Welcome back and we hope you had a great holiday season! Our brief posting hiatus has come to an end and we are very happy you’ve joined us in 2022. For the next eight weeks we will cover various aspects of branding as it relates to higher education. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our previous posts for more insights and tips on marketing in higher education.
What makes a brand?
This week, we’ll be looking at the components that go into building a brand’s identity. We’ll discuss six pillars essential to the construction of an effective brand, regardless of the industry. We’ll also briefly discuss how to approach each component to ensure your brand is built on a strong foundation.
The pillars we are going to cover are: physique, relationship, noble purpose, personality, culture and self-image. Each pillar will require some deep reflection to ensure its stability. Luckily, there are a few simple questions that we, as marketers, can utilize to build strong pillars.
Constructing the pillars
A brand’s physique is what a brand does best. What does your university/college do best? Is it a high graduation or retention rate? Is it post-education workforce placement? Is your institution the only one to do something (or the best at doing something) in the region/state?
Relationship refers to something your brand will never compromise. Is there something your institution has decided to hold to steadfast? Will an advisor always be available to meet with students? Are there any other services you will always offer students? For a university/college, this may be a good pillar to build in what is unique about the college experience you offer.
Your brand’s noble purpose is how it makes customers lives better. When it comes to an institution of higher education, the answer may seem simple but you should dig deeper. Every college/university will educate its students, but what about your organization’s experience is unique? While most individuals may think the product a university/college sells is an education, it’s also the experience it offers to its students.
Every brand should have a unique personality, or voice. Is your organization’s voice more traditional? Is the focus of its voice quality-centric? While tone and messaging will differ depending on which audience you speak to (parents vs. high school students), there should be one consistent overall tone/voice.
When it comes to culture, you’ll want to ask what your brand has in common with its customers. What is that common link you can leverage to help your customer base relate with you? We learned in previous posts that being relatable helps make your brand more approachable.
Finally, you’ll need to develop your brand’s self-image. This is what customers want their use of the brand to say about them. This, ultimately, comes down to the reputation you want to build for your organization. We know ivy league schools have a reputation for being great springboards for above-average post-education opportunities like employment. Does your organization want to be known for social mobility? Maybe for its prominent alumni? There are endless possibilities.
Putting it all together
Constructing these pillars may be a daunting task. However, strong pillars will make for a strong brand. Although the process outlined above may seem overwhelming, the benefits will highly outweigh the effort. A strong brand is key to long-term success, which is also key to the long-term success of your college/university.
It may be a good exercise to look at already established brands and try to decipher their pillars. This short video on the history of brands showcases some of the strongest brands in the world. Interbrand also publishes yearly lists of the world’s strongest brands. Working backwards can sometimes provide guidance for your own work and help you better understand the process.
Have you ever conducted an exercise like these? What has your experience been? Is there a pillar you’d add, remove, or change? Let us know it the comments! We’d love to hear from you.
Before you go, please remember to sign up for our newsletter to reminded of when we upload new content to help take your college/university to the next level. Thanks for visiting and we look forward to seeing you again next week!