Writing for the Web

Marketing programs I

I've been thinking a lot about how to help academic departments promote their programs. It seems to have been on the mind of many faculty this fall. I'm considering making a presentation for people in our college, but first thought I'd post my ideas here for comment. I'm particularly interested in hearing about anything you've tried and the results.

Of course the first thing you need to know is what you're trying to promote. So ...

Before you begin
Know your program

• What sets you apart from your competitors?


• What are your strengths?


• What are your weaknesses?


• Who do you want to apply to your program?


• What is the final product a student will have received after graduation? Is it more than a transcript and a diploma? (A degree is a purchase. People purchase benefits--convenience, comfort, entertainment, security, status, health, savings, profit, or style--not programs.)


• Why are you excited to be involved with this program? What “sellsâ€? it to you?


• Consider your program in context. What sells it might include our urban location with major league sports, theaters, and major corporations. It might include accomplishments of your graduates. It might include recent research results.

Write a statement about your program that no other institution could honestly write. Share that statement with others in your program and with your communications office and advisers. It will help everyone better understand your program and use the same language in promoting it.

Know your target audience

• Who influences your applicants’ decision to apply? (parents, employers, advisers)


• What attracts applicants to your type of program? (job prospects, research interests, promotion opportunities, desire to serve)


• What attracts applicants to your program? (ranking, specific faculty, metro location, competitiveness)


• What motivates your prospective students to apply? (study abroad opportunities, alumni mentoring, research opportunities)


• What discourages your applicants? (cold, parking, lack of responsiveness to e-mail, focus of faculty research, lack of students like them)


• What characteristics do your best students share? (professional experience, undergraduate degree in specific area, know alumni, took an intro course)


• How can you best reach your most desired prospective students? (conference in Thailand, CLA adviser, professional association, extension service)


• Ask advisers and former directors of graduate studies what questions prospective students ask most often.


• Review the content available at What do audiences want to see on a Web site?

Create at least one persona (fictional character) that incorporates some of the characteristics you’ve identified. You can use this persona later to help you evaluate your plan. Let’s say you create a persona named Ann who lives in San Francisco, is married, has a B.A. in English, has worked for three years in the advertising industry, and has been reading about new developments in your field and wants to pursue this new interest. Will your promotional efforts reach Ann? Will they motivate Ann?

Remember that you can’t be all things to all people, but appealing to your persona will help you appeal to real prospects.

Know your priorities

• What is your department’s biggest need? Do you need to increase the number of undergraduate applicants or would it be better to increase the number of doctoral students? Do you want more applicants or better-suited applicants?


• How does your program reflect that need? Is it possible that efforts on behalf of the department also meet your program’s needs?

Please remember
You are not conducting brand marketing. That’s what the U is doing with the Driven to Discover campaign and what Bruininks is doing by repeating his “top 3 public research university� message. You can (and should) take advantage of the U's brand marketing.

You are involved in direct marketing. You are marketing a very specific product.

You are involved in relationship marketing. You’re maintaining positive relationships with your colleagues, funders, current students, alumni, etc.

My next entry will focus on how prospectives students might find out about your program and ideas for making that easier for them.

Posted by bullwink at January 4, 2007 2:55 PM