The New Rules of Higher Education Marketing:
Shifts Reshaping How Students Find and Choose Colleges

The rules of higher ed marketing are changing. Are you keeping up?

Students are asking different questions, discovering institutions through AI, and looking for more compelling reasons to enroll. Traditional higher education marketing strategies alone are no longer enough.

In this webinar, Viv Higher Education Founder and CEO Suzan Brinker, PhD, explores the shifts reshaping student recruitment and enrollment marketing. Drawing on real examples from Duke, Brandeis, Babson, Endicott, and more, she shares practical strategies institutions can implement without adding new budgets or platforms.

Discover how cultural insights, AI-powered discovery, smarter paid media, authentic storytelling, and enrollment funnel analysis can help institutions connect with prospective students and drive growth.

Key Takeaways:

• Culture Shapes Enrollment Marketing
  Understanding emerging cultural trends helps institutions connect with prospective students before shifts in behavior appear in enrollment data.

• AI Is a New Student Discovery Channel
  Institutions must consider how their programs appear in AI-powered search results as students increasingly use these tools to explore their options.Short, structured conversations can capture valuable insights without placing additional demands on faculty schedules.

• Paid Media Must Drive More Than Leads
  Effective paid media strategies focus on lead quality, conversion rates, and measurable enrollment outcomes.

• One Authentic Story Can Fuel an Entire Campaign
  A compelling student or alumni story can become the foundation for content across multiple marketing channels.

• Funnel Math Reveals Enrollment Opportunities
  Analyzing conversion rates at each stage of the enrollment funnel helps institutions identify opportunities for growth without simply increasing lead volume.