In this 2-part blog series, we’ll explore performance marketing, its history, where it’s going, and how higher ed senior marketing leaders should prepare for the future by championing cohesion.
Yep, the struggle is real…
Our recent Higher Ed CMO Study revealed a critical insight: 61% of institutions lack a consolidated dashboard to visualize their marketing efforts. This fragmentation is more than just an operational hiccup—it’s a brand integrity crisis. When individual colleges or external partners manage their marketing, the result is often competing funnels rather than one cohesive strategy. This inefficiency hampers performance and dilutes the brand's strength, leading to disjointed and off-brand advertising and weakened data quality.
Our research also shows that many institutions struggle with measuring both their brand and performance marketing:
Those that have succeeded typically leverage robust CRMs like Slate, Salesforce, or Microsoft Dynamics to synthesize data across channels—Google Ads, Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, you name it. This integrated approach allows for detailed performance tracking year over year, turning raw data into actionable insights. Implementing this across the whole institution enables decentralized teams to have autonomy over their own budgets whilst removing the challenges that often arise, including competing for our audiences and off-brand creative.
However, despite clear benefits, most institutions haven’t adopted these practices. Why? The crux of the issue lies in internal barriers preventing data access and utilization. Many higher ed CMOs acknowledge having access to vast amounts of data yet struggle to harness it effectively due to siloed CRMs, poor data hygiene, and bureaucratic hurdles.
The balance between performance and brand marketing
So, what's the difference between performance and brand marketing?
Performance Marketing: Driving measurable actions such as student applications, enrollments, and event registrations through targeted digital campaigns and strategic outreach efforts.
Brand Marketing: Building and enhancing the institution's image, reputation, and long-term relationships with prospective students, alumni, and the broader community through consistent messaging and storytelling.
The evolution of data tracking: from cookies to first-party data
Let’s take a trip back to 2005, when Google acquired Urchin, laying the foundation for Google Analytics. This tool revolutionized how we tracked digital interactions, from retargeting ads to creating lookalike audiences. Fast forward to the social media boom of 2007, and marketers gained unprecedented insights into user behavior and preferences. And again, in 2014, when audiences focused on an era of “showing off” and sharing more insights online, marketers were able to specifically target their audiences in ways we’ve never seen.
But then came the “creepy era” of 2017. Over-targeting led to a backlash, prompting significant privacy regulations like GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California. Google has played yo-yo with performance marketers over the last few years, first announcing cookie depreciation, which would limit tracking, personalization, and targeting. And then, just recently, they took a complete U-turn and announced that the cookie is, in fact, not crumbling. We won’t hold our breath here; it’s still possible that they will phase them out in the future.
Whether they do or don’t, we know our audiences are wary of companies—a new Pew Research study shows that 77% of audiences do not trust social media CEOs with their data. This means that in 2024, we’ve already entered the “privacy-centric era.” Beyond maintaining an accurate privacy policy, how are marketers supposed to be successful when capturing data is becoming harder?
Embracing first-party data strategies
The future of performance marketing hinges on first-party data strategies. Adopting a first-party data strategy across your various marketing functions allows you to achieve institution-wide synergy, turning multiple funnels in decentralized teams into multiple funnels working harmoniously.
To thrive in this new landscape, institutions must prioritize first-party data. Here are actionable steps to get started:
- Integrate CRM and Media Data: Integrating media spend and performance data with CRM data provides a comprehensive view of marketing performance and can help guide successful strategies with a bigger picture.
- Simplify Data Capture: Avoid lengthy inquiry forms. Streamlining forms and tracking abandonment can significantly enhance data collection. Aim for essential information first, saving detailed questions for later stages. Also, make it fun. A form can be a connection point between a human and your brand rather than a transactional engagement.
- Benchmark and Audit Results: Start by understanding your historical data and how you’re progressing year over year. Knowing you in the context of you is great, but understanding how you’re trending against the rest of the industry is key. Start benchmarking your marketing efforts against industry standards, particularly with public information on costs from Google and Meta. This practice validates your strategies and provides a solid foundation for presenting to leadership.
- Develop Metrics for Brand Health: Measuring brand perception, awareness, and familiarity over time is crucial. Establishing these metrics before a crisis ensures you have benchmarks to navigate challenges effectively. We will explore this and more in the second part of the blog, all about measuring Brand Marketing.
All good strategies start with a plan. If you would like to talk to us about developing a measurement plan aligned with your institution's strategic goals, first-party data strategies, and measuring your brand's strength over time, get in touch with our team.
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As VP of Growth, Murray leads the agency's Marketing and Business Development division. He is passionate about higher education, media, SaaS technologies, client servicing, marketing, AI, and public speaking. His belief that students are ever-evolving drives him to help universities do the same.
Learn more about SimpsonScarborough's 2023-2024 Higher Ed CMO Study on the Higher Ed CMO Study website.
