tchotchke and dual enrollment information to students while they’re in class. Why not host a special VIP event for this group, who tend to be high achievers and college-focused?

    Related reading: Recruitment Strategies That Nurture Dual Enrollment

    Design With Confidence

    When designing recruitment publications, start with your audience to drive content and strategy. Follow the structure of the four pillars for recruitment and marketing with higher ed to ensure the pieces address key topics for every potential student. Utilize strategic teams internally to provide a customized focus for the institution’s enrollment goals. In addition, find opportunities to target specific segments such as adult learners and dual enrollment to elevate tactics that will result in meeting enrollment goals.

    Ready to talk about quality recruitment materials? Contact us at [email protected] to discover how we can work together to create recruitment pieces that drive enrollment and promote your brand.

    Related reading: Enroll More Now: 3 Steps You Can Take Today

  • 3 SEO Questions Stakeholders Often Ask—and How to Answer Them

    3 SEO Questions Stakeholders Often Ask—and How to Answer Them

    At NACCDO-PAMN, an annual marketing and public relations conference for cancer center teams, savvy content strategist Dan Cave presented data-driven answers to SEO questions his team fields from curious clinicians and stakeholders.

    Dan, the Digital Marketing and Intranet Manager at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, uses SEO best practices to improve their website’s performance and build trust among the digital and clinical teams.

    Here are three common questions and answers that Dan discussed at NACCDO-PAMN 2024.

    1. Why don’t I see our website when I search for “X”?

    Let’s say, for example, you search for “esophageal cancer.” Your search results display several healthcare institutions—but not your own. Avoid the urge to panic. This doesn’t automatically indicate an SEO issue.

    An important question to consider is, what is your intent behind this search? “Esophageal cancer” is a broad topic with many avenues to pursue: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, recovery, management.

    Google is good, but it’s not perfect. It returns the most logical results based on the most authoritative sites and best-perceived user experience.

    Answer: Search Like Your Users

    Put yourself in the shoes of someone searching for a particular term. Consider what they are specifically looking for and hoping to accomplish with that search. When you search for something, you expect to get personalized, instantly relevant answers.

    Help Google give you more relevant results by being direct and specific with your search queries. Something like “esophageal cancer near buffalo ny” (or “esophageal cancer near me”) offers more relevant results for which prospective patients are more likely to search.

    Examine stakeholder questions case-by-case to ensure you have content on your site that caters to common questions your users expect to find answers to.

    webpage of search for esophageal cancer near buffalo NY

    2. Why aren’t we ranking ahead of this other website?

    When answering questions like this, avoid going right to “we can’t control Google.” You do control your content. Don your detective hat to identify and fill your content gaps.

    Answer: Use Analytics to Identify Content Gaps

    Gather and parse your website’s data using GA4 or another solution that fits your needs. For example, before Roswell Park launched their new patient-facing website, they worked with Stamats to integrate the robust research and education that takes place there into the website content.

    After reshaping Roswell Park’s content story sitewide, they experienced a 15% increase in pageviews and 6.4% new users year-over-year, and applications to their high school summer program doubled. They were definitely getting found more!

    Roswell Park uses Matomo Analytics, which is an alternative for Google Analytics that is privacy-friendly and provides high-quality data.

    Find a data solution that works well for you and start digging. Get a clear understanding of:

    • How users enter your site (organic from Google, email, social channel, paid advertising)
    • What pages they come in on and where they go next (or if they bounce)
    • Interactions
    • What content is and isn’t driving conversions

    Review your site search history to see what keywords and phrases users are typing. This may reveal content they are unable to find and that you need to add. In this process, you begin to get a feel for the entire user journey. This helps you uncover ways to update and expand your content in ways that resonate with your audience.

    Optimize Existing Content

    SEO is always changing, so your content requires ongoing optimization to keep up. Watch your website’s metrics and remain cognizant of any notable shifts in your organic traffic, such as month-over-month changes. If something seems off, find out if there was an algorithm shift or a core update you missed. Here are some ways to prioritize your content optimization projects:

    • Keep a database of keyword opportunities
    • Use a keyword planner, such as SEMRush
    • Review Google Trends to identify terms to include

    Conduct regular content audits and flag anything that could use a refresh. Implement a strong governance policy for updating or removing content that is out of date or irrelevant. Your digital web and marketing teams need to be in constant communication, sharing data, keyword insights, and SEO opportunities.

    Create New Content

    Be aware of new developments at your institution that need web content. If you discover the content doesn’t yet exist, you’ve uncovered a golden opportunity. Work with a subject matter expert to create your new content.

    People often ask what should go on a webpage versus a blog. Healthcare and academia websites must follow a very specific content strategy for pages on the site to remain aligned with the site’s information architecture (organized structure) and goals supporting the user journey.

    Blog stories offer more flexibility. Use blogs as an avenue to address niche topics, instill brand credibility, and build trust. Not all users are at the point in their journey to make an appointment. In healthcare, use a blog to explore a novel treatment option, share new research, or tell a patient story. Blogs offer quick answers to the questions your users are asking.

    3. Why isn’t this page on our site showing at the top of Google?

    Sometimes missing content isn’t the culprit. Let’s say you have a page on a very specific topic brimming with fact-based insights, but it doesn’t show up in search. How can this be?

    If your content isn’t showing up on search, make sure each of the following is true:

    • Your content is published live on the site.
    • The search query is relevant to this content.
    • You infused relevant keywords into the content.
    • The page has been up for weeks, or even months.
    • You followed SEO best practices.

    If each of those factors is true, check the page’s content and analytics, as well as organic traffic throughout your site. Research any recent Google updates you may have missed.

    Tip: Talk with Your Technical Team

    Check-in with your user interface designer and technical team regularly to ensure your technical SEO is in line. They monitor crucial behind-the-scenes factors such as:

    • Page speed
    • Load time
    • Responsive design
    • Security (HTTPS)
    • Sitemap

    If your content is relatively new and everything is working properly, Google may simply not realize it exists yet. It can take search engines a few days or weeks to crawl your site and start the SERP ranking process for new content. Doing SEO is a mix of immediacy, long game, and detective work.

    Flex Your SEO Muscles

    A strong SEO strategy carried throughout a website can help you enhance your search result presence. As you continue to curate content, draw upon those insights and your existing pool of SEO knowledge for:

    • Content quality
    • Keyword research
    • URL structure
    • Link building

    Remember, you’re the expert. Get familiar with all things SEO. Know your web content in and out and remain educated about how Google works and what it wants. Doing this gives you the knowledge base needed to tackle issues as they arise.

    SEO is always changing, and we all must adapt along with it. Stay on top of Google’s core updates, ranking factors, and algorithm changes. As Chat GPT and Gemini impact traditional search, consider “doubling down” on longtail keywords to remain relevant in AI conversations. In addition, there are plenty of blogs, newsletters, YouTube channels, and podcasts that dig into these topics.

    SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re new to the content strategy game, start small with 5-10 pages and follow SEO and content best practices. Get a few pages of content right, then continue building from there.

    Need help with your SEO strategy? We’d love to connect and discuss your content strategy and how SEO fits into it. Email us today.

    Related reading: “Do You Do SEO?” We Do, and You Should Too

  • What Social Channels Should I Be on in Higher Ed Marketing?

    What Social Channels Should I Be on in Higher Ed Marketing?

    The answer largely depends on who your audience is and the goals of your communication plan.

    If you’re reaching out to prospective students in their teens and 20s, you may want to focus your energy on popular Gen Z social media platforms like TikTok. If you’re pushing to recruit non-traditional students and/or family decision-makers, Facebook and Instagram could be a better option.

    The best way to decide which platforms to make a push on isn’t guesswork. It’s hard data. The best way to get that data is to take an inventory of your current platforms, messaging strategies, and gaps…otherwise known as a social media audit.

    Audit Your Social Strategy

    A social media audit evaluates your overall social media presence, including your profiles, content, engagement metrics, and overall strategy. It helps you assess the effectiveness of your social media efforts and identify areas of improvement.

    A social media audit has several steps and aims to understand your social media presence, follower type, and the gaps between your goals and your current engagement. A social media audit should cover:

    • Number of platforms in use.
    • Number of accounts on those platforms, including groups: You might be surprised at the number of active, inactive, branded, and non-branded accounts you uncover when you start searching!
    • Follower counts and characteristics.
    • Engagement on each channel, such as views, shares, mentions, and comments.
    • Patterns in engagement, such as the kinds of posts your audience most engages with.

    Working with a community college in Michigan, we identified 65 accounts across six platforms, including unsanctioned and inactive groups and accounts diluting their brand messaging. Spotting those errant accounts lets you reduce digital “clutter” and create a streamlined storytelling strategy that relays the information and entertainment prospective students and families want and need.

    Part of that strategy should include effectively repurposing content to match the tone, voice, and intent of users by platform—without spreading yourself thin by **constantly** creating new content.

    Repurpose Content Without Being Repetitive

    As the godfather of content marketing, Joe Pulizzi said, “Don’t build your mansion on rented land.” In other words, if your content lives only on social media, you’re wasting an opportunity to welcome new audience members into your content community.

    Instead of publishing on social alone, create a solid content bank on your website.

    Think of social media as the front porch where you greet guests and share snippets of your life. Invite people inside your website to support their journey with helpful resources and opportunities to stay in touch. Plus, guiding visitors from social media to your website boosts your site’s SEO and allows visitors to explore all you have to offer—not just the slice of content you’re advertising.

    Listen Now: SEO is not a Service it is a Way of Life

    Keep Your Content Fresh—And Minimize Your Workload

    Creating new, engaging content can be overwhelming. How many TikToks and Reels can one person make in a day? Here’s our quick and easy guide to repurposing content while still making it feel fresh.

    Reuse Content (But Not Images)

    Changing up the images you use with written content refreshes the story with minimal effort. But when audience members see the same featured image over and over in your feed, it all starts to run together.

    Try adding a new image as your featured media when you redistribute blog stories or ads—keeping it fresh will attract new eyes and continued engagement. Add descriptive alt text for each image to improve accessibility.

    Share Video Across Platforms

    You might have heard the phrase “video is king,” but even simple animations or videos may take time and effort for your team. So, instead of making a ton of separate shorts, create one epic video and parse it out across your platforms.

    Nearly every social site is video-friendly, and you can choose the thumbnail on video-centric platforms like YouTube to keep the content looking fresh and clean. Just make sure your video is formatted correctly across platforms and includes captions to help a larger pool of people enjoy your content.

    Give Outdated Content a Glow-Up

    Too often we see organizations allowing their older content to languish on their site, in desperate need of an update. But sometimes it’s more efficient—and SEO-friendly—to refresh content rather than create something entirely new.

    For example, if you have an existing blog story about a specific program or service, but it hasn’t been touched since 2020, it may be time for a refresh. Keep the URL the same to retain your glorious SEO “juice” and gut the on-page content to update:

    • Calls-to-action
    • Images and video
    • Internal links
    • Stats
    • Search intent phrasing
    • The timestamp on the page

    Subsequently, you can redistribute that story on social media, over email, and through your other channels. This approach enhances the relevance and timeliness of your content in half the time it may take your team to write something from scratch.

    Listen Now: Why CTAs are a Big Deal

    Leverage User-Generated Content

    User-generated content consists of photos, videos, testimonials, reviews, and more. Encourage your audience to tag and mention you by reposting and engaging with their original content.

    For example, you can turn a visitor’s quote into a visual post and distribute it on various social channels. Comment on photos that tag your page or location to show the human caring and enthusiasm behind your brand.

    Related reading: How to Maximize Website Traffic with a Content Audit—and What to Do Next

    Pro Tip: Make a Reddit Strategy

    One platform that absolutely should not be neglected is Reddit. Reddit has an extremely loyal user base, with over 16% of its 500 million users visiting the site daily. Reddit is a series of forums divided by subject, with everything from r/marketing to r/cannedsardines.

    You might also notice that when googling something, the search results that pop up are often something like “best dog walkers Reddit.” Reddit has long been privileged by search engines as a wealth of public and collaborative information. Reddit posts are often spotlighted in the “discussion and forums” part of your search results. OpenAI partnered with Reddit to surface their content in ChatGPT—making the platform a powerful game-changer in AI.

    Posting on Reddit involves a long-term strategy for success. Engage with the communities most relevant to your niche, offer genuinely helpful insights, and reply to comments.

    Top Social Channels & Best Practices

    Facebook:

    You can be a little wordier on Facebook but aim for engaging, visually appealing content with concise captions and strategic use of hashtags.

    X:

    On X, keep your tweets short and punchy, use visuals like GIFs and images, and engage trending hashtags and conversations to boost visibility and engagement. Just make sure you know the details behind the meme; you don’t want to blunder into a trend you know nothing about.

    Instagram:

    Images and videos reign supreme on Instagram. Ensure your posts are visually interesting, use high-quality photos and videos, and leverage Stories or Reels. Reuse TikTok videos to increase your storytelling efficiency.

    LinkedIn:

    LinkedIn is generally more professional than the other platforms on this list, so focus on sharing industry insights, thought leadership content, and company updates. Join relevant groups to participate in discussions and build connections.

    TikTok:

    TikTok is all about creativity and authenticity, so create engaging and entertaining short-form videos that showcase your brand’s personality. Keep your content lighthearted—use popular hashtags and challenges to boost visibility. Engage your audience by responding to comments and participating in trends.

    Snapchat:

    Snapchat thrives on ephemeral content, meaning that the things you post won’t stick around for long. It shouldn’t be your only video platform, but it can help you reach a wide audience. It also offers fun features to augment your content, such as lenses, filters, and stickers.

    YouTube:

    For YouTube, focus on creating high-quality, engaging video content that provides value to your audience. Optimize your video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords just like you would for a blog.

    Reddit:

    Reddit is all about niche interests and finding your audience. Answer questions and offer genuinely helpful information to make users engage and interact. Take the time to understand each subreddit’s rules and norms to ensure your posts align with the community’s expectations.

    Social media can feel like a tangled mess of platforms sometimes. However, with a strategic approach based on your target audience and messaging goals, you can effectively manage your presence across these channels. Conduct regular audits to evaluate your social media performance and identify areas for improvement. Remember, your website serves as your digital headquarters, so investing in high-quality content creation is key. By mastering the nuances of each platform and employing the tactics mentioned above, you’ll be well on your way to strengthening your brand and driving engagement.

    Ready to take your social media game to the next level? Email us to discuss your social media strategy.