We had a great time in Las Vegas this month at the 2024 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education! We ate lots of great food, had some fun at the casino, and presented on how community colleges are leading the way in tackling higher ed’s toughest marketing challenges.
But as always, our favorite part of AMA was the conversations we had with higher ed marketers from around the country. At our booth, we asked a simple question: What keeps you up at night? We then provided index cards for attendees to write down those institutional challenges.
We saved all of the cards, analyzed them, and found three key themes that most responses mentioned: resource constraints, institutional silos and miscommunication, and external and systemic pressures.
So let’s start with the first challenge AMA attendees identified, resource constraints. Many AMA attendees highlighted being understaffed, struggling with hiring, or managing reduced budgets while facing increasing demands, an all-too-common challenge in higher education. So here are four simple ways you can combat resource constraints:
1. Identify Priorities
We get it. Everything can feel like a priority, especially when you’re facing campus-wide pressures to deliver. But try to collaborate with your team (and even other departments!) to identify high-impact initiatives that align with your institution’s strategic goals and focus resources there. We find that ordering marketing and enrollment priorities allows overwhelming tasks to feel much more achievable.
Enrollment success requires seamless collaboration between marketing, admissions, and academic departments to create a unified, student-centered experience. Stay tuned for our next blog where we offer more tips for institutional collaboration.
2. Simplify Workflows
Is your CRM working with you or against you? CRM automation and workflow simplification are powerful tools, but it’s important to use them responsibly. While this automation can streamline tasks and improve efficiency, it should be applied thoughtfully. Be sure to document current processes, test automation thoroughly in a controlled environment, and maintain a balance between automation and human oversight.
By following these steps in your CRM (and in your overall marketing efforts), institutions can unlock productivity despite resource constraints while still retaining personal connections with prospective students.
3. Automate Personalization
Speaking of those personal connections, personalization can be a tricky subject for higher ed marketers on a time crunch. As one AMA attendee wrote, there’s “not enough time in the day to create the personalization our students need.”
To cut through the noise, institutions must craft personalized and interactive messages that resonate with students at each stage of their journey. Personalization plays a significant role in this process, with data-driven strategies like customized emails, dynamic content, and personalized checklists that speak to each student’s interests, goals, and interactions with the institution. When done correctly, this approach can create a tailored experience that encourages deeper connections and improves engagement rates.
4. Find a Reliable Partner
In addition to building simpler and more automated processes, a reliable marketing partner can play a huge role in overcoming resource constraints. We at VisionPoint Marketing specialize in enrollment marketing, brand, and CRM solutions tailored to help institutions solve these challenges.
Whether you’re struggling to scale with a lean team, aiming for ambitious enrollment goals with reduced resources, or navigating hiring challenges, we deliver proven strategies to maximize your impact. With over 20 years of experience and a relentless focus on results, we help institutions optimize their systems, talent, and budgets to drive enrollment growth, boost program applications, and reduce costs – all while keeping you in control of your data and priorities.
Looking to continue the conversation on resource constraints? Curious how VisionPoint can help your institution? Schedule a free strategy call today! And stay tuned for our blog thoughts on the other two challenges.
