One of the findings in my dissertation is there is value in having executive leaders support the work of marketing efforts. Several participants shared about this, and the conversation certainly centered around the investment in resources for marketing to secure advertising, sponsorships, software, and personnel.
While money is certainly a part of the conversation, I think it’s important to also focus on other ways that leaders can support marketing efforts.
Support of marketing is and should be much more than funding. While that’s certainly part of it, there are many other benefits to engaging a university leader to help support the value of marketing.
Other Ways Leaders Support Marketing
Here are a few key examples share. Some of these are from personal experience, but some come from other marketing leaders. If you’re looking to find other ways to engage your leadership to gain support marketing, these are a few ways to start that conversation.
Meeting Inclusion – Including marketing teams in key meetings. If there’s a key relationship being built or an important change coming, having marketing in the room to hear the conversations and understand the context helps marketing understand what’s happening, and more importantly, helps provide insight on the message and ways to tell that story when the time is right. If you’re not in these meetings, I would encourage you to advocate the value that having marketing in the space can provide for you work.
Strategic Planning Conversations – My university is working through stratgeic planning, and I sit on the university strategic planning committee. Being part of that group will pay dividends when implementing different phases of the strategic plan. Additionally, because I’ve had that context, it’s allowed the strategic plan to be seamlessly integrated into several other projects, helping make a cohesive university experience. The next time strategic planning happens on campus, volunteer to be part and share how being in the conversations will help you and your team.
Lending A Voice – Often times, the marketing team is relying on leaders in the community and on campus to help tell the story. Whether it’s being interviewed on a topic, speaking at an event, or writing a specific message these moments provide opportunities for someone beside the university marketing and comms team to tell the story. Having someone with as much cache as a university leader highlights the value of whatever is being discussed. The type of work considered can be tailored to the comfort level and time commitment of the university leader. For example, the marketing team can lighten the lift by crafting copy, writing talking points, or helping frame a conversation. Regardless of the specific approach, a university leader leading their voice to the key message is a great way to support the efforts.
Endorsing the Work – A great way to internally support marketing is to endorse the work to others at the university. A great time to do this is at the regular gatherings that happen at the beginning of each semester. This can take a variety of different forms, and some possible examples could be mentioning a great award or success of an event. It could involve showing a video the team put together at an assembly, or it could be emphasizing a new marketing initiative. If this is something that you’re considering for your university leader, be sure to think about what is your goal in achieving this call out and then help suggest an achievement that helps support that effort.
Other Ways
These are just a few ways you can engage your leader for support that don’t involve resources. I do think resources are part of the conversation. However, much like we talk about a multi-tiered approach to communicating with our prospective students and alumni, I think it’s important we engage our leaders in a multi-tiered approach to show support.
If the only way we view support is through funding, that shortchanges the value the executive leader can have simply because the reality is dollars will not be the answer every time.
And Carrie On 