Marketing 101
Greetings, fellow Lumberjacks! The team at University Marketing welcomes you to the Marketing Matters blog, which we will publish in coordination with our newly revived newsletter of the same name. Before we dive into deeper issues, we wanted to provide you with an overview of our field and our team. As an institution dedicated to increasing access to knowledge, it is essential for us to understand the pivotal role marketing plays in achieving our mission.
Introduction to marketing
Marketing is a dynamic field that plays a crucial role in the success of businesses, organizations, and even public institutions like universities. At its core, marketing is about creating value, building relationships, and effectively communicating with your target audience. In this blog post, we will explore the fundamentals of marketing and delve into its application within the unique context of public universities. So, let’s begin by understanding the basics of marketing.
Marketing fundamentals
Marketing is all about understanding your target audience and creating strategies to meet their needs and desires. Here are a few key components of successful marketing:
Knowing your target audience
To effectively market Northern Arizona University, we must have a deep understanding of our target audience. Who are they? What are their aspirations, challenges, and preferences? At NAU, our core target audience is prospective students. But we also regularly engage with different audiences, including alumni, businesses, and local, state, and national communities. By gathering specific information about our disparate audiences, we can tailor our marketing efforts to resonate with them and address their specific needs. To keep things simple, we’ll focus on prospective students in our discussion here.
Crafting a compelling value proposition
A value proposition is the unique benefit or value that NAU offers prospective students. It encapsulates what sets NAU apart from others and gives people a reason to choose us. Our mandate is to develop a clear and compelling value proposition that communicates the distinct advantages and opportunities available at NAU.
Building a strong brand
NAU’s brand is the perception and reputation the university holds in people’s minds. Building a strong brand involves consistent messaging, visual identity, and experiences that align with NAU’s values. A strong brand evokes trust, credibility, and an emotional connection with an audience.
Choosing the right marketing channels
With the digital age, many more marketing channels are available than in the past. It’s important to select the ones that align with our audience’s preferences and habits. Whether it’s social media platforms, email marketing, content creation, or traditional methods, we choose channels that effectively reach and engage with our target audience.
Applying marketing in a public university context
Now that we have covered the basics, let’s explore how marketing can be applied in the context of a public university. Here are some key considerations:
Spreading awareness and increasing access
Public universities have a mission to increase access to higher education. Marketing plays a crucial role in spreading awareness about the educational opportunities and resources NAU offers. By effectively communicating our mission, values, and commitment to accessibility, we can attract a wider audience of potential students.
Targeted outreach and inclusion
Public universities often have a diverse student body. Marketing allows us to engage in targeted outreach efforts to underrepresented groups and communities. By tailoring our marketing messages and channels to resonate with these audiences, we can create a sense of inclusion and inspire individuals who may have felt excluded from pursuing higher education.
Communicating scholarships and financial aid
Affordability is a significant factor for many prospective students. Through marketing, we can effectively communicate scholarships and financial aid options, making higher education more accessible to students who may require financial support.
Showcasing programs and student support
Marketing provides a platform to highlight the unique academic programs, student support services, and extracurricular opportunities available at NAU. By effectively showcasing these offerings, we can inspire confidence in potential students and demonstrate how NAU can help them achieve their goals.
Building community engagement
Public universities are integral parts of their communities. Marketing allows us to foster community engagement by collaborating with local organizations, businesses, and community leaders. By creating initiatives and events that showcase NAU’s commitment to serving the community, we attract potential students who value community involvement and strengthen NAU’s relationship with the regional community.
University Marketing: Who are we and what do we do?
University Marketing is NAU’s in-house marketing agency. As such, we serve clients across campus, developing strategic plans; creating marketing campaigns; conducting research to inform those campaigns; creating visual, print, and digital collateral; promoting brand awareness; and managing web and digital projects to support the university as a whole.
Some of the campaigns and projects we have initiated include creating the NAU Español website, the NAU Bookstore wall wrap, collateral support for the Undergraduate Research Symposium & Expo, and the Dean’s Welcome Video.
In addition, University Marketing provides monthly digital support through our Coffee With Digital series, as well as design and content reviews.
Our teams
- Client Service Managers (CSM): Support NAU colleges, departments, and select non-academic units with strategic print, website, and marketing initiatives
- Design: Full-service graphic design, including accessible design
- Digital: Website and digital support
- Executive: Sets goals, manages, and guides the department as a whole
- Photo/video: Photo shoots and videography
- Printing services: Full-service print shop for small- and large-format printing projects
- Project Management Office (PMO): Coordinates stakeholders and guides projects from request to completion
- Trademarks and Licensing: Support for branded merchandise
- Writing and Editing: Writes, edits, proofreads, and organizes strategic content creation across platforms—print, digital, etc.
In addition to creating marketing content, the department also provides tools and resources that allow university stakeholders to create their own in-brand marketing materials. Those resources include:
| If you need: | Go to: |
|---|---|
| ADA support | Request support to ensure all of your materials are accessible and meet ADA guidelines. |
| Brand guidelines | Get guidance on using logos, typography, approved color palettes, and more. |
| Design/content/project support | Request project support that includes content or design services. |
| Digital support | Request support for your website or other digital needs. |
| Photo/video shoots | Request a photo or video shoot. |
| Photos/templates/logos | In Widen, you’ll find: • approved photography • general and college-specific templates for posters, brochures, flyers, presentations, digital signage, and more • logos for all university colleges and departments |
| Printing services | Place your orders for printed materials here. |
| Trademark and licensing support/services | Request approval for branded merchandise and promotional materials. |
| Visual style guide | This guide addresses requirements and guidelines for the use of logos, color, and fonts in print and digital formats. |
| Writing style guide | Get all your questions answered about grammar, spelling, capitalization, and all things related to the written word. |
Questions?
Find all University Marketing resources and information at nau.edu/marketing. Our primary resource is the UM marketing support request form. Bookmark it!
Direct general questions to marketing@nau.edu or 928-523-1741.