Brand is more than a logo. If you’re in marketing or communications, you’ve probably uttered this phrase countless times. It’s an important refrain because it reminds people that brand is not something you show, it’s something you do.
How does an educational institution “do” brand?
First, your brand must be authentic. No one can fulfill a brand promise that is not grounded in the real characteristics and differentiators of the institution. This is why brand research is conducted with external audiences and internal stakeholders — it takes both perspectives to formulate the brand message.
Once you articulate an authentic brand, you must ensure that everyday interactions with your institution reinforce that brand. Interactions are extremely powerful in shaping perceptions of brand, because experiences are more salient than taglines, color palettes, and typefaces.
[Tweet “Experiences are more salient than taglines, color palettes, and typefaces. #mStoner”]
We’ve discussed this before on the mStoner blog — for prospective families, the most important brand communication is the campus visit. For prospective employees, interactions with human resources might shape or solidify the institution’s brand. It’s more complex for current students and alumni: Thousands of interactions over many years ultimately shape their perceptions of your institution.
That makes your institution’s employees one of the most important parts of your branding efforts. An article by the American Marketing Association1 said it best:
“No matter what resources you use or how much money you spend to build your brand externally, one customer’s interaction with an employee who can’t articulate what your company stands for can lay all of that time and money to waste.”
Faculty and staff are on the front lines when it comes to interacting with every group that’s important to your institution. It’s critically important that they understand your brand and try to deliver on its promise when they interact with your constituents.
If you’re not broadly educating faculty and staff about your institutional brand, you’re in good company. A recent report on higher-ed marketing by the Chronicle of Higher Education2 established that only 32 percent of marketing departments play a role in new employee orientation.
Investing in systematic communication and training for faculty and staff is a key part of making sure your institution is living out its brand.
When we think about brand, we focus on the external groups we wish to influence and move to action. But it’s important not to overlook the role faculty and staff play in brand management, because your brand is not a veneer of logos and labels — it’s something the institution embodies top to bottom, inside and out.
1 “Your Employees Are Your Brand.” MarketingPower (2010): 22–23.
2 “Higher Ed Marketing Comes of Age.” The Chronicle of Higher Education (2015). Web.