Audience: Community College

In today’s higher education landscape, traditional marketing strategies—built on demographics, test scores, and zip codes—no longer provide the depth needed to engage and convert modern students. While demographics tell us who and where—they don’t tell us why.

The challenges facing higher education aren’t just about policy—they’re about perception. Institutions must go beyond policy debates and clearly articulate their broader value to their community. Colleges and universities are not just places of learning—they fuel innovation, drive economic mobility, and strengthen communities. Now more than ever, higher education leaders must work together to ensure this message resonates. Here’s where to start.

In today’s crowded higher ed landscape, standing out isn’t just important—it’s essential. Recent research from Westwood One reveals a key challenge: dull, uninspired ads require 2x to 2.6x more media spend to achieve the same impact as engaging, creative campaigns. For community colleges operating on tight budgets, ineffective ads limit reach and waste valuable resources.

Carnegie is excited to announce that Shankar Prasad has joined its senior leadership team as Chief Strategy Officer. With an extensive background in higher education leadership, strategic innovation, and institutional growth, Shankar brings invaluable expertise to Carnegie at a time when colleges and universities are navigating unprecedented change.

As student search trends and the higher education industry continue to evolve, Google Ads Scripts provides an effective tool that is utilized to efficiently manage campaigns. These blocks of JavaScript code assist in developing data-driven campaign insights and optimizations that are utilized to further maximize the impact PPC and Performance Max campaigns have on reaching your enrollment goals.

With 2025 already underway, community colleges have a unique opportunity to leverage digital marketing strategies to drive enrollment growth this year. As prospective students continue to rely on online resources to explore colleges and programs, it’s more important than ever that your institution meets them where they are.

Standing out on crowded social feeds can be a challenge—especially for higher education institutions. While organic social media is vital, pairing it with paid advertising strategies has proven to be an increasingly effective way to amplify your reach and impact.

In this digital age, social media platforms are vital tools for universities and colleges to connect with prospective students. However, engaging with prospective students, many of whom are minors, comes with important privacy and safety considerations. Major platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snapchat, TikTok, and LinkedIn have recognized these challenges and implemented robust safety measures to protect young users. 

Carnegie announced today its acquisition of Credo, a trusted higher education consulting firm. Together, Carnegie and Credo will provide clients with strategic consulting and comprehensive solutions, integrating presidential strategy, institutional planning, enrollment management, brand and marketing strategies, and student success partnerships to address the complex challenges facing higher education today.

It’s hard to imagine social media without TikTok. Over the past few years, this platform has revolutionized the way brands, creators, and even higher education institutions connect with their audiences. But, with increased regulatory and security scrutiny, there are still questions about the future of the platform. Higher education institutions should prepare for potential disruptions.