As a higher education leader, sometimes our work can be a bit lonely. We are usually the only people who oversee the type of work we do, there are times we can’t share things that are happening with our teams, and when talking with external friends it’s important to paint the university in a positive light.
For me, that’s meant sometimes I have felt alone and by myself as a marketing leader. If this is you, you’re not alone.
When I took a university marketing leadership role, I quickly realized I needed to find a network to help me navigate challenges, provide support when I needed it, or just listen when I was having a tough day.
Of course, there’s no formalized process for this, so I just tried to figure it out. As such, here are three strategies I’ve developed to find my own community in highbred!
Three Strategies to Find Your Community
Conference Attendance – There are so many professional organizations and companies that provide a space to gather leaders within higher education. A few of my favorites are AMA, CASE Marketing and Branding, and the new CMO Lab from SimpsonScarborough. These are great places as a marketing leader to find other like-minded peers and begin building networking connections. I also send members of my teams to HighEdWeb and to UCDA every year to help ensure they have community as well.
Whenever I’m going to a conference I always get the conference list in advance and reach out to people I want to meet or connect with. Scheduling time helps make sure we connect when sessions and activities are happening in various spaces. I try to find a couple of people I know of that I don’t know well, and I also stay to find someone who has a title that I am interested in or want to hold one day. This (usually cold) reach out is a lot for my introverted self but most people are incredibly kind and willing to build connections.
Social Media – This is the place where I’ve found so much value. I’m a LinkedIn fan. I love to share HigherEd insights, engage with others, and find new connections. Twitter or X has been a struggle for me. I’m good for a few weeks and then bored with it. That said, there’s a great MarComm community there as well. Start looking at #highered, and it won’t be too hard to find leaders in the space. As I’ve gotten more comfortable with myself, I’m okay with the idea that LinkedIn is what works best for me. Go where is a fit for you. You’ll find your people!
Information Interviews – I remember these in high school and cringed at them. Now I love them! I try to do one a quarter to help me build my network. It’s as simple as reaching out to someone and asking for a few minutes via zoom and learning from them. If there’s someone locally, the same can happen over coffee or wine. Putting yourself out there at first feels awkward, but I have found so much value in the conversations and insights these leaders have offered. At the end, I also try to ask is there someone else I should connect with. Often times, these leaders are so generous and willing to share their own networks too.
Community Matters
As we head into another busy school year, community really matters. A group chat I’m part of is offering periodic mental health checks for several CMOs. That check came in right in a hectic moment of the day, and it reminded me how special this community is. And that we need to check on others and ensure everyone has a place to belong. We as higher ed marketing leaders may be alone on our campus, but we’re not alone in the work we’re doing.
And Carrie On 