Digital PR agency for Colleges, Universities and Higher Education Institutions

The embrace of social media by GenZ and consolidation of traditional media have transformed public relations (or PR 1.0). Authority is dead; peer influence rules; diversity is the new normal; data literacy powers the young. GenZ has a voice and wants to be heard. They expect authentic, show-don’t-tell marketing. They reward brands that declare and live their values. Yet, millennials (digital natives), GenX (digital savvy) and tail-end of boomers (digitally engaged) are still around and well ensconced in leadership positions. The net impact of this is that PR 1.0 has morphed into PR 2.0 or digital-first PR.

Although the traditional rules of PR for building reputation are still somewhat relevant, the center of gravity has shifted to digital PR. Instead of relying on dwindling media relations contacts as gatekeepers for the select few, authority and expertise now flows from a groundswell of student, alumni, faculty and staff voices. The voice of traditional authority has been replaced by voice of peers and many experts. Mass communications has been replaced with person-to-person messaging.

Today’s digital public relations marketers employ and harness speedy, social, personalized, and story-powered communications to build institutional brands. The new game is about letting the forces you control, and the forces you don’t become mutually reinforcing.

In this new era, digital PR marketers must go beyond traditional PR tactics to grow reputation of colleges and universities they serve:

Start With a Keyword Guide

Using basic keyword research tools, digital PR teams craft a Keyword Guide that contains clusters of keywords and phrases spanning strategic plan priorities, academic programs, brand ideals, and areas of thought leadership, research, innovation and intellectual capital. Laying claim to the keywords begins with an intentional plan. Categories in the Guide should include academic program and research keywords, brand positioning keywords, thought leadership and reputation keywords, decisioning keywords, and location keywords. Digital PR pros begin all initiatives by selecting a set of priority keywords.

Capture Moments and Moments of Truth

Digital PR pros know that institutional reputation is built with tiny moments of truth: college outreach, visits and tours and follow-up; fixing problems that students report; academic and student life; graduation and post-graduation events; quality of website and social media interactions. They weigh in on everything.

Digital PR people conceptualize and seed new campaigns that encourage sharing of personal moments with branded hashtags, cultural events (Hispanic heritage month, Black history month, Earth day, etc.), student takeover of social media accounts, etc.

God is in the details. Consistency and relevancy are key.

Create Buzz on a Person-to-Person Level

In contrast with the mass communications style of traditional public relations, digital PR professionals spread influence by instigating, joining and shaping one-on-one interactions. They rely more on storytelling and less on press releases. They make students, alumni, faculty, alumni and partners the hero of the institutional story, positioning it as the enabler. They promote content to spark sharing and generate waves of word-of-mouth influence.

Harness Content to Strengthen Institutional Reputation

Digital PR people curate content, spark interactions and promote content in channels they control (“owned” media, such as the website and social networks) and monitor the channels they don’t control (the social media of people/organizations in your network). Armed with the knowledge that Google page one rankings are fueled by fresh content, they transform their static print magazines into digital streams of SEO-optimized stories. Knowing that AI Generative Engines have a preference for facts, stats and quotes, they encourage the faculty to supplement academic publishing with evidence-based thought leadership blogs. They know that the incremental Google and AI Generative Engine page one ranking gains will create a rising tide that will influence prospects and ultimately impact traditional university rankings.

Command Thought Leadership

Instead of encouraging their schools to sponsor conferences, the digital PR professionals spur deans and faculty to create new symposiums in emerging niche areas of institutional strength. Instead of asking faculty to attend conferences, they direct them to speak as thought-leaders at these events. They encourage public programs officers to create lecture series that engage the broader academic, corporate, government and regional community.

Fortify All Touchpoints

Finally, the digital PR professionals encourage their client institutions to invest in fortifying first impressions, including brand, website, university flagship magazine, Wikipedia listing, social media channels, search engine snippets, open houses, information sessions, facilities and grounds, classrooms, tours, and admissions office décor. They ensure that all entry points to a college brand are right, tight and bright — and refreshed periodically.

If you are seeking a digital PR agency that can assist with growing your institutional reputation and managing its media presence, review our marketing and PR capabilities and consider contacting us.