Audience: Community College

The college selection process is deeply personal. Even the smallest details can influence a student’s decision to attend (or not attend) your institution. For an admissions team, navigating these details to guide students toward enrollment can seem like an impossible negotiation.

As more users turn to streaming platforms as their main source of information and entertainment, the prevalence and popularity of Connected TV ads have shot up. Nowadays, CTV is an essential component of any modern digital marketing strategy. 

Google named Carnegie’s digital marketing team as a 2025 Google Premier Partner! This marks over 10 years we’ve been a Premier Partner.

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.