Ep. 32: From Silos to Synergy: Connecting Central Comms and Student Affairs

01/23/25 • 33 min

Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager

Related links:

Digital Community Cohort

Student Affairs Marketing and Communications survey

Marcomm Barbie Slack Group

‍In this episode of Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager, Jenny Li Fowler chats with Josie Ahlquist, a trailblazer in the higher education community. Josie shares her inspiring journey into higher ed, shaped by her family’s roots, her passion for student engagement, and her knack for empowering institutions to foster authentic online communities. The conversation dives deep into the dynamics between student affairs and central communications, exploring ways to bridge gaps, build relationships, and create meaningful student connections.

Key Takeaways

Relationship-building is key: Building partnerships between central comms and student affairs starts with authentic, non-work-related connections.
Empower "make-em-up marketers": Many student affairs staff juggle multiple roles; training and shared resources can significantly enhance their effectiveness.
Understand student development: To communicate effectively, know where students are emotionally, socially, and developmentally.
Ask students directly: Whether through feedback or collaboration, student voices are a powerful tool for shaping impactful communication strategies.
Centralize resources without alienating teams: Hybrid models and shared resources can improve collaboration and strategy without overstepping boundaries.

What inspired Josie's passion for higher education?

Josie Ahlquist credits her family’s legacy for inspiring her deep passion for education. Her grandparents, who valued education despite their working-class cowboy roots, instilled in her the idea that knowledge is invaluable. Her first steps on a college campus felt like home, sparking a career in higher education that has never wavered.

What are the unique challenges student affairs faces in creating online communities?

Student affairs teams often operate with limited resources and little formal training in marketing and communications. As Josie puts it, many are "make-em-up marketers," learning on the job and finding creative ways to manage their responsibilities. This DIY approach, while admirable, can lead to inefficiencies and misalignments with broader institutional branding.

Additionally, Josie points out that social media has "grown up," making it more challenging for student affairs to stay strategic without dedicated support. From inconsistent messaging to a lack of positional structures, the divide between student affairs and central comms often hinders collaboration.

How can central comms and student affairs work better together?

Josie emphasizes the importance of relationship-building—starting with something as simple as coffee chats or happy hours to break down silos. Central comms teams should avoid diving in with audits or policies right away. Instead, build trust by getting to know the people behind the accounts and finding ways to support their work without micromanaging.

She also suggests hybrid models that pool resources, ensuring that student affairs teams have access to central comms expertise while maintaining the unique connections they have with students.

Why is understanding student development essential for effective communication?

Josie highlights the importance of understanding student development theory—an often overlooked area in higher ed communications. Knowing where students are emotionally, socially, and developmentally can inform messaging strategies and ensure communications truly resonate.

Student affairs teams, with their direct student contact, can be a treasure trove of insights. Josie suggests collaborating with these teams to collect feedback, co-create campaigns, and feature diverse student voices in marketing efforts.

How can higher ed communicators better connect with students?

Josie encourages institutions to consistently ask students for feedback, even if the answers are raw and unfiltered. She also stresses the importance of crafting messages that are valuable and relevant to students. It’s not about the channel—it’s about the content. If the messaging matters, students will engage, no matter where it’s shared.‍

What steps can central comms take to build bridges with student affairs?

Map the structure: Identify who is responsible for communications across various student affairs offices.
Start small: Begin with informal meetings or organic conversations before implementing larger initia...

Related links:

Digital Community Cohort

Student Affairs Marketing and Communications survey

Marcomm Barbie Slack Group

Key Takeaways

Relationship-building is key: Building partnerships between central comms and student affairs starts with authentic, non-work-related connections.
Empower "make-em-up marketers": Many student affairs staff juggle multiple roles; training and shared resources can significantly enhance their effectiveness.
Understand student development: To communicate effectively, know where students are emotionally, socially, and developmentally.
Ask students directly: Whether through feedback or collaboration, student voices are a powerful tool for shaping impactful communication strategies.
Centralize resources without alienating teams: Hybrid models and shared resources can improve collaboration and strategy without overstepping boundaries.

What inspired Josie's passion for higher education?

What are the unique challenges student affairs faces in creating online communities?

How can central comms and student affairs work better together?

She also suggests hybrid models that pool resources, ensuring that student affairs teams have access to central comms expertise while maintaining the unique connections they have with students.

Why is understanding student development essential for effective communication?

How can higher ed communicators better connect with students?

What steps can central comms take to build bridges with student affairs?

Map the structure: Identify who is responsible for communications across various student affairs offices.
Start small: Begin with informal meetings or organic conversations before implementing larger initia...

Previous Episode

Ep. 31: Tapping into Influencer Marketing

Host Jenny engages with Lia Haberman, a creator economy expert, to unpack the role of influencer marketing in higher education. Fresh off a visit to the White House, Lia shares insights into the evolution of the creator economy, how influencers shape audience engagement, and actionable strategies for integrating influencer marketing into university communications.

Key Takeaways

Influencer Marketing vs. Creator Economy: Understand the difference between influencers promoting brands and the larger ecosystem enabling creators to thrive.
Why Higher Ed Needs Influencers: Institutions can leverage influencers, including students, alumni, and faculty, to amplify messages authentically.
Building Relationships with Influencers: Collaborate with influencers through budget-friendly approaches like campus events, content partnerships, or passion-driven projects.
Start Small and Local: Many influencers with niche audiences, such as professors or student athletes, can create meaningful connections without hefty price tags.
Stay Current: Keeping up with newsletters, books, and conferences helps higher ed marketers navigate the rapidly evolving influencer landscape.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Lia Haberman defines influencer marketing as a brand's collaboration with influencers to promote its products or services to their audiences. She explains that this is a subset of the broader creator economy, which encompasses the platforms, tools, and businesses supporting influencers. While influencer marketing has evolved from simply posting product ads, its role remains vital in creating relatable and impactful connections.

For higher ed, influencer marketing means leveraging students, alumni, and faculty to act as relatable amplifiers for the institution's messaging. Haberman notes that while traditional marketing can feel impersonal, influencers offer a genuine voice, fostering trust and engagement.

Why Higher Ed Should Embrace Influencers

Higher education is notoriously slow to adopt new trends, but Lia emphasizes the benefits of integrating influencer marketing into university strategies:

Reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha: These demographics trust influencers and prefer authentic, peer-led communication over institutional messaging.
Evolve Beyond Celebrities: Influencers today include professionals, experts, and niche creators, making the strategy accessible to universities with diverse audiences.
Build Relatable Content: Influencers excel at creating compelling content that resonates with their audience, often outperforming traditional advertising.

Lia encourages institutions to think locally, identifying influencers within their community, such as star student-athletes, faculty with niche audiences, or alumni with strong online presences.

Finding and Collaborating with Influencers

When it comes to sourcing influencers, Lia suggests the following:

Social Listening: Observe who your students engage with online. Tools can help, but even manual research—like monitoring social media interactions—yields insights.
Personal Outreach: Sliding into DMs with genuine compliments or proposals can open doors for collaboration.
Creative Compensation: Not all partnerships require big budgets. Consider offering speaking opportunities, awards, or aligning with the influencer's passions to add value.

For example, a university might work with a prominent alumni influencer to create content showcasing campus life. The collaboration doesn’t have to break the bank—highlighting shared values or giving access to unique resources can be enough.

Influencer Marketing on a Budget

Higher ed marketers often face budget constraints, but Lia stresses that great partnerships are still possible. Micro-influencers or creators with smaller, engaged followings can be affordable and impactful. Additionally, repurposing influencer-created content for institutional social media channels can stretch limited resources.

Institutions can also look internally for influencers. Professors with expertise, athletes, or even enthusiastic students can act as authentic voices for the university. Lia highlights examples like Stephen Nedorazek, an Olympian and Penn State student whose collaboration with the university has amplified its reach.

Staying Informed in a Rapidly Evolving Space

Lia recommends staying current through newsletters, books, and conferences. For beginners, she suggests resources like her own newsletter,

In Case You Missed It

, as well as other thought leaders like Rachel Karten and Lindsay Gamble. Regularly attending events like VidCon or VidSummit can also provide inspiration and insights into the latest trends.

Guest Name: Lia Haberman, Creator Economy Expert | Advisor | Educator

Gue...

Next Episode

Ep. 33: Turning Social Media into Your Top Recruitment Tool

Host Jenny sits down with Mikki Collins, a former higher ed social media manager at the University of Chichester, who shares her transformative journey in leveraging social media as a key recruitment tool. From developing student influencer programs to driving engagement on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, Mikki provides actionable insights into creating authentic connections and making the most of limited resources. Listen in as they discuss how higher ed social media professionals can shift their mindset from communications to strategic marketing.

Key Takeaways

Student Influencers are Gold: Current students and graduates are often the most effective voices for reaching prospective students.
Adapt to Platform Dynamics: TikTok has evolved from a discovery platform to a search engine—use it strategically at different stages of the recruitment funnel.
Targeted Content Wins: Tailor content to different stages of the recruitment funnel, from generating awareness to nurturing conversions.
Leverage Social Listening: Search university nicknames and hashtags to uncover organic student-created content and trends.
Metrics with Intent: Align success metrics (e.g., reach, engagement) with the goals for each recruitment funnel stage.
Sustainable Social Media Practices: To avoid burnout, delete work-related social media apps during breaks and maintain healthy work-life boundaries.

How Mikki Got Started in Higher Ed Social Media
Mikki Collins began her career in higher education through a unique route, starting as a Student Union officer and later transitioning to a digital content role. She quickly gravitated toward social media as a tool to engage students, working with limited resources to grow the University of Chichester’s online presence. Mikki’s small team transformed from social media novices into UK leaders in higher ed social media by experimenting with tactics that resonated with their target audiences.

Using Students as Influencers
Mikki was an early adopter of the "students as influencers" concept. Realizing that prospective students wanted to hear from their peers, she used Instagram’s Q&A feature and hashtags to discover students who were already creating authentic, high-engagement content about the university. This strategy uncovered micro and macro influencers—like one student with 300,000 followers—who were eager to collaborate. By partnering with these students, Mikki’s team amplified the university’s reach and authenticity, fostering trust among prospective students.

TikTok as a Recruitment Tool
TikTok played a pivotal role in Mikki’s strategy. Starting the university’s account in 2019, her team grew it from an underutilized platform to the most-followed account within a year. By creating playful, tongue-in-cheek content, they broke through the noise and raised awareness of the university—even in its local community.

Mikki shared how TikTok evolved from a discovery platform to a search engine. Early in the recruitment cycle, her team worked with student influencers who had large followings to generate awareness. As TikTok shifted to a search-first platform, they partnered with students who had smaller audiences to create content that addressed specific prospective student concerns, such as accommodations and campus life.

Building a Social Media Funnel
One of the episode’s standout moments was Mikki’s explanation of the recruitment funnel and how social media fits into it. She described creating content tailored to each stage:

Awareness Stage: Share general information about the university, location, and events to attract prospective students. Success metrics here include reach and impressions.
Conversion Stage: Focus on personalized content, such as Q&A sessions and campus tours, to address specific concerns and keep prospective students engaged. Metrics for this stage include comments, direct messages, and content shares.

Mikki also emphasized the importance of social listening—using hashtags and search terms like university nicknames—to understand what content students are already creating and searching for. By consistently revisiting these insights each year, institutions can adapt their strategies to evolving student needs.

Sustaining Work-Life Balance as a Social Media Manager
Mikki ended the conversation with an important confession: she deleted LinkedIn from her phone over the holidays and hasn’t reinstalled it since. As a social media professional, she understands the risks of burnout and advocates for intentional breaks from work-related platforms. Her advice: don’t be afraid to temporarily delete social apps or establish boundaries to maintain a healthy balance.

Guest Name: Mikki Collins, Content and Experience Design...