It’s no surprise that promoting academic programmes is usually at the top of every university and business school’s agenda. And so it should be, as funding models often rely on student fees, applications is critical to the survival – let alone success – of any academic institution. But, while it’s vital that a school effectively promotes its programmes, it can be a lot easier said than done.
Setting your academic programmes apart from the rest can be a daunting challenge. With the higher education market having never been so competitive, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate your courses from that of your competitors.
If your institution is to be successful in promoting its courses and programmes, you need to utilise the media to do so. That’s where BlueSky Education comes in. As media and communications experts, as well as higher education experts, we have the know-how and the track record to set your courses apart from rival ones. Add to the fact that in-house marketing and communications teams are increasingly overstretched, and it’s easy to understand just how valuable external support can be.
How do we do it?
Student & alumni stories
Utilising the reach of the media and social media, we’re able to place your programmes in the spotlight, attracting new talent from across the globe.
A great place to start is through sharing student and alumni stories. When it comes to promoting academic programmes, positive reviews from current and former students is one of the most powerful tools available to your university, business school or department. They can offer a legitimate, and therefore trusted, third party endorsement. Alongside this, while facts and statistics about aspects such as what students went on to do after their time at your school are great, it’s always more effective to actually show people with a real-life example with which they can associate.
Through regular engagement with staff and students at your university or business school, as well as those within your institution’s alumni network, we’re able to pull out the best stories, profiles and experiences, and offer them to the media. And, utilising our expertise, we’ll be sure to choose the right student story for the programme you’re looking to promote.
Building on this, as expert storytellers we’re also able to draft contributions on behalf of students and alumni, ensuring that the content is as effective as possible.
Using your school’s alumni specifically, we can create content for prospective students that not only gives them an idea of what it’s like to study on your institution’s programmes, but also how their time on the course helped them achieve their goals after finishing, emphasising the skills honed and the understanding gained from the programme, as well as showcasing standout stories of students who have gone on to become leaders in their organisation or industry.
Faculty expertise and thought-leadership
Alongside student and alumni stories, at BlueSky Education we’re able to promote your academic programmes via the faculty that teach on them.
Utilising their expertise around the subjects taught on the course, we’ll create engaging thought-leadership pieces, highlighting the calibre of the faculty on the programme. When looking to secure the best applicants for your school’s programmes at any level, from undergraduate to MBA, it’s critical that you demonstrate both the depth and breadth of the teaching faculty’s knowledge. It really does inspire new groups to consider learning at your institution. As well as this, you want to reassure applicants that your faculty are at the cutting edge of their field, and so producing content that is highly topical is key to this.
Combining our understanding of the media with an awareness of your faculty’s insights and expertise, we’re able to advise on media opportunities, create thought-leadership angles – as well as the content itself – and secure column inches and air time for your professors to share their knowledge around subjects relevant to your specific programmes.
Alongside this, through providing reactive PR support, by putting forward your faculty members and programme spokespeople for relevant media requests, as well as helping your institution navigate rankings news and even securing media opportunities abroad for travelling faculty, BlueSky Education is equipped to make your programmes stand out.
The importance of utilising the media and PR to promote your academic programmes cannot be overstated. At BlueSky Education we understand how challenging it can be to set your programme apart from the rest, and so we’re here to help. Through utilising your institution’s student body, alumni network and faculty, we can create engaging stories and thought-leadership, attracting attention and securing applications for your academic programmes.
For support in promoting your academic programmes, contact BlueSky Education today by calling +44 (0) 1582 790700 or email.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in our workshops designed to help academics write for the media, please see here.
If you’d also like to raise your Dean’s public profile, discover more about our services here, or if you’d like a PR agency’s expertise specifically on promoting research and faculty expertise then read more here.
