Higher education is different from most industries in that what it is selling (education) is not something tangible. Here, what marketing communications sells is something more experiential. Ironically, the stronger the brand trust and affinity are, the more tangible the product becomes to the target audience. Marketing communication in higher education is essential in building that brand trust and affinity. Its essentiality could be described as facilitating most of the steps in the communication/sales funnel.
Marketing communications build impressions among the target audience by exposing them to a university/college’s brand. Over many impressions, strong content will help build affinity and trust. As affinity and trust grow, the consumer becomes more likely to click on content and, hopefully, because of that strong brand affinity, will be inclined to provide their contact information. From there it’s that same affinity that’s critical in the target audience’s decision on whether to provide more information, usually through responding to an email. From here, it’s often up to a sales team to take the reins, but even they will have that strong brand affinity, built through robust marketing communications, working in their favor.