Recognize the Expertise of Marketers
It was the biggest shopping day of the year, and outdoor retailer REI was closed.
Rather than urging the masses through their doors on Black Friday, the REI #OptOutside campaign encouraged customers to spend the day focused on what typically brought them into the store: a love for outdoor experiences. The campaign generated tremendous buzz on social media as millions of people shared photos of outdoor fun.
And the campaign didn’t just succeed at generating goodwill—it led to higher revenue, as well. In the first year of the campaign, the company saw a 9.3% increase in year-over-year sales and its membership grew by one million.
All of this occurred because REI embraced a marketing idea that was deeply aligned with its vision and values. The idea required buy-in at every level of the company and required that marketing leaders be part of the strategic decision-making from the beginning of the process—not brought in simply to promote a set plan.
Higher education institutions can learn a great deal from an example like REI’s. Too often, our marketers are treated as the executors of plans developed without their input. But for today’s colleges and universities to thrive, marketing leaders need to be included in the idea formation, planning, and execution from beginning to end.
A Voice at the Table
A seat at the table may sound like enough, but it’s not. If marketers are simply invited into the boardroom or executive meetings but only expected to listen and carry out the strategies of others, the entire institution will miss out on their expertise and contributions.
Higher education administrators will see better results when they ask marketing leaders for input in the same way that they do with experts in other areas. Academic deans provide insight into scholastic strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. The chief financial officer is the go-to in the institution’s business office. In the same way, marketing leaders should be looked to for the school’s branding and storytelling.
Had REI kept their marketing leaders from having real decision-making power in the organization, the #OptOutside campaign likely never would have happened. Neither would the increased revenue, brand popularity, or social goodwill the company generated as a result. Higher education institutions can achieve similar results when they trust their marketing experts.
Diving into Data
One of the key areas of expertise that empowered and equipped higher education leaders can bring to the table is data. More than ever, technology is available that enables marketers to understand their audiences, segment them, and communicate meaningful messages that enhance recruitment, increase enrollment, and improve current student experience.
Data-informed marketing, for example, led to a year-over-year increase of 26% in lead volume and an 18% increase in conversion rate for a large state university. And a British university saw a 100% increase in marketing engagement when they implemented a data-driven marketing strategy.
A data-informed marketing approach requires belief in—and support of—marketing leaders in higher education. Recognizing their expertise looks like trusting their ideas (even when they sound as wild as closing on Black Friday), honoring their voice at the table, and providing them with tools and technology that empower data-informed decisions. If the #OptOutside campaign is any indication, doing so will be a win for all involved.
Let 5° come alongside your marketing team through enrollment marketing support or leadership coaching. We’d love to chat about how we can combine forces.
