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#2 - Ready, Set, Go: Refreshing Your Brand, Messaging, and Content - Higher Ed & Nonprofit Marketers

Welcome to the second blog post in our series on "Assessing Your Brand". In the first installment, we dived deep into the significance of gaining valuable insights from stakeholders, which play a pivotal role in shaping your brand positioning, messaging mapping, and storytelling. In this blog, we share the process for updating your strategic platforms based on new marketing insights.


higher ed and nonprofit brand marketing

As higher education and nonprofit institutions evolve, so should their brand marketing strategies and efforts.


The GreenLight Team provides comprehensive marketing solutions for higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations.


Our tailored strategies and innovative approach help schools, colleges, and nonprofits effectively curate brand strategy and messaging, connect with target audiences, and achieve marketing goals. With a team of highly qualified consultants, we build powerful and impactful brands.


Reevaluate Your Target Audience


Before embarking on refreshing your brand strategy platform and marketing tactics, it's crucial to take a step back and reevaluate your target audience. As trends shift and demographics evolve, your audience and their needs may change as well.


To ensure that your efforts are still reaching the right people, it is important to conduct comprehensive market and audience research.


This includes surveying not only current students, alumni, and donors but also the wider community to gain a deep understanding of their needs and expectations. By gathering valuable insights, you can tailor your brand messaging and offerings to better align with their preferences.


If you're interested in diving deeper into this topic, we covered the importance of audience research in our first blog post. Check it out for more information and actionable tips.


Revisit Your Brand Strategy Platform


An insights-driven brand strategy platform is not just an important strategic marketing tool in your toolkit, but it is also the foundation that sets the stage for success across various touch points. From small colleges striving to attract prospective students, to large educational institutions looking to strengthen their brand identity, to nonprofit organizations aiming to engage donors and supporters, the branding platform serves as the compass that ensures focus, buy-in, and support across administration and internal stakeholders.


By aligning with the needs of key stakeholders, the platform takes into account the nuances of the competitive environment, allowing for a comprehensive and tailored approach. It acts as a creative expression of your unique value proposition, effectively conveying the essence of what sets your institution or organization apart.


However, it is crucial to regularly assess the alignment of your brand strategy with updated market research insights. If your findings suggest a mismatch between your current strategy and the evolving landscape, now is the opportune time to refresh and realign your approach. Taking the time to refine your brand strategy ensures that you remain adaptable and effectively position yourself in a dynamic and ever-changing industry.


Realign Your Messaging


Once you have a refreshed brand strategy, it's time to update your messaging. Your messaging should be tailored to address the specific needs and aspirations of your audience, taking into account any changes in their needs, the competitive environment, or your value proposition. Even a slight change in these factors warrants a good update and word-smithing to ensure all other efforts align with your strategy.


Craft compelling and relatable narratives that resonate deeply with your stakeholders.


Highlight your institution or organization's unique strengths and demonstrate how it can effectively address the evolving challenges and seize the opportunities within the education or nonprofit sectors. By incorporating detailed insights and providing concrete examples, you can create a more comprehensive and impactful messaging strategy that effectively communicates your positioning and fosters meaningful connections with your target audience.


Elevate Your Digital Presence and Storytelling with Compelling Video Content


In today's digital age, a strong online presence is paramount, and investing in a robust digital marketing strategy is necessary to reach your enrollment, engagement, and fundraising goals.


This includes revisiting and optimizing your website to ensure your brand positioning is clear, engaging in relevant content marketing, and leveraging targeted social media platforms. By doing so, you can reach a broader audience and create a digital ecosystem that fosters communication, engagement, and interaction as a means to get your message across.

Storytelling is a powerful tool for higher education and nonprofit marketing. Share success stories, testimonials, and personal anecdotes to create an emotional connection with your audience. Authentic storytelling humanizes your organization and builds trust. That is why it is very important to provide your storyteller and content creators with a clear messaging strategy to ensure content is fresh and new, but also reinforces your brand strategy.


Creative video is one of the most engaging and shareable types of content.

Consider creating short videos that showcase your institution's campus, programs, events, and the people who make it all happen.



Maximize Online Visibility Through SEO, SEM, and Content Marketing


To stand out in the digital landscape, your website should be optimized for search engines (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM). Refine your SEO (search engine optimization) strategy based on your refreshed brand positioning, messaging, and story to improve your online visibility, driving more organic traffic. A well-planned SEM campaign can also increase your reach and conversions.


Content is king in the world of digital marketing. Regularly publish valuable and relevant content that addresses the interests and concerns of your audience and strategically aligns with your brand strategy. This could include blog posts, white papers, e-books, and more.


Leveraging both internal and external expertise that specializes in content marketing strategies designed to showcase your institution's expertise and thought leadership will help strengthen your team's bandwidth further.


In Summary


Refreshing your higher education or nonprofit branding and marketing strategies is a dynamic process that demands careful analysis, market research, and adaptation.

With the help of the GreenLight Team, you can stay at the forefront of the industry, create compelling brand strategies and narratives, and engage with your audience on a deeper level. As you continue to access and refresh your brand, you'll be better equipped to navigate the ever-evolving education and nonprofit landscapes.


Stay tuned for the next installment in our series, where we'll explore ways to measure the impact of your marketing strategies and refine your approach for even better results.


See below for our range of consulting services:












To learn more about GreenLight, our expertise, and services, and how we can help, visit www.thegreenlightteam.com.

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