By Brian Piper — Apr 18, 2024 11:00 AM
At this year's Cascade CMS User Conference, I had the opportunity to explore the world of content marketing within higher education.
Drawing from years of experience in both the corporate and academic worlds, my presentation aimed to unpack the complexities of content creation, strategy, and optimization in our unique environment.
Understanding Content Versus Content Marketing
First, let's clarify the distinction between content and content marketing.
Higher education institutions create a lot of content!
But the real challenge lies in transforming this content into a strategic marketing tool.
Content marketing, by its nature, is designed to be valuable, targeted, and action-oriented.
It's not about reaching "everyone."
It's about delivering the right message to the right audience to drive progress toward completing strategic goals.
The Art of Connection Through Content
A key theme of my session was the importance of making meaningful connections through content.
Just as our favorite books resonate with us at different levels, content should strive to be not just the best in its category but a favorite among its intended audience.
This requires a blend of value, relevance, and emotional resonance, transforming content into a bridge between the institution and its community.
The Three Pillars of Content Marketing
Let's highlight the three critical elements to transform your content into content marketing:
- Value and Relevance: Content must answer questions or solve problems that the target audience cares about.
- Defined Audience: Success comes from speaking to a well-understood and specifically targeted audience, turning content into a conversation rather than a broadcast.
- Strategic Alignment: Every piece of content should serve a strategic purpose, moving the audience towards a desired action or outcome.
Leveraging Content as a Strategic Asset
Higher-ed content, when thoughtfully crafted and strategically deployed, becomes a dynamic asset, an engagement tool, and a medium for storytelling.
For example:
Strategic Alignment and Optimization:
Leveraging content effectively starts with strategic audits—detailed evaluations that align content with the broader goals of the institution and its audience's needs.
These audits guide the creation and optimization of content, ensuring it reaches its intended audience and resonates and retains value over time.
The Ecosystem Approach
Emphasizing the mantra that "content creates content," we explored repurposing content across various platforms.
This approach, supported by AI and data analytics, expands content's reach and effectiveness, demonstrating the value of each piece in engaging audiences and fostering community connections.
Community Building and Data-Driven Refinement
Purdue University's story-centric strategy highlights the power of content in building community and driving engagement, pointing to the necessity of ongoing optimization informed by data insights.
This process of continual refinement ensures that content meets immediate objectives and also aligns with your long-term strategic vision.
The Role of AI and Technology
The presentation also touched on the evolving role of AI and technology in content creation and distribution.
Tools like Otter.ai and ChatGPT, while transformative, should be seen as aids rather than replacements for human creativity and insight.
The key is to leverage these tools for efficiency while maintaining the authenticity and human touch that connects with audiences on a deeper level.
Building Pillar Pages for SEO and User Experience
Pillar pages serve as a strategy to consolidate content authority and improve user navigation.
By creating comprehensive hub pages linked to related content across the institution's digital ecosystem, schools can enhance both SEO performance and user engagement.
This approach aligns with Google's emphasis on E-E-A-T, experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, underpinning the importance of a well-structured, content-rich website.
Looking Beyond the Higher Ed Bubble
A significant takeaway was the value of looking beyond the higher education sector for inspiration and best practices.
Brands like Red Bull and Lego demonstrate the power of content marketing to build community, drive engagement, and support strategic objectives.
By adopting a publisher's mindset and treating content as a core asset, institutions can unlock new levels of engagement and impact.
Actionable Insights for Higher-Ed Marketers
As you reflect on the insights shared above, let me leave you with a few actionable strategies to implement:
- Align Content with Strategic Goals: Ensure every piece of content serves a strategic purpose and is measured against clear objectives.
- Know Your Audience: Craft content with a specific audience in mind, using data and analytics to refine and target your messaging.
- Leverage Technology Wisely: Use AI and digital tools to enhance efficiency and reach, but never at the expense of the authentic, human connection.
- Think Like a Publisher: Treat content as a strategic asset, continually optimizing and repurposing to maximize its value and impact.
- Learn from the Best: Draw inspiration from beyond the higher education sector, applying best practices from content leaders across industries.
Higher education continues to navigate the digital age, and the power of content marketing as a strategic tool cannot be overstated.
By crafting targeted, valuable content and leveraging data and technology for optimization, institutions can connect with their audiences in meaningful ways, drive engagement and achieve strategic objectives.
The path ahead is rich with potential, and by embracing the principles of content marketing, we can forge deeper connections with our communities and propel our institutions toward their strategic goals.
About the author:
Brian Piper is the Director of Content Strategy and Assessment for the University of Rochester Department of Communications. Brian has been doing SEO and web content optimization since 1996. He has created online training programs for hundreds of companies including Xerox, Carestream, Kodak, and Volvo. He has spent the last eight years focusing on data analytics, digital marketing, and content strategy.
He is the co-author of the second edition of "Epic Content Marketing" and a contributing author and editor of "The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever." When he's not creating data visualizations, he teaches wingsuit skydiving and spends time with his wife and six children.
