Insights

Nice to knows and need to knows.

The hottest trends and latest insights from around the world of higher education.

Abstract illustration of people and shapes
The Five Classifications of Higher Ed Web Content Accessibility

Editor's Note: Our ongoing series about the Future of Higher Ed MarComms is focused on all of the topics that we believed were important pre-pandemic, but in a world permanently transformed by covid,...

Digital
Person studying in a library
Competitive Usability Evaluation: Calculating How Your Site Ranks Amongst the Competition

A competitive usability evaluation is a user experience (UX) research method we use to quantify how a site functions relative to its competitors. There are different ways to conduct this type of...

Digital
Photo by @vheath. Courtesy Unsplash.
What's the Future of Campus Recruiting Events?

In-person visit days for admitted students have long been considered the anchor of the spring recruitment event lineup. Many students make their final college choice immediately after attending these...

Elizabeth Scarborough, Thought leadership, Future of Higher Ed Marcom
Illustration of people building with abstract images.
How to Leverage Gamification in Higher Ed Marketing

Editor's Note: Our ongoing series about the Future of Higher Ed MarCommsis focused on all of the topics that we believed were important pre-pandemic, but in a world permanently transformed by covid,...

Media Planning, Future of Higher Ed Marcom
Announcement
Announcing the Promotion of Perrie Howes to Director of the Project Management Office

We're extraordinarily proud to announce the promotion of Perrie Howes to the role of Director, Project Management Office. 

Announcements
Why Market Research is Critical to Assessing Academic Program Demand

Early in my career as a higher ed market researcher, I never would have imagined working with provosts and deans to study the demand for potential new programs. Decision-making related to new...

Elizabeth Scarborough, Thought leadership, Research, Future of Higher Ed Marcom
Illustration
Using Design Thinking to Create Better Higher Ed Marketing Strategies

Design thinking is a methodology that provides a solutions-based approach to solving real-world problems. In the world of higher ed marketing, it can be a framework to help address big questions and...

Thought leadership, Strategy, Future of Higher Ed Marcom
A person writing
Everyone’s a content creator now. (And that’s cool.)

It was just a simple note — four words on an index card that I scribbled in Sharpie and tacked to the wall of our agency studio:

Creative, Content Strategy
Value Proposition: The Core of Higher Ed Strategic Planning

This is a guest post from one of our industry colleagues, Michael Imber.  Michael is a Managing Director at Conway MacKenzie, part of advisory firm Riveron, and has extensive experience working with...

Guest Post
Elizabeth Johnson headshot
Research Was Made For Times Like These

Last March, the role of the higher education marketer and communicator changed in an instant. Long-term planning went out the door, sacrificed for just keeping up with day-to-day decision-making and...

Elizabeth Scarborough, Thought leadership, Research, Future of Higher Ed Marcom
Illustration
Is Your Brand Three-Dimensional?

What is your brand? It’s a question we should constantly come back to, whether or not we’re being asked or making strategic and tactical decisions. A university’s brand is more than a positioning...

Thought leadership, Branding
Announcement
Announcing New Promotions

We're extremely proud to announce the promotion of three of our team members: Kristen Creighton, Chelsea Woodard, and Steven Lovern. At SimpsonScarborough, our core values — authenticity, confidence,...

Announcements
Woman typing on a computer. Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
What Data Privacy Changes in iOS 14 Mean for Higher Ed Marketers

In 2020, higher ed marketing and admissions teams diligently leaned into the headwinds of the digital and physical landscape at their feet. Many institutions quickly pivoted to expand their digital...

Digital, Media Planning