Community College Marketing MasterClass

In this episode, our content specialist, Rachel Rosen-Carroll and Executive Director of Media Prefs, Jamie Wagner share what exactly has been going on with the new and improved Media Prefs survey and how it will make it easier to hear from your students to make necessary changes in marketing, customer service and enrollment.  Media Prefs has been around for 17 years and Jamie has been working alongside a development team to not only improve the survey experience for colleges, but to also improve visualizations. Listen in to hear how this living lab of data will change your marketing, enrollment and customer service by getting feedback straight from your community college students. Learn more at: The Inside Scoop to Boost Enrollment1:07: Set a Goal with our Survey Calculator 2:35: Single Sign On for Students4:11: Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner select a winner right in the platform7:05: Start and Stop Feature8:42: Logic-Based Questions and Billing Ease11:49: What makes Media Prefs Special 13:38: How it works

From COVID crisis communications to sharing Facebook logins to campaigns for free college, there is nothing we can't do as a team and the San Mateo Community College District colleges show us how it's done on this episode of the Community College Marketing Masterclass.This episode was recorded in Universal City, CA at the April 2022 CCPRO conference and features: Megan Rodriguez Antone, Cañada College Director of Community Relations and MarketingDave Mclain, College of San Mateo Director of Community Relations & MarketingCherie Colin, Skyline College Director of Community Relations and Marketing4:00 - Introduction of Guests from San Mateo Community College District6:05 - The Origin Story of SMCCD's Collaboration 11:00 - Coordinating Resources and Capacity … even by sharing Facebook Admin Access12:40 - Meeting Cadence for Staying in Sync and Leaning into Action14:56 - Added Bonus: Personal Professional Development16:08 - Implementing Campaigns Under a District Umbrella 21:00 - Chancellor and President Input and Involvement24:00 - Collaboration within College Teams 26:45 - Advocacy and Confidence in group collaboration through continued success30:43 - Round Robin: What is it like working at a community college? 

In this episode, Dr. Pam Cox-Otto of Interact Communications hosts a conversation with Dr. Angel Reyna, president of Madera Community College, which recently won the Lumina Foundation's Million Dollar Community College Challenge. They are joined by Lumina Foundation's Shauna Davis, Mary Lapen Pope, and Tracy Chen. Dr. Reyna shares Madera's vision of the impact they aim to have on their community and students through delivering a message that elevates Madera's students' incredible resilience and how the college can help them reach the next level of their potential. Be sure to check out Madera Community College's video submission for the Challenge, featuring the touching story of Madera student Marisela Maciel.

While colleges celebrate Pride Month in June, supporting LGBTQ+ students year-round is crucial for enrollment and retention efforts. In this episode of the Community College Marketing Master Class, equity expert Dr. Paula Di Dio, Interact's senior director of communication and research strategist, explains why it's more important than ever to support this student population 365 days of the year. Dr. Di Dio will reveal the unique challenges LGBTQ+ students face, how those pressures have increased during the pandemic, and how to build support for these students into diversity, equity, and inclusion plans. It's a power-packed Pride podcast exclusive you won't want to miss! Resources:Interact White Paper: Challenging Traditional Gender Roles, Boosting Enrollment by Dr. Paula Di DioInside Higher Ed: Addressing the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ StudentsInteract Blog: Pride Month 2022 & Community Colleges Roundup

In this episode, you'll learn pro video tips with Sara Sampey, our director of video services, and Jake Ammann, our lead videographer. The team offers insightful suggestions on how to capture video for various formats; how to be stealthy [RRC1] and get the perfect shots; and how to plan your shoot so you get exactly what you need—and more. Get ready to make memorable videos for those big college events students won't want to forget.

Learn how Victor Valley Community College Created a Culture of Care to Keep New StudentsYour marketing and media campaign numbers exceeded expectations—inquiries and applications are way up! But enrollments are lagging way behind. Prospective students are complaining they can't navigate the onboarding process and that the college staff is rude and uncaring. What can you do? Learn how Victor Valley Community College built a Connect2Success Center that supports onboarding new students. Not only does the Center prepare students for the college experience but ensures new students show up for class ready to learn.Join Interact's Dr. Pam Cox-Otto and Dr. Diane Walleser, as they have a conversation with Victor Valley Community College President Dr. Daniel Walden for an engaging and enlightening podcast to hear firsthand how Victor Valley fosters student success. 

We all know there's plenty of adults in our communities looking to continue their educations, but how do you find them? On this episode of the Community College Marketing Master Class Podcast, Interact CEO Dr. Pam Cox-Otto is joined by CollegeAPP CEO Jack MacKenzie and Kate Kirkpatick, Director of Marketing and Communications at Truckee Meadows Community College. Jack and Kate break down how they used the CollegeAPP database to discover their audiences and better inform their marketing plan.  

How would winning a million dollars transform your community college brand? On this episode of the Community College Marketing Masterclass Podcast, Dr. Pam Cox-Otto, CEO of Interact, is joined by Shauna Davis and Mary Laphen of the Lumina Foundation to discuss the $1 Million Community College Challenge. Find out more: https://www.luminafoundation.org/challenge/

Guests: Carolyn Simpson, Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges & Mark D'Alessio, Executive Director of Communications for the Technical College System of GeorgiaHost: Jamie Wagner, Executive Director of Media PrefsJamie Wagner connects with Carolyn Simpson and Mark D'Alessio, two high-level communication professionals advocating for and representing 15 community colleges in Pennsylvania and 22 community colleges in Georgia. The versatility and power behind Media Prefs' custom questions are dissected, along with the importance of taking a step back to ensure a timely pulse on students and understanding more than ever that "data is king" when it comes to decision making and serving this unique population effectively.

Joined by Allison Hayes and Dane Dewbre, Jamie Wagner dives into what the Media Prefs survey means for these leaders with over 35 years of combined community college experience. While highlighting that the data received was a way to disprove long-held anecdotes, increase cross-functional supportive messaging to students, and guide post-COVID decision making, Allison and Dane additionally echoed that Media Prefs helped them justify new tactics and areas to spend (or quit spending) money and is "just a really great tool."Guests: Allison Hayes, PR Director for Delaware Technical College & Dane Dewbre, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications for South Plains CollegeHost: Jamie Wagner, Executive Director of Media Prefs

In this episode of the Community College Marketing MasterClass Podcast, Adam Lopez, the Esports Coordinator and coach at Irvine Valley College,  joins Interact CEO Dr. Pam Cox-Otto and Student Social Media Manager at IVC, Emaline Gayhart, to discuss the invaluable contribution that video games bring to education and attracting students to community college.

The impact of growing noncredit programs can help community colleges get a foot in the door towards enrolling those students into credit programs and boosting enrollment. Join Interact CEO Dr. Pam Cox-Otto, Ph.D. and Maggie Wolf, director of adult and community education at Kankakee Community College, as they discuss how noncredit classes are critical to your enrollment numbers, as well as strategies on how best to maintain these students.

On this episode of the Community College Marketing MasterClass, Interact Content Manager Wyatt Otto and friends discuss TikTok, the newest social media platform sweeping the nation. They discuss how TikTok works, best practices, and how community colleges can best be using it.This week’s guests are Sara Sampey, lead videographer at Interact; Jamie Wagner, executive director of Media Prefs; Amy Hazelhurst, senior internet marketing consultant at ReachLocal; and the fabulous marketing and public relations team at Cape Fear Community College: Sonya Johnson, Julie Martin, and Erin Fabian. 

In this episode of the Community College Marketing MasterClass Podcast, Dr. Pam Cox-Otto, Ph.D. is joined by Dr. Angela Kersenbrock, president of the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA), to discuss the benefits of creating baccalaureate programs not only for community colleges, but for students too.

On this episode of the Community College Marketing MasterClass podcast, Interact CEO Dr. Pam Cox-Otto is joined by the senior vice president of public relations for the American Association of Community Colleges, Dr. Martha Parham. Dr. Cox-Otto and Dr. Parham talk about how community colleges have been supporting student needs during this pandemic, and how they will continue to support students into the future. Even as the nation begins to distribute vaccines, it will be a while before things return to normal. And even once it does, things will not be the same. Until then, community colleges need to do everything they can to support student needs and keep students on track, as well as plan for the future and what our “new normal” will be like. Dr. Cox-Otto and Dr. Parham elaborate on these concepts with examples from other community colleges across the nation and explain how to implement these ideas.

Student-centered innovation has been mission-centric to community colleges, but redesigning the college experience with the student voice in the middle is critical post-pandemic. Join Dr. Pam Cox-Otto and Dr. Karen Stout, president and CEO, Achieving the Dream (ATD), as they discuss the insights ATD’s network of nearly 280 colleges have gained in their work to champion student success. This includes accelerating strategies that were moving the needle pre-COVID 19 on such issues as equity and access. This timely episode challenges colleges and their leaders to embrace these crisis-born lessons and the opportunity they present to guide more individuals onto the onramp community colleges provide for economic mobility and lifelong learning. Discover what you should be thinking and doing to break down barriers and reinforce resilience for at-promise populations—whether you’re a college president, faculty member, student service or marketing professional.

Enrollment is always important, but even more so now, in the middle of a pandemic. Face-to-face recruiting is no longer possible, on-campus orientations are not a good idea, and yet more than ever our students need support from application, to day-one of classes. Dr. Diane Walleser, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Borough of Manhatten Community College joins Interacts’ Dr. Pam Cox-Otto to talk about how to increase applications in an urban environment and ways to create a student-college connection.

Just like our students, our community colleges are struggling to maintain the resources they need during this critical time. State budgets are uncertain, and many colleges are facing budget cuts, layoffs, and furlough, all while trying to support our students—many of whom are facing food and housing insecurity. Join Dr. Pam Cox-Otto and Oakland Community College’s Vice Chancellor for Advancement Dan Jenuwine as they discuss the important role of your college foundation in helping students stay students.

Creating an environment at your college that will retain students and developing communications that will inspire and build their resilience are both part of the mission-critical jobs at community colleges. In this episode, Interact's CEO Dr. Pamela Cox-Otto and her good friend Dr. Susan Hatfield, who is a 30-year veteran of researching student motivations around retention and is currently a senior consultant with the Higher Learning Commission, discuss retention and where colleges need to focus now.

MiraCosta College Academic Counseling Department Co-Chair Dr. Adrean Askerneese works face-to-face with students every day. He has a doctorate degree and Master of Arts in marriage and family counseling from USC, a Master of Science from SDSU, and a bachelor’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene. He was also recently honored for his work with student athletes and is a driving force for equity and social justice at his college.In this episode, Dr. Askerneese shares his personal story about starting college. He and Cheryl Broom also discuss how critical it is to listen to students so you can tell their stories with respect, support them, and show that they and students of all backgrounds matter.

Guisselle Nuñez, director of public relations, marketing, and governmental relations at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District and author of Take Charge of Your Brand, is a dynamic, hands-on, and insightful personal brand expert who provides participants with bite-sized, quick and easy techniques to help them weave personal branding into their daily professional and personal actions. In this episode, Guisselle and Cheryl Broom discuss why your personal brand is important as well as techniques you can use to manage and develop it. The two also talk about Cheryl’s experience in going through Guisselle’s exercises, and how being vulnerable allowed Cheryl to better understand what her brand is and how she can own it in her everyday life. Show Notes:Contact Guisselle Nuñez by emailing guisselle@takechargeofyourbrand.comTo learn more about Guisselle’s book, visit http://guissellenunez.com/

Dr. Bridget Herrin is the acting dean of institutional effectiveness at San Diego Mesa College and the executive director for the Center of Organizational Responsibility and Advancement (CORA). In this episode, Dr. Herrin and Cheryl talk all things data—from conducting literature reviews to get a better understanding of issues colleges are facing, to conducting original research at the college to improve institutional effectiveness, support marketing and communications efforts, and assist in enrollment management strategies. They also discuss how to #HumanizeData to share the story behind the numbers, how IE departments have changed over the years, limitations in research, issues around equity, and how CORA supports educators in expanding their capacity to serve historically underrepresented populations. Learn more about the Center of Organizational Responsibility and Advancement (CORA) at coralearning.org.

Kaua’i Community College Marketing Director Gary Ellwood has over 25 years of experience in all facets of media production. Prior to joining community colleges, Gary traveled all over the world to film events like the Super Bowl and Olympics and tell stories through video. Now, in his current role, Gary is in charge of building pride around the college through marketing and outreach. In this episode, Gary and Cheryl Broom of Interact discuss the challenges of marketing a community college, especially to a rural community that thinks it already knows the college. Gary also shares his storytelling secrets and offers advice on what colleges can do to form stronger connections with prospective students and welcome them to your college community. ***This podcast was recorded in November 2019***

Financial aid is complicated, even for those who work at colleges and are familiar with it. So, how exactly can colleges better communicate with students to make sure they are getting the support they need to be successful? In this episode, financial aid expert Mike Dear breaks down the complexities of financial aid and provides tips on what colleges can do to better serve students. Mike and Interact President Cheryl Broom also discuss how interesting financial aid actually is, and how it impacts students across the United States. ***This episode was recorded in January 2020***

Interact teamed up with Google and digital marketing partner ReachLocal to provide a webinar on the shifts that are taking place in digital behavior so colleges can reach students in the right space and at the right time. The webinar was recorded on April 16th, 2020 and covered a range of topics, including:Google's education insightsthe student journeyhow to better understand and connect with students todayhow putting this in practice can lead to a successful campaignBecause Google's content is exclusive and is made available only to the webinar attendees, this podcast episode is an abbreviated version of the webinar, reviewing some of Google's key takeaways and focusing on the remaining parts of the presentation with content provided by Interact and ReachLocal. Both groups build on Google's segment by showing colleges how they can shift their digital marketing strategies to maximize the return on advertising investment. To view the recorded webinar and access supplementary materials including the presentation, visit Interact's news center at news.interactcom.com.

With COVID-19 impacting community colleges, Interact CEO Dr. Pamela Cox-Otto brought together two marketing and public relations specialists who are on the leading edge of community colleges affected by the current situation in the state of Washington. Kelly Green, chief community relations officer at South Puget Sound Community College and Katherine Schiffner, director of public relations at Everett Community College shared their experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and discussed how they have handled the changes to their respective colleges. The discussion covered:How they have dealt with news of local cases in their communities and the overwhelming attention of outside media sourcesHow they have dealt with new concerns brought about by COVID-19 and how they have learned from other institutionsHow they adapted and implemented plans to deal with emergency communications and communicate with local governmental authorities and servicesHow their respective colleges have handled the challenge of shifting in-person classes to online, what has been done to accommodate programs that could not easily be adapted, and how they have handled requests for resources necessary for faculty and students to participate in online classesHow they are planning for the delay or cancellation of other in-person events, such as courses with mandatory labs or commencement ceremoniesTo access additional COVID-19 resources, click here.

With COVID-19 impacting community colleges, Interact Communications decided to put together a live webinar with crisis communications expert Scott Summerfield with SAE Communications, Interact CEO Dr. Pam Cox-Otto, and Interact president Cheryl Broom.The presentation covered:Higher education and local agency communications response trendsCrisis communications best practices that ensure the community stays informedMedia relations tips to communicate ongoing challengesInternal communications tips to keep staff and faculty informed and supportiveWhat’s next: From commencement cancellations to declining enrollment, what you can do now to prepareAfter the initial presentation, there was about an hour of Q&A. The webinar was held at 10 a.m. PDT / 12 p.m. CDT on Thursday, March 19th.To access the presentation and watch the webinar, click here.

Chris Walker, vice president of Interact Communications, is an award-winning marketer and digital leader who has nearly 20 years of agency experience with a focus on web development, digital strategy, and media. In this episode, Chris and Cheryl discuss the evolving world of digital marketing and how colleges can utilize the latest tools to maximize results.

Erin Green, director of digital marketing strategy (DMS) enablement at LOCALiQ, is an expert in marketing in the digital space and is fluent in speaking “nerd.” She is a nationally recognized speaker, award-winning marketer and sales leader, and has worked with a number of leading organizations including Nike, FedEx, and Susan G. Komen. She’s also been a featured speaker for organizations like Google and Facebook. In this episode, Erin and Cheryl discuss influenceable moments and how colleges can leverage those moments in the digital space to form stronger connections with audiences. Show Notes:To view the presentation from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations District 1 conference in Providence, click here.

It's been a productive year, and as we reflect on it, we can see so much has changed in the world of community colleges in such a short period of time. Looking ahead to 2020, we are expecting even more big things to come, and there are several clues from this year that help us formulate those predictions. In this episode, Dr. Pamela Cox-Otto, CEO of Interact, and Cheryl Broom, president of Interact, share the top community college trends of 2019 and tell you what should be on your radar in the new year. Show Notes:17:00 - Schoolcraft College35:05 - *Date To Be Confirmed*pam.coxotto@interactcom.comcheryl.broom@interactcom.cominfo@interactcom.com

Scott Summerfield is a principal of SAE Communications, an organization that has provided communications counsel, media relations, and Joint Information Center management for many of California's most challenging recent crises, including the 2019 Conception dive boat tragedy, 2017 Thomas fire, and 2014 Isla Vista shootings. In this episode, Scott and Cheryl discuss the challenges of dealing with crisis situations as well as the best practices for handling crisis communications. Show Notes:Scott's email: ssummerfield@saecommunications.comSAE Communications website: saecommunications.com

There are many obstacles that can come between a student and their education, including the ability to drive to class. And even when students aren’t challenged with making the commute to campus, they still have to worry about other things, like whether or not the class they need to graduate is even available. Having an online resource that would connect all of California’s 115 colleges would not only address these challenges specifically, it would improve the overall access to high-quality online courses. In this episode, Andrea Hanstein of the California Virtual Campus – Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI) and Cheryl Broom, president of Interact, discuss the need for an online education resource and explain how this new initiative works. Andrea Hanstein's contact email: ahanstein@cvc.edu

Your college community has great stories, but having those stories go beyond your website audience and social network following can be a challenge. So, how exactly do you get your story to make headlines in other publications? In this episode, Anne Krueger, communications and public information director of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, and Cheryl Broom, president of Interact, discuss the best ways to market your stories to the media. Show Notes: Link to Annual Report website: https://www.gcccd.edu/about-us-area/annual-report.html

When people become very specialized in their field of study, they can suffer from the curse of knowledge and find it difficult to explain complex subjects. In order to make these subjects more digestible to readers, it's critical that communicators ask the right questions and find the stories within the story. The next step is making those stories understandable and relatable to a larger audience. In this episode, Tiffany Fox, director of communications at UC San Diego, and Cheryl Broom, president of Interact Communications, discuss strategies for making stories about complicated topics more accessible for readers.

New to the conferencing game? No sweat! In this episode, Jeff Ebbing, director of marketing and communications for Southeastern Community College in Iowa, joins Pam Cox-Otto, founder and CEO of Interact Communications, for a discussion on how to make the most of your experience while at conferences.

Community colleges are structured to respond to community needs, and in order to meet those needs and train students for good-paying careers in the community, colleges must understand the types of industries in their service areas and how likely those industries and local businesses are to hire their students. In addition to this, we also know local business leaders sit on college advisory and foundation boards, donate to scholarships, and lend their expertise in classrooms. So, building strong relationships with these key stakeholders is absolutely essential to the success of colleges. In this episode of Interact's Community College Marketing MasterClass, Cheryl Broom of Interact and Scott Ashton of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce discuss ways to better engage with local businesses and build stronger relationships with them.

In 2018, Shasta College became one of the emergency shelters during the devastating Carr Fire. The Carr Fire burned more than 225,000 acres and became the sixth-most destructive fire in California, as well as the seventh-largest wildfire recorded in modern California history. In this discussion, president of Interact Communications, Cheryl Broom, and director of marketing and outreach at Shasta College, Peter Griggs, reflect on the disaster and lessons learned in crisis management.

Director of Public Relations and Marketing at South Texas College, Daniel A. Ramirez, joins Interact Communications Founder and CEO, Pam Cox-Otto for a discussion on using data to build marketing plans and other marketing survival tips.

Do you ever feel like you’re guessing when it comes to placing your media? Or better yet, does your boss ever tell you to place ads in a channel you know isn’t working? Well, we have good news... each year since 2007, Interact has conducted a national survey on communication preferences and media consumption habits of community college students. We’ve watched how students’ preferences have evolved with the introduction of new media (and we’ve watched some media die off completely). In this discussion, Dr. Pamela Cox-Otto talks about the most recent academic year’s data results and what media you should be looking at this next year.

Did you know that 40% of all community college-intending students fail to enroll after applying?! This phenomena, which is called "summer melt," is well-documented but it doesn't have to get you and your college in hot water. Join Interact President Cheryl Broom as she digs into the research and offers three easy-to-implement strategies for reducing your "applied-not-enrolled" numbers and putting summer melt on ice!

Interact President Cheryl Broom shares seven time-tested techniques for selling your ideas and persuading campus stakeholders to say “yes.” You’ve got great ideas! But convincing reluctant faculty and administrators can be tough. Here are a few strategies to make it easier to go from “No,” to “Go!”

Kathleen Cabral, Marketing Director at Leeward Community College, and Susan Lee, Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Hawaii, Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges, join Interact Communications Founder and CEO, Pam Cox-Otto for a discussion of the future of digital marketing, micro-moments, and other key insights from Interact’s recent partner event at Google’s Mountain View headquarters.

Ashley Etchison, Director of Strong Workforce Strategic Communications and Marketing for the Inland Empire Desert Region Consortium, joins Interact President Cheryl Broom for an in-depth discussion about the development of their highly-successful “Ready” brand and viewbook, and how Etchison calculates ROI to drive stakeholder buy-in across the Inland Empire’s 12 different community colleges.

What was the best part of #InteractGoogleDay? The crazy-amazing stuff they told us about how community college students choose a college, their decision-making process, and what their buyer’s journey looks like. But the most important reveal? Micro-moments. Don’t know what a micro-moment is? Then you better listen, because according to Google, they’re the future of digital marketing.

ReachLocal’s Amy Hazlehurst joins Interact President Cheryl Broom to discuss how community college marketers can leverage the unrivaled power of YouTube to reach student prospects, extend their college brands, and get the most out of their ad dollars in this inaugural episode of the “Community College Marketing Masterclass” podcast!