Marketing and branding that attract attention

Find new ideas and inspiration for what your university can do to stand out in a crowd

Branding and marketing spotlight

How does a university create a compelling identity, tell a captivating story or portray its unique features in a crowded field and for a broad set of audiences? From amplifying authentic student voices and using social media effectively to writing better awards entries and making the best use of limited PR budgets, this collection of resources gives the inside track on how to increase your institution’s pull factor for students, parents, academic talent and the public.

University brand communities: building reputation among different audiences

Universities are complex organisations with multiple audiences and stakeholders. How can fostering a strong brand community help their reputations to stand out from others?

Sotiris T. Lalaounis, William S. Harvey , Corinna Booth

University of Bristol

Letting the student voice sing

Students recording a video

Amplify the authentic student voice in university marketing

Any university can claim to be the best, but in the end, people will believe the students who study there. Here are tips on collaborating with students to create marketing content that amplifies their authentic voice

Ari Badlishah

The University of Edinburgh

How to rethink university comms with student voice at the centre

Tactics for revamping your comms with students front and centre

How can you stay on top of the evolving student voice and ensure it’s at the heart of your communications? Kim Graakjaer shares her thoughts and some takeaway tips

Kim Graakjaer

University of Manchester

Outreach campaigns can help signpost students to university wellbeing services

How to run an effective student well-being campaign

From reaching out to the local community to making it interactive, Christina Chant offers seven tips for effectively promoting your university’s well-being services

Christina Chant

Edinburgh Napier University

Building blocks

How to ensure your university’s branding isn’t as bland as blancmange

Universities’ promo materials and slogans play it safe to the point of indolence, says Jonathan Wilson. He explains how to take a leaf from the global brand playbook

Jonathan Wilson

Regent's University London

Sea of sameness: why universities have trouble with branding

Universities need to better embrace commercial opportunities and stop trying to be all things to all people, says Paul Baines

Paul Baines

University of Leicester

A global destination for top talent

How to write more compelling awards entries

How to write better awards entries

From conducting in-depth interviews to telling the whole story, Sam Russell provides top tips for crafting a compelling narrative that will appeal to awards panels

Sam Russell

Arden University

Achieving PR impact for your university on a budget

How to achieve PR impact with little – or no – budget

With finances squeezed across the sector, building trust and engagement – as well as relationships with partners and journalists – is crucial for PR impact, explains Tanya Wood

Tanya Wood

King’s College London

Online conference on laptop screen

So you want to host an international online conference?

How hard can it be to stage an online conference? Don’t you just book a whole bunch of Zooms and send out invites? Well, yes and no. Here are five key takeaways from our experience as rookies to conference organisation

John Weldon, Loretta Konjarski, Bert Oraison

Victoria University

Outreach

Flip the script: why listening is the best form of outreach

In aiming to widen participation, it’s easy to get lost in your own passion. Instead focus on understanding others’ needs – and keep it simple

Lynne Bianchi

University of Manchester

So, you want to reach out? Lessons from a ‘science for all’ programme

Public engagement in STEM strengthens research relevance and trust in science, but how can universities do it well? Here, the team behind S4 give three considerations based on a decade of effective outreach to disadvantaged schools

Mary Gagen , Will Bryan, Rachel Bryan

Swansea University

Digital marketing

Cubes showing different social media icons

Steps to building a winning online presence for your university

The majority of students now research universities online, so this is a vital component of marketing. David Riley lays out the foundations of building a strong online presence

David Riley

The University of the West Indies

Creating innovative social media content

Lessons learned in creating and using innovative social media strategies

If we aspire to enabling better educational decision-making, marketers first have to understand how, when and where prospects make those decisions

Simon Pride

Arts University Bournemouth

Image showing people engaging through social media communications

Why universities in emerging countries should invest in social media marketing

Why should higher education institutions in emerging countries invest in social media rather than flashy marketing campaigns to develop brand credibility and brand equity? Charitha Harshani Perera, Rajkishore Nayak, and Long Thang Van Nguyen explain

Charitha Harshani Perera, Rajkishore Nayak, Long Thang Van Nguyen

Northumbria University, RMIT University Vietnam

Science

Work like a scientist, don’t sound like one

A pitch or presentation is not a full paper – and squeezing in too much detail will only alienate your audience. Here are four tips to make your research easy to understand in any context

Philipp Gramlich

NaturalScience.Careers

Being elitist about sci-comms damages science

Scientists, if you communicate only with people at your own level of expertise, how will you recruit the best and brightest, engage the public and change the world? Kylie Ahern takes ‘dumbing down’ to task

Kylie Ahern

STEM Matters

Marketing with real impact

A team of colleagues brainstorming ideas

How to run a marketing campaign in a devolved university

Advice on co-ordinating a university-wide marketing campaign in a large, devolved organisation

Heather MacBain

The University of Edinburgh

University stand out in a crowd

Actions to help your university stand out in a crowd

With competition for students fiercer than ever in the higher education sector, Ayten Ordu outlines some of the ways universities can achieve higher visibility

Ayten Ordu

Near East University

Student working on a laptop outside

Don’t forget online learning in your university marketing

University marketing often focuses on the campus experience, so what should institutions do to make prospective students aware of their online course offering?

Ari Badlishah

The University of Edinburgh