THIS YEAR’S U.S. NEWS RANKINGS: WAS YOUR INSTITUTION’S CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY EFFECTIVE?
October and November were especially busy months for colleges and universities around the nation, and we were hard at work finalizing and distributing publications to enhance our clients’ brands. During that time, U.S. News & World Report issued its widely read and highly regarded college and university rankings.
We know that increasing visibility on a regional, national and global level of what your school offers can lead to increased rankings. Is your content marketing program working toward these accolades?
With strategic goals, targeted audiences and high-quality content, your institution’s content marketing program can heighten your college or university’s name in the public and academic spheres, grow your reputation and boost rankings.
What elements are considered in U.S. News’ college and university rankings?
At the national and regional levels, colleges and universities are ranked based on reliable indicators of academic quality, including graduation and first-year student retention rates, assessments by administrators at peer institutions, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
In the U.S. News global rankings, each institution’s global and regional research reputation, publications, conferences, citations and international collaborations were reviewed.
Is your institution using content marketing effectively to increase these rankings?
Your institution may already have a content marketing strategy in place – but is it working to your advantage? Both print and online content should highlight research breakthroughs, faculty achievements, unique student opportunities and positive program outcomes. Doing so not only communicates achievements to stakeholders, but also publicizes the key indicators that U.S. News uses to determine its rankings.
What type of content best supports your goals and shows off your successes?
Whether a brag book, magazine, newsletter, blog, LinkedIn campaign or a combination of these will help you enhance your reputation depends first on your strategic goals.
Your goals may range from increasing alumni giving and research funding to expanding industry collaborations and establishing a reputable presence in the polytechnic university realm – or include all the above. Determine an appropriate strategy for each goal, develop personas and then execute your most effective content pieces.
- Printed publications stand out to industry and alumni recipients in this digital era because they feel personalized and high-end.
- Digital marketing on Facebook or LinkedIn allows you to specifically target alumni associations, companies and job titles to put your content in front of the right audiences – and know your exact conversion rate.
- Coordinated campaigns that connect print and digital across the channels in which your audiences view content are always preferred. Once your content is created in a long-form publication, you can repurpose it across blogs, social media and more.
It’s time to start planning your 2017 publications. Let’s talk.
