Building campus partnerships is a task that I spend a significant amount of my time on as a marketing leader. It’s important that I know the priorities of campus partners, know how marketing can partner in the work, and also work through the bound-to-happen hiccups so that the partnership flourishes overall.
In a prior post, I talked about the value of marketing as a strategic partner and not an order taker. I firmly believe the best partnerships with the best outcomes happen when marketing and the partner are equals at the table and are working toward a shared objective. That means alignment on the task at hand and also alignment in the collaborative nature of the partnership.
That said, partnerships are not always easy. They involve building trust, putting in intentional effort, and don’t happen by accident. They are a direct result of strategic work.
If you’re new to working to build campus collaboration, there are a few natural places to start.
Where to Begin Building Campus Collaboration
Historically, I’ve always talked about the 4As as the best place to start.
Admissions — Most institutions are enrollment focused, and because of this, having a strong partnership with Admissions is critical. Our team meets regularly, and we begin our yearly planning with what are the priorities, what works well, and where are opportunities we can improve. Then, we make sure our marketing and our print support aligns in championing these priorities. And of course, we work to regularly provide feedback so the teams are aware. Similarly, Admissions regularly tells us about changes in the market, challenges they’re facing, and successes they’re having.
Advancement — For state institutions, as public funding wanes, private philanthropic support is critical. This is why Advancement should be a critical partner for MarComm teams. Working with our advancement teams makes sure that private support continues for our university. This is also important from a brand perspective because students we’ve marketed to become alumni, so it’s critical the message and branding remains consistent, regardless of whether the person is the student or the donor. Finally, these individuals usually can open doors to others in the donor space or in the education space, so the partnership can truly be a win for everyone.
Athletics — Athletics is a major way that people interact with a university, so it’s important to to recognize and support our athletics offices. While these groups may have their own marketing and design teams, collaboration and shared objectives should always be a focus. Our MarComm team meets regularly with Athletics. We talk about driving attendance, licensing, and how we can highlight the successes of our athletes. It’s a great place to partner, and one I more MarComm leaders should pursue.
Academics — This one is so important, but it can be one of the hardest to work through. The reason is every department on campus will (and should) think their program is the most important, which can sometimes put MarComm teams in a tough position. That’s why a partnership with academic administration is so critical. The administrative unit can help determine the priority programs and ensure that MarComm leaders have important context about which programs are the most critical. The partnership with the academic administrator is a critical relationship to ensure we serve academic programs well.
Other Areas for Partnership
The 4As are the a great place to start. However, there are many other great partnerships that should be considered on campus.
Here are a few other important partnerships that shouldn’t be overlooked in the university, but may have less daily collaboration.
- Campus Printing
- Human Resources
- Procurement
- Academic Advisng
- Campus Life
Next Steps
The list can become quite endless, and there are many great opportunities to build relationships with the campus community.
If you’re looking to enhance partnerships over the summer, I encourage you to reach out to one new partner to get begin working toward building a great campus partnership.
And Carrie On 