The document outlines the importance of content marketing in higher education, emphasizing the need for effective strategies to engage prospective students and alumni. It presents best practices for content creation, distribution, and measuring success, highlighting the role of social media and employee advocacy in enhancing outreach. Additionally, it shares examples of successful campaigns and the metrics for evaluating content marketing effectiveness.

1. The Power of Publishing
on LinkedIn
#LinkedInEDU

2. 2
SPEAKERS
Ira Amilhussin
Sr. Marketing Manager
LinkedIn
Cameron Uganec
Sr. Director, Growth Marketing & Education
Hootsuite
#LinkedInEDU

3. 3
AGENDA
SECTION 1
Why Higher Ed Needs Content
Marketing
SECTION 2
Social Content for Higher Education
SECTION 3
10 Best Practices for Sophisticated
Education Marketers
SECTION 4
Q&A
#LinkedInEDU

4. 4
Sectio
n 1
WHY HIGHER ED NEEDS
CONTENT MARKETING
#LinkedInEDU

5. Marketers must influence prospects early in the
decision journey
5Source: Connecting with Today’s Prospective Student, LinkedIn – 8/2015
develop their short list before
reaching out to a
school representative
72%
make the prospects’
short list
ONLY 3
SCHOOLS
end up enrolling
at a school from their
short list
93%
#LinkedInEDU

6. 6Source: Connecting with Today’s Prospective Student, LinkedIn – 8/2015
of students use social
media when deciding
where to enroll
75%
An effective content marketing
strategy is key
Professional networks
are 3x more influential
than personal social
networks
3x
#LinkedInEDU

7. 7
Data is collected throughout the educational journey
MARKETING ENGAGEMENTDEVELOPMENTADMISSIONS
EDUCATION /
FACULTY
IP / THOUGHT
LEADERSHIP
CAREER
SERVICES
PROSPECTS / APPLICANTS
QUALIFIED
INQUIRIES
APPLICATIONS TEACHING /
TRANSCRIPTS
PUBLICATIONS /
RESEARCH
PLACED
HIRES
FUNDS
RAISED
ALUMNI
PARTICIPATION
STUDENTS ALUMNI

8. 8
RESEARCH
SCHOOL
APPLY TO
SCHOOL
DEVELOP
PROFILE
BUILD
NETWORK
CONNECT
WITH ALUMNI
INTERNSHIP JOB
UPGRADE
SKILLS
DEVELOP
CAREER
SUPPORT
CAUSES
Every step of the student-professional journey is supported
PROSPECTS / APPLICANTS STUDENTS ALUMNI

9. 9
Sectio
n 2
Social Content for
Higher Education
#LinkedInEDU

10. social network interactions/year
13M+users worldwide
800of the Fortune 1000
28M
messages a week
28B
fans and followers

12. 7.71MFollowers
550K+Fans
150KFollowers
1.1MBlog views/month
675 in 59
Ambassadors Countries
1.3mInfluencer

13. Two secrets from
Hootsuite’s playbook
#LinkedInEDU

14. One: Content is
King/Queen
#LinkedInEDU

15. Traditional marketing talks
at people. Content
marketing talks with them.
#LinkedInEDU

16. Game of Social

17. Results: Game of Social
● 2.4M+ views
● 65,000+ social shares
● Cost: $15K
● Drove millions in awareness and
pipeline
#LinkedInEDU

18. #LinkedInEDU
Be the show, not the commercial

19. Be part of the conversation, don’t interrupt it
#LinkedInEDU

20. Two: Your community is your
Secret Weapon
#LinkedInEDU

21. Employee advocacy
enables organizations to leverage
their employees in promoting the
company’s message.
#LinkedInEDU

22. #LinkedInEDU
“Advocate content and interactions
are more valuable; buyers see them
as authentic validation, not paid
promotion.”
- Forrester, September 2015

23. Amplifying Reach
Owned Channels
Employee Advocates
Facebook
Fans
Twitter Followers Linkedin
Followers
Employees
200 Average
Facebook Friends
61 Average Twitter
Followers
240 Average
Linkedin Connections
24.5K 12K 10K
2,500
Content
Team
=
= 46.5K
TOTAL REACH
1.25M
TOTAL REACH
X
+ +

24. 700x increase in
content engagement
if employee sends message vs brand
Advocacy Drives ROI

25. “Fish where the
fish are biting”
-Granddads everywhere

26. Revolutionizing the student journey
Awareness Student LifeRecruiting Alumni

27. Revolutionizing the student journey
Awareness Student LifeRecruiting Alumni

28. Awareness
Public awareness of the
University’s work, programs and
research
Connect with new and broader
audiences
Attract new students and top talent

29. Revolutionizing the student journey
Awareness Student LifeRecruiting Alumni

30. Recruitment
Calling out jobs of new
program graduates attracting
prospective students

31. Revolutionizing the student journey
Awareness Student LifeRecruiting Alumni

32. Student Life
Georgia State saw a 216%
increase in campaign
engagement and a 9.4%
increase in homecoming
football game attendance from
2014 to 2015 through utilizing
#GSUnited to share user
generated content amplified
through departments and
student influencers

33. Revolutionizing the student journey
Awareness Student LifeRecruiting Alumni

34. Alumni
Demonstrating how Alumni are
getting involved in the
community

35. Revolutionizing the student journey
Awareness Student LifeRecruiting Alumni

36. Purdue Day of Giving
How social media helped
Purdue University raise $13M in
one day

37. Awareness
Purdue expanded awareness of
campaign to younger broader
audience using:
#IGave
#PurdueDayOfGiving
1000Mentions
20MImpressions

38. Student Life
Campaign involved:
● student challenge with
100 students raising
funds for their own
program
● video sharing contest
● Events to promote hourly
challenges

39. Student Life
Campaign involved:
● Sharing user generated
content
● Thanking donors

40. Alumni Engagement
Drew Brees, Purdue alumnus
and NFL quarterback, tweeted
about the Purdue Day of Giving
2Mincreased
impressions

41. 41
#LinkedInEDU
Sectio
n 3
10 Best Practices for
Marketers

42. 42
#LinkedInEDU
Three key phases of content marketing
2
Manage and
Produce
Content
3
Distribute and
Optimize
1
Build a Solid
Foundation

43. 43
#LinkedInEDU
2
Manage and
Produce
Content
3
Distribute and
Optimize
1
Build a Solid
Foundation

44. 44
#1 Understand the needs of your audience
#LinkedInEDU

45. 45
Develop audience personas
#LinkedInEDU
 INTERVIEW
your current customers
and enrollment advisors
 ANALYZE
your student databases
 OBSERVE
what is being discussed
on social media

46. #2 Document your content marketing plan
#LinkedInEDU
46

47. 47
Why you need to document your strategy
58%
of the most effective B2C marketers
have a documented strategy
Source: 2016 B2C Content Marketing Report, Content Marketing Institute

48. 48
Start with what you want to achieve
Raise brand
awareness
Drive higher
quality leads
Establish your
school as a thought
leader
Foster community
among students
and alumni
#LinkedInEDU

49. 49
Determine how you will measure success
Higher quality leads
METRICS
Cost per lead
Cost per enrollment
Time to close
Thought leadership
METRICS
Engagement
Downloads
Earned media value
Speaker requests
#LinkedInEDU

50. 50
Define your strategy and tactics
Source: 2016 B2C Content Marketing Report, Content Marketing Institute

51. 51
#3 Audit existing content and enlist content creators
#LinkedInEDU

52. 52
You don’t have to go it alone
Faculty
Public Relations
Career Services
Freelance
Writers
Agencies

53. 53

54. 54

55. 55
#LinkedInEDU
2
Manage and
Produce
Content
3
Distribute and
Optimize
1
Build a Solid
Foundation

56. #4 Build a healthy mix of relevant, helpful content
#LinkedInEDU
56

57. 57
Decide what content to produce
Top types of information sought by intenders in each stage of the higher education decision-making process:
AWARENESS DISCOVERY SELECTION
Career Advice
Information on courses and degree programs
Expert commentary
and reviews
Staff and lecturer profiles
Alumni profiles/achievements
Institution rankings
Education and industry news
Source: Connecting with Today’s Prospective Student, LinkedIn 8/2015
Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=502)
#LinkedInEDU

58. 58
Higher Ed: Through the funnel
Plan content that educates and inspires
along with content that collects leadsUpper Funnel
Brand Messaging
Thought Leadership
Registration, Download
Information, Meet with an
Enrollment Counselor
Rankings, News,
Career Advice,
Courses/Degrees
Program Value,
Student Testimonials,
Blog Content
Faculty Profiles, Webinars,
On-Campus Events,
Alumni Testimonials
Bottom Funnel
Lead Focused
Direct Messaging #LinkedInEDU

59. Offer professional development
Inspire your audience
59
#LinkedInEDU

60. 60
Share industry trends
Help your audience plan for the future

61. #5 Make your mark with “Big Rock” content
#LinkedInEDU
61

62. 62
One Big Rock can fuel an always-on content calendar

63. 63
Repurpose content

64. 64
#6 Stay on track with an editorial calendar
#LinkedInEDU

65. 65
• Plan your content resources
• Provide visibility for internal teams
• Prevent a lapse in conversation with your audience
• Measure trends in engagement and performance
Why build a content calendar?

66. 66
Sample calendar

67. 67
#LinkedInEDU
2
Manage and
Produce
Content
3
Distribute and
Optimize
1
Build a Solid
Foundation

68. 68
#7 Distribute your content with accuracy
and proper context
#LinkedInEDU

69. Sponsored Content delivers rich content
across all devices via the LinkedIn feed
#LinkedInEDU
69

70. LinkedIn Sponsored InMail
Send timely, convenient, and relevant private messages to
the people that matter most to your business
#LinkedInEDU
70

71. 71
When is the best time to post?
Source: http://coschedule.com/blog/best-times-to-post-on-social-media/

72. User Provided
Company
Title
Geography
Company Following
Group Membership
School
Graduation Year
Field of Study
Derived
Function
Seniority
Company Size
Company Industry
Gender
Age
Geography (IP)
Leverage LinkedIn profile-based targeting
72

73. Delight them with an experience that will convert
73
Make sure landing pages are optimized
1. Feature more on your
page than just a lead form
2. Have a prominent call to
action
3. Keep forms short
4. Always be mobile
optimized
#LinkedInEDU

74. #8 Enlist university leaders to be the face of your school
#LinkedInEDU
74

75. 75
Today’s top leaders are social leaders

76. 76
5 benefits for universities with social leaders
Efficiently connect with the people that matter
Show that your institution is innovative
Offer an authentic, human face to your institution
Be a voice of your industry and build thought leadership
Build relationships with key stakeholders
1
2
3
4
5

77. 77
lnkd.in/EDUexecplaybook

78. #9 Go visual!
78
#LinkedInEDU

79. 79
Invest in great images
Skip the stock photos

80. 80
Invest in great images
Use colorful charts and illustrations
#LinkedInEDU

81. Link share post
Introduction Text
Best practice of 150 characters max to avoid
truncation on all devices.
Landing Page URL
Will be counted toward the text limitation.
If longer than 23 characters, link is shortened with LinkedIn
shortener
Title
Best Practice of 70 characters
max to avoid cut off
Description Text
Best Practice of 100 characters max to
avoid cut off. Does not appear on mobile.
Thumbnail Image
Automatically pulled from landing page.
Can be manually uploaded. Use 1.91:1
ratio (1200x627px) image
Mobile Version
Intro
Image
Title
#LinkedInEDU
81

82. Embedded image post
Introduction Text
Best practice of 150 characters max to avoid
truncation on all devices.
Landing Page URL
MUST be included in the introduction text and counts toward
that text limitation. If longer than 23 characters, link is
shortened with LinkedIn shortener
Image
Manually upload - 1.91:1 ratio (1200x627px) image
is recommended
Mobile Version
Intro
Image
URL
#LinkedInEDU
82

83. Video post
• YouTube, Vimeo, and SlideShare play on site in player
• No length requirements
• 60 Sec video or less recommended for performance
• Another landing page link may be included in the intro text
• Video is auto expanded in the feed
Introduction Text
Best practice of 150 characters max
to avoid truncation on all devices.
Title
Best Practice of 70 characters
max to avoid cut off
Description Text
Best Practice of 100 characters max to
avoid cut off. Does not appear on mobile.
#LinkedInEDU
83

84. 84
#10 Prove the value of your efforts and scale what works
#LinkedInEDU

85. Key metrics for content marketing
#LinkedInEDU
85
Engagement Metrics
• Shares
• Likes
• Comments
• Click-throughs
Performance Metrics
• Lead conversion
• Cost per lead
• Application conversion
410
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
CLIENT
CMSScore
Best in class
influence
Weaker content
influence
105 of
Peers:
WHO: Audience = Decision Makers
Harvard
Duke
Cornell University
Stanford
Columbia
Oxford
Cambridge
Northwestern
UCLA
LinkedIn Content Marketing Score

86. Measuring Sponsored Content success
Measuring back-end conversions helps you interpret the value of your campaign
Track clicks in your analytics system through a unique URL
EXAMPLE URL builder instructions:
1.Use Google’s URL builder to generate unique URLs for each individual
Sponsored Update
2.These unique URLs can be tracked using Google Analytics
3.Enter ‘LinkedIn’ as the Campaign Source
4.Enter ‘Sponsored Updates’ as the Campaign Medium
5.Enter the name of your Sponsored Updates campaign as the Campaign
Name
6.Decide on one identifying term for each variation of Sponsored Updates
and enter this as the Campaign Content*
Note: The identifying terms for Campaign Content should be consistent across all
Campaigns
86

87. 87
Build a solid foundation – audience research, documented strategy, content council1
Create a healthy mix of relevant content, including a “Big Rock”2
Use an editorial calendar3
Leverage LinkedIn to distribute with accuracy and establish thought leadership4
Follow design best practices to maximize your content5
5 key things to remember

88. ©2014 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Questions?
#LinkedInEDU

89. ©2014 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Thank you
#LinkedInEDU