Service Line: Digital Marketing

In higher education, organic social media often serves as the front door of your institution’s brand. It’s the place where prospective and current students, parents, alumni, and donors first get a sense of your institution’s culture, values, and voice. 

Standing out in today’s saturated social media feeds requires more than just frequent posting. It’s about understanding what makes social media “social” and using it to connect with your audience in engaging ways. 

When prospective students research academic programs, they aren’t casually browsing — they’re making one of the most important decisions of their lives that will shape their future career. They want detailed, reliable information that helps them compare options, weigh outcomes, and feel confident before applying. In fact, for many students, their college choice entirely depends on finding the right academic program. But when they land on a webpage that’s vague, disjointed, or incomplete, they’re more likely to click away, taking their application with them.

Social media is constantly evolving, but one platform has maintained consistent relevance with younger audiences: Snapchat. For higher ed marketers, Snapchat offers unique opportunities for colleges and universities to connect with students authentically and effectively.

In higher education marketing, it’s all about meeting prospective students where they are and guiding them every step of the way toward enrollment. That’s the heart of full-funnel marketing. It’s not just a buzzword; it’s a strategic way to nurture prospects from first touchpoint to final decision.

TikTok might have started as a space for viral dances and trends, but that’s not how prospective college students use it anymore. Today, TikTok is influencing real decisions, and that includes where students visit, apply, and enroll.

Reddit awarded Carnegie with a prestigious Reddit Sales Partner Badge. The Sales Partner Badge is awarded to marketing agencies with exceptional achievements and expertise in leveraging Reddit’s advertising solutions to drive impactful results for our higher education clients.

Higher education websites are always evolving—whether you’re adding a new program, updating enrollment deadlines, or tweaking a form field. But many institutions still rely on fragile front-end code that wasn’t built for frequent change. Even small updates can cause big problems, especially when changes happen directly inside the CMS (content management system).

In today’s digital landscape, prospective students aren’t just skimming your website or reading brochures; they’re scrolling through your social media, looking for proof of what your institution is really like. They want to see real stories, genuine experiences, and student voices, not just polished ads. That’s why the most effective higher ed marketing strategies strike a balance: organic content that builds trust paired with paid campaigns that expand reach.

In the constantly evolving world of digital marketing, higher education professionals are always searching for platforms that meet students where they are. Reddit offers a compelling mix of authenticity, community, and search intent that makes it uniquely powerful for higher education marketing.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is up and running, but do you know how to get data to share with your institution’s stakeholders? There are many standard reports and Explorations in GA4 that can be helpful for higher education marketers, but don’t always answer all the questions you may have.