Colleges, universities, and specialty schools are all jumping on the inbound marketing bandwagon, and for good reason. The modern college applicant has one and only one source they turn to when researching schools—or, anything really—the Internet. If your college isn’t reaching applicants online, you’re not reaching applicants.
So you’ve launched a blog in hopes of attracting qualified applicants to your college. Now who’s going to do the writing?
I love working with schools on their inbound marketing efforts because most schools have a vast pool of enthusiastic writers to draw from. Whether they work there, go there, or went there, people love their colleges and many are eager to help out. These are the people you should be asking to contribute to your college blog.
Who Shouldn’t Write
Before I break down the different type of writers you can use for your college blog, here is one type of writer you should avoid at all costs: outsourced writers who have never set foot on your campus and have no idea what makes your school so great.
Successful inbound marketing is about setting yourself apart. Your writers need to have some connection to your school. They need to understand what makes your school special. Otherwise, you’re just asking for generic, surface-level content that will appeal to no one.
College applicants aren’t stupid. They want answers from real people who have the real insider’s scoop on your college. Don’t bore them with the same weak content they can find everywhere else.
Who Should Write
Consider drawing on these 4 resources when selecting writers for your college blog:
1. Current Students
Who can speak better about the experience of being a student at your college than the people who are actually students at your college? This one’s a no-brainer. Call it an internship. Call it extra credit. Call it whatever you want, but get current students to write for your blog.
2. Faculty
These are highly-educated people who are experts in their field. On top of that, some of them are great writers. Let your faculty show off their stuff—and your college’s academic bona fides—on your college blog.
3. Alumni
Plenty of former students would jump at the chance to be involved with their beloved alma matter. Applicants looking for information about their career prospects after graduation would love to hear from alumni. It’s a perfect fit.
4. The College President
Seriously, why isn’t your college president contributing to your college blog? This is the man or woman with the vision, why not give him or her the opportunity to share that vision with the next generation of students?
So that’s who should be writing for your college blog. But what should they be writing about? I’ll take on that question in my next article. Subscribe by completing the short form on the upper right of this page.
