Newsletter #70: Introducing, The Content Campus; Some Clearing ads concern me; Instagram is a watered-down version of everything
Hey education marketers đź‘‹
I’ve launched a new masterclass: The Content Campus.
I’ve been a content marketer for 11 years, but it’s in the last 2 where I’ve seen the most change:
The rise of native publishing
Content becoming a business model
Universities starting to think like media companies
We’re in an age of disruption, but also opportunity, especially for those who think content-first and know how to build an audience.
The Content Campus is a one-day session for your team.
I’ll cover 8 perspectives on content marketing and help build a complete picture via strategic frameworks, practical examples and how it all applies to your institution.
I think you’ll like it.
Just hit reply if you’d like to learn more.
Speak soon and, as always, thanks for reading.
I couldn’t do any of this without you.
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
What do TikTok’s algorithm and Harry Potter have in common? Read
In the last 5 months, I’ve done more public speaking than I have in the last 5 years. Here’s what I’ve learned. Read
Creator Economy 101: How Higher Ed can unlock the power of creator and influencer marketing. Register (Part of a series.)
đź“° HE news
You may find it hard to remember, but there was a time when every US college charged fees. Of course, that was before the enrolment crisis… And so, another week rolls in and 10 more community colleges announce a semester of free tuition. Maricopa Community Colleges will offer zero fees and employment support to students whose jobs or income were affected by the pandemic. Seems like a sensible initiative. Meanwhile, in the UK, Lizz Truss (PM candidate) has announced a policy where anyone with three 3 A*s is automatically invited to an interview at Oxbridge. Fair play. But there’s one major flaw: It doesn’t look like she asked Oxbridge if it was okay to tamper with its 1,000-year-old admissions process. Free tuition | Lizz Truss policy
đź“Š Marketing and media news
Instagram had to do the thing that all companies dread: Go on Twitter to explain itself. Off the back of two Kardashians and a 300,000-strong petition demanding the app to be “less like TikTok,” Meta’s Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, released a video where he went through user requests and systematically ignored every one. Honestly, it’s comical and worth a watch. Still - I find this whole saga interesting. Here you have creators, users and brands telling Instagram to “prioritise photos” as if they own a stake in the platform. They don’t. Instagram can (and will) do whatever it likes, just as it was with Facebook in 2012. Back then, organic reach was insanely high. Today, it’s less than 1% and (virtually) pay-to-play. The rules of the game changed. Yes, use these platforms for discovery, but always be thinking about how you can move your audience to channels where you have control. Instagram on Twitter | Instagram changes
For the first time ever, social media has overtaken traditional channels for news among teens. Notably, the reach of BBC One/Two has fallen from 35% in 2021 to 24% in 2022. I can’t say I’m surprised by this, I’m 35 and only turn on BBC 1 once per year to watch the New Year fireworks. TikTok has seen the biggest gains, up from 1% of UK adults using it for news in 2020 to 7% in 2022. Yes, 3.9 million people in the UK now use TikTok as their primary window into global affairs. Read
🏫 What unis are doing
It’s Clearing month, so I’ve taken a look at some university search ads. Honestly, I’m a bit concerned. Lots of ads are leading to the wrong kind of content. If someone searches “[uni name] Clearing,” for me, that’s a sign of intent. The student knows what Clearing is and where they want to go, so, logically, they are interested in vacancies or want to get in contact. But some search ads are leading users through to gated content on how the clearing process works. Why? People aren’t doing branded searches (and clicking on ads) to acquire this information, plus it’s widely available ungated elsewhere. Running search ads leading to downloadable guides is the fastest way to burn through budget, without achieving meaningful conversions. Shout out to Coventry University that gets it right with its no-fuss approach to an ad landing page. Look
John Hopkins Medicine’s content strategy has turned the institution into a trusted, information powerhouse. Throughout the pandemic, its team listened to the concerns of the public and addressed them through various content programmes. The result: Site visits grew to more than 38 million within seven months (4 times the expected traffic.) Post pandemic, its content continues to take centre stage and positions it as an authority for medical training, education and research. It’s a powerful example of what content marketing can do for higher ed. Look
Harvard Business School has an effective template for promoting teaching. Its “Take a Seat in the Harvard MBA” shares student perspectives on learning while intercutting with dynamic lecture footage. Quite frankly, it’s the facilitator/professor that makes it. Her teaching is a joy to watch and is the kind of thing you imagine coming out of Harvard. Shoutout to the chalkboard too - it adds a lot to the setting. Look
🧑‍🎓 What students are saying
“My grades matter to me, but then I need money to be able to survive and live. It's just a vicious circle. Roughly, I aim to bring in around £1,000 a month, and it's not quite enough. I can't physically do any more shifts than what I'm doing. It depends what I've got going out to how much I am left over with, but this week I am down to my last pound.” Students on how they are handling the hike in the cost of living. Read
đź‘ľ Culture shock
Current mood of the internet: “Suburban sensationalism.” Look
People are buying Pink Sauce off TikTok. They probably shouldn’t. Look
