5 Schools That Create BuzzFeed-Inspired Content for Alumni and Students
BuzzFeed has flipped the journalism world on its head. From humorous top-10 lists to high-level news reporting, the tech company excels on both ends of the spectrum—and has done a great job of drawing in a younger audience because of it. Visitors might come for the quizzes, but they stay for the breaking news and […]
Driving Around With Alumni: The Video Marketing Trend You’ll Want to Jump on Board With
What makes watching people drive around in cars so interesting? From Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee to James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” segments, drive-around chats with celebrities have attracted millions of views online. Besides the obvious comedic appeal, these skits are so successful because they help viewers feel a deeper connection with celebrities. […]
Get More Out of Your Content With Social Media Walls
So, your advancement office has a great social media plan. You’re pushing out quality content, and your alumni are sharing and re-tweeting your posts using hashtags. But how can you amplify that social chatter and get even more alumni engaging with you online? How can you increase the reach of your content—especially when a portion of your […]
Laugh It Up: How Schools Are Using Humor to Fundraise
In advertising, as in life, happiness is a powerful emotion. Many companies strive to associate their brands with happiness; instead of crafting ads that educate consumers about their product, they simply try to make people laugh. This can be a great marketing strategy, as research suggests that humor helps us retain information. Take Chik-fil-A’s “Cow” […]
A Roundup of 5 Schools Using Pinterest for Alumni Relations
In the digital world of 2016, there’s no shortage of social media platforms for sharing what you’re doing right now (or what you think about what others are doing right now). Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are perfect for conversing with others and voicing your opinions. Pinterest excels in a different area, however. Popular among […]
5 Colleges and Universities Killing It on Instagram
Have you ever seen a picture that needed no explanation? Throughout history, iconic photos—like from the World War II D-Day invasion, the 1969 moon landing, and more—have helped tell the story of events in a way that words could not. And now, with the emergence of Instagram, anyone in the world can capture the emotion, […]
Why Your Annual Fund Strategy Should Include Real-Time Marketing
Just a few weeks ago, Villanova University and the University of Connecticut reached the pinnacle of NCAA sports. Villanova won the Men’s Basketball Championship (on an improbable shot), and UConn won yet another Women’s National Championship. Alumni of each school felt huge amounts of pride—and most likely spent a lot of time reading and talking […]
The Power of Nostalgia in Higher-Ed Alumni Marketing
This February, Netflix launched Fuller House, a sequel to the 90s TGIF classic, Full House. The show stars many of the classic characters and is even set in the same house as the original, bringing 30-somethings everywhere back to their childhood. Fuller House was created because of the power of nostalgia. Nostalgia is defined as […]
How to Properly Align Your Higher-Ed Brand (Without a Super Bowl Ad)
The story of Disney’s infamous Super Bowl campaign has become marketing folklore at this point. When Michael Eisner took over as CEO of the Disney Company, he and his wife were having dinner with Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who had just piloted the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. […]
Why Content Marketing Is the Best Way to Build Your Higher-Ed Brand
In October, the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs released their “2016 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends” report for North America. In the report, data shows that 76% of corporations have a content marketing strategy and that B2C marketers are allocating 32% of their total marketing budget to content marketing. Many of the world’s […]
Fundraising Lessons from the Force: What Star Wars Can Teach Us About Alumni Engagement
With the release of the new Star Wars movie, there has been renewed interest in the legendary space saga and its creator, George Lucas. Not only has Star Wars withstood the test of time, but it has also inspired a rabid fan base and a sub-industry of new stories told through comic books, video games, […]
