Universities hold vast amounts of data but turning it into meaningful action remains a challenge. How can institutions go beyond spreadsheets and reports to make data work for them?

In this episode of The Partnership Podcast – Higher Ed Marketing, Andy Youell, Higher Education Data Expert, joins CEO and Founder of Marketing Partnership, Penny Eccles, to uncover the secrets to making data truly impactful. Together, they explore the evolving role of planning teams, the power of collaboration, and why storytelling is the key to turning insight into action.

Making data meaningful in higher education

Higher education is no stranger to data. For decades, planning functions have played a crucial role in helping universities navigate compliance and predict student numbers. But the role of data has evolved—and so have the challenges.

Andy shares how planning teams have moved from being behind-the-scenes number crunchers to taking centre stage in shaping institutional strategy. From juggling internal demands to meeting external regulatory requirements, the expectations on planning teams are higher than ever. Together, Andy and Penny tackle some of the big questions: How can marketing and planning teams collaborate to unlock the full potential of HE data? Why is context just as important as the numbers themselves? And how can university colleagues use storytelling to make their insight resonate with leadership and stakeholders?

In This Episode

• The evolution of planning functions in higher education
• Turning data into actionable insight through collaboration
• How to break down silos and align teams
• The importance of adding context to data to avoid oversimplified conclusions
• Using storytelling to make data relatable and persuasive
• Tips for marketing and recruitment teams to work effectively with planning colleagues
• How understanding trends and demographics can shape strategies
• Why the structure of planning teams matters less than fostering collaboration

Quotes

• “The journey to insight is about bringing together published statistics, demographic trends, industry reports, government policies, and competitor activities, all of these things. It no longer becomes a conversation about just analysing data.”
• “I don't think the answer is within structures and job titles. The answer is within an organisational culture and mindset. The ability to bring together the hard data and the softer issues, the warm data, and to bring that together in a meaningful way.”
• “Once we’ve interpreted the data and got to the insight, we then need to take it out and tell a story because people don’t remember numbers, but they always remember a story.”

No one wants their university to be the insurance choice. As marketers, we want to inspire students to consider us as their top choice, not merely a backup. Through our research and work with HE marketers, we’ve found there are some common yet avoidable traps that cause prospective students to consider your university as the insurance rather than first choice.

How to reduce friction in the application process and leave a great impression

Penny Eccles, CEO and Founder of Marketing Partnership, breaks down these common issues and dives into the topic of conversion strategies in this episode. A common theme is understanding the importance of building great relationships with students and communicating effectively. We look at how universities engage with students throughout the application process from interviews to open and applicant days and eventually enrolment.

Penny identifies the key stages of the application process that can make or break that relationship with students and ultimately affect conversions.

In This Episode

• Why it’s never too early in the year to start thinking about conversions
• The danger of ghosting your enquirers
• How you might be pricing your courses as a natural second choice
• How your applicant interview process can affect conversions
• Why you should never neglect students you reject
• Why students who attend both open and applicant days should be treated as VIPs
• How to maintain a positive tone throughout student communication
• The poor impression an uncoordinated welcome can give

Quotes

• “Our research tells us that you can easily lose 10% of your firm choices between the firm choice stage and enrolment stage. Encouraging everybody into creating a more coordinated welcome might save you.”
• "If your entry tariff is too low, you might be inadvertently positioning yourself - or indeed forcing - your applicants to pick you as the insurance choice."
• “Institutions that manage to get their applicants to an open day and then an applicant day can have off-the-scale conversion rates. But here's the killer fact. On average, only about 3% of your offer holders will go to those two events.”

Attracting the right students to your university is more important than ever, and academic colleagues play a crucial role in this process. In this episode of The Partnership Podcast – Higher Ed Marketing, host Penny Eccles shares key insights into how universities can boost their student recruitment strategies through collaboration and smart marketing.

Maximising student recruitment via PRISM

With a focus on how universities, and more specifically academic colleagues, can attract more of the right students, Penny introduces the PRISM method—a strategy that covers Positioning, Relationships, Issues, Stickiness, and Measurement.

She looks at the role that academic colleagues play in making courses more appealing and competitive. Whether it's refining course descriptions, nurturing school relationships, or creating memorable open day pitches, this podcast episode focuses on providing universities with the tools to grow market share and build lasting connections with potential students.

In This Episode

• Introduction to the PRISM method
• Course positioning strategies
• Building relationships with prospective students
• Addressing recruitment barriers
• Creating memorable messaging
• Establishing thought leadership
• Importance of measuring recruitment success
• Summary and additional resources

Quotes

• “When we talk to some universities, we ask them, do they believe that academic colleagues see part of their role as being in support of marketing and student recruitment? And if I'm honest, we get a mixed response.”
• “It's not always about just great marketing. If your product isn't as exciting as your nearest competitors, no amount of promotion can bring you greater market share.”
• “What they [students] actually want is to feel something. They want to feel a connection. And we can help that by telling a story.”