When I worked in-house at a community college, our marketing and communications team had to balance a thousand priorities with half the budget. We’d spend months carefully allocating every cent and pitching campaigns we hoped would survive budget season. Like most institutions on a July / June fiscal calendar, we submitted plans in winter, waited for approvals in spring, and sprinted to execute once budgets landed in early summer.
But that was then. And this? This is a completely different landscape.
If your institution follows that same fiscal rhythm, the world looks very different now than it did when you developed your goals.
- AI search overhauls how families find schools.
- Lawsuits challenge tuition transparency.
- Donors push back on DEI.
- Students expect value.
- Boards ask hard questions.
The last few years have upended everything we thought we knew about higher ed marketing. And what you planned six months ago probably doesn’t fit today’s reality. You’re not just running campaigns anymore. Now you need to safeguard trust, manage reputation, and fight for attention in a fractured, fatigued marketplace.
If you’re wondering what to do next, here are five strategies I would focus on this academic year:
1. Students Don’t Want Ads. They Want Assurance.
Marketing shouts. Communications connects.
This year, trust matters more. Prospective students don’t want polished taglines or hype videos. They want to know your institution reflects their values, understands the world they’re entering, and prepares them to thrive in it.
Students are watching closely – not just to see what you say, but to see how you show up. They’re not just choosing a school; they’re choosing a support system. A place to belong. A place that won’t betray their trust.
Some of your leaders may not feel comfortable speaking out, and that’s okay. You don’t have to be loud to be heard. You can lead quietly through action. Small gestures – welcoming displaced scholars or protecting inclusive spaces – signal that your institution hasn’t lost its heart.
Be the calm in the chaos: use clear language, avoid spin and build relationships, not click funnels. Authentic, empathetic communication will matter more than any campaign this year.
2. Crisis Planning Isn’t Optional
Tough questions are coming your way from all angles – media, donors, boards, faculty, students…even your neighbors.
This year’s storm won’t be a hurricane. It’ll be a relentless barrage of change. Not dramatic or physical, but reputational. And that kind of pressure, if left unaddressed, can slowly erode the foundation of any institution.
We’re not just talking about campus safety anymore. The real crisis is how your institution responds to the moments that define public perception. How will you handle protests? Calls to end DEI programs? Deep budget cuts driven by lost grants and shrinking enrollment? These aren’t hypotheticals…they’re happening now.
Build your crisis communication strategy before you need it. Know your message, your mission, and your boundaries. Believe in your values, and be ready to defend them in small, private moments and public ones alike.
Media-train your spokespeople. Not just for the press, but for the hallway, the classroom, the boardroom, and yes, social livestreams. The most important reputational moments won’t be scripted, and that’s exactly why you need to be ready.
3. Understand the Shift to Content-for-Reputation
The lines between marketing, reputation, and search have blurred beyond recognition.
Search now favors content from credible, high-authority sources. That means PR – real, earned, strategic PR – defines your brand in the eyes of search engines and AI tools like ChatGPT.
It’s no longer about measuring success by cost-per-acquisition. This year’s KPI is content-for-reputation. The institutions that win will be the ones with strong reputational foundations: a steady push of blog content, verified stories, backlinks, podcast episodes, wire releases, and mentions by trusted sources that reinforce credibility across every channel.
No more shortcuts. SEO tactics and Google Ads won’t win this game. PR no longer supports the strategy – it is the strategy.
4. Build Your Content Machine for the Modern Media Landscape
Speaking of real, strategic PR, here’s where most institutions still miss the mark: they’re building PR around a newsroom that no longer exists. As our traditional media landscape continues to shrink, reporters migrate to self-publishing platforms like Substack, Ghost, and TikTok. And they’re on their own.
They don’t have time for asset requests or fact-finding – and that’s where you come in.
Make it easy to tell your story. Build a digital media hub with ready-to-use photos, video clips, expert bios, fact sheets, and quotes. Add context and package it cleanly. Build it once. Do it right. Then, watch it work for you again and again.
Invest in media intelligence platforms that track where these new storytellers are publishing. Use your resource library to meet them where they are. Insert your institution into their conversations in real time. More content in more places will fuel more than media mentions – it will drive visibility, search authority, and long-term trust.
5. Use Your Greatest Untapped Resource: Students
Budgets may be tight this year, but your campus is full of bright, eager talent ready to work.
Build a micro-agency. Assign digital media majors to manage social media, journalism students to write copy, and theater students to storyboard video. Let them build portfolios while they build your brand.
You get fresh content from people who understand today’s audiences. They get hands-on experience that sets them up for real jobs after graduation.
Tap into work-study, grants, and donor support to fund it. The return on investment is real – and the impact is immediate.
If the plan you built no longer fits, don’t force it. Rethink it. This is the year to be intentional and bold. The institutions that thrive in this new era won’t be the ones with the flashiest campaigns – they’ll be the ones who show up with consistency and conviction.
Let your values guide, allow communications to lead, and watch your stories do the work.