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What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why any project, refresh or update you begin should always start with a strong, clear focus on your brand Why your messaging is the key to your brand, and why your visual identity assets need to be solid and focused on your message Why telling your story through your brand is the secret to differentiating yourself from your competitors Why your website is one of the most important components of your messaging and a key opportunity to tell your story to prospective students Why part of the story you tell should go beyond what happens in the classroom and should include the many other ways joining your institution can impact students’ lives Why the timeline of a brand and website refresh typically requires around a year to eighteen months Why you should allocate a budget of at minimum $250,000 to as much as half a million dollars for a brand and website refresh project Resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier

Mary Beth Oakey brings strategic thinking combined with creative spark to the client team at Up&Up. Her background is in retail marketing for a national clothing chain where she served as the director of social media and marketing and in the agency space where she served as an account executive on digital and brand strategy projects. Interacting with clients is still one of her favorite things, but these days you’ll find her behind the scenes resourcing the team and keeping projects on time and on budget. Mary Beth and her husband, John, live in downtown Greenville with their four fur-children, Moose (a German Shepherd, Collie mix), Daisy (a Treeing Walker Coonhound, Husky mix), Roo (a Chocolate Lab, Weimaraner mix) and Ellie (an orange tabby). They can often be found on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, enjoying a local brewery, or working with the animal rescue community. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Mary Beth’s background in retail marketing and in the agency space has offered her a unique perspective she employs in her position at Up&Up How Mary Beth juggles multiple projects and roles, and why compartmentalizing and focusing on one big project at a time is very important What key systems, tools, and resources Mary Beth uses to communicate with the team and keep the work flowing efficiently Why Mary Beth suggests you start your project planning by first laying out major milestones or deliverables for the project, then building out from there Why you should set realistic expectations and allow enough time to go through multiple revisions, and why people often underestimate the time a project will take How to best manage parallel projects in tandem, and why appropriate planning and staffing is critical for success How to deal with budgeting challenges and unexpected expenses, and what points to remember when developing a launch plan Why Mary Beth tries to involve clients and external stakeholders in the process as much as possible to demonstrate steady progress over time What Mary Beth seeks to learn from reviewing the closing of a project and then how she integrates that knowledge into the next project   Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upandupagency Twitter: https://twitter.com/upandupagency   Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

Grantland Rogers, a high school senior honors student from Easley, SC preparing to enter higher education, shares his experiences with the marketing materials he has received, the admissions processes he has navigated, and his perspective as a top-performing high school student considering his higher education options. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Grantland has been in honors classes since the 8th grade and in AP classes, placing in the top five of his graduating class What areas of study Grantland hopes to focus on in college, and what he is looking for in the higher education institutions he is considering Why it is important for Grantland to attend a higher ed institution that doesn’t just prepare him for his future career but for being an independent adult Why talking to higher ed students about their own experiences has been invaluable to Grantland, and why he wishes institutions would provide a way to connect with students How Grantland would like to see higher ed institutions bring more of the on-campus experience to their virtual tours What key experiences with institutions have most resonated with Grantland, and what questions he’s still seeking answers for Why Grantland would like higher ed institutions to offer a support network to help smooth the transition to being a college student and developing adult life skills How Grantland is looking to his parents to help him make big decisions about his education, and why he still values the personalized touch of physical mail and text messaging Grantland shares an experience he had that gave him a less-than-positive impression of that school, and what he would recommend institutions do differently What one thing Grantland would change to make his decision easier to come to, and why a sense of calm and reassurance is key  Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

Holly Duncan is a marketing and communications executive who helps brands reimagine themselves for relevancy, sustainability, and profitability. She guides these organizations to define their brand through asking WHY, WHAT, and HOW and engaging them in two-way conversations with their communities. Her 16 years’ experience has been within higher education, sports, entertainment, retail, and telecommunications, and she’s led cross-functional teams on both the brand-side and agency-side. Her approach to work as an entrepreneurial innovator and team motivator has proven successful in amplifying brand conversation, engagement, and affinity across global, national, and local platforms. Holly is currently the Chief Communications Officer at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. In this role, she has the responsibility to represent and promote the College, increase its visibility and reputation, and advance the institution’s mission, vision, and goals. Prior to joining Converse, Holly served as the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters’ Director of Brand Marketing, after working in marketing roles for organizations like Verizon Wireless and Atlanta Track Club, and she even spent some time on the agency-side at Momentum Worldwide and EP+Co (formerly known as Erwin Penland), a Hill Holliday agency. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Converse College is changing from a women’s college to a co-ed university, and how Holly’s corporate experience helps her manage these major changes as they relate to branding and communications How Holly’s work with the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team to refresh their brand image and relevancy with today’s audience informs her work at Converse Why formally making the case for “why” is the first step to creating big changes, and how the Converse team made the case for change to internal staff, faculty and alumnae How Converse approached stakeholders with intentionality and planning through numerous channels such as videos, town halls, in print and face-to-face Why the leadership team was consulted from the beginning, and how Converse created an ad hoc committee with members of all stakeholder groups to help guide decision-making What eye-opening realizations Converse had while having conversations with their community around going co-ed and shifting from college to university How the team had crucial conversations around their brand and shifting from a single-gender institution to co-ed, and what core information they uncovered How Converse is preparing for the future through the change, while still honoring the rich history of their past as a women’s college How Holly and her team are making the shift from information gathering to implementation in their brand messaging   Resources: Website: www.converse.edu Website: www.converse.edu/about/strategic-plan/ Website: www.converse.edu/coed-university/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/school/converse-college/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ConverseCollege Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConverseCollege @ConverseCollege Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/converse_college/   Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

Carly Kite Lapinski is Associate Vice President for Marketing Communications at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she oversees central marketing and print services for the independent, coeducational Ivy League institution and seventh-oldest college in the United States. She joined Brown in 2017. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How one of the first challenges Carly tackled when she began working at Brown University was taking stock of the team's resources and organizational structure What advice Carly suggests for working to de-silo your teams and resources, and why cross training your team members can help What an "enterprise model" is and how Carly and her team at Brown use this model to be more strategic in their efforts How time and trust have been crucial for managing the centralized approach Carly has brought to Brown's marketing and communications How Carly prioritizes projects and resources, and why adding the right team members to her teams has been challenging but rewarding How Brown's marketing model includes student participation, and why bringing in student content creators and focus groups is becoming an increasing focus What primary challenges, big wins and and lessons Carly and her teams have been able to draw from their enterprise model What processes, tools and templates Carly and her team use to ensure brand and messaging consistency Why buy-in and support from the university's leadership has been key and how Carly uses metrics to show value and provide insights to leadership Why Carly is especially proud of her team's recent public health campaign for students' return to campus amid the global COVID-19 pandemic Resources: Website: www.brown.edu/university-communications/services  Facebook: www.facebook.com/carly.kite.lapinski/  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carlykitelapinski/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlykite @carlykite Additional resources:  Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com  Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

As Director of Client Services for Up&Up, Ashley’s passion for higher education and experience with marketing agencies comes full circle. Ashley began her career in higher education marketing, working in continuing and executive education programs at the University of South Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Harvard Business School. She also held senior marketing positions at an email marketing agency and a high tech company before joining Oden, a B2B marketing agency in Memphis, where she most recently served as VP of Digital Marketing and as a member of the leadership team. With UX certification from the Nielsen Norman Group and an unwavering dedication to client success, Ashley works to ensure Up&Up clients are happy and that our work delivers superior user experiences and results. Outside of work, Ashley likes to try out new recipes, and hang out with her husband, daughter, and their American bulldog. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Ashley’s first job out of college was marketing at a university, and how her career has come full circle with her role at Up&Up How Ashley defines audience targeting, and how journey mapping is meant to map the most common journey within your audience rather than everyone’s experience How to lay out the process and get started with journey mapping, and why it is important to include other stakeholders in the process How to use a hypothesis-based approach to journey mapping to determine pain points within prospective students’ journey How a research-first approach differs from the hypothesis-based approach, and why collecting and analyzing data is the key first step regardless of the approach you use Why journey mapping can help you identify stumbling blocks and new opportunities within your processes How much time should be set aside for journey mapping, and why it is important to revisit and update your journeys periodically How journey mapping can help you improve your marketing by indicating where you can refine your touch points How journey mapping presents a great opportunity to align your stakeholders, and why allowing them to participate in the process can encourage buy-in What benefits you can expect from mapping your prospective students’ journey and refreshing your journey maps each year Resources: Website: www.nngroup.com Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

Christine Bowman has served as the Dean for Enrollment Services at Southwestern University since May of 2014​. Her responsibilities include overseeing the admission office​ to set enrollment philosophies at Southwestern University. After growing up in Houston, she attended Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, graduating in 1993. She furthered her education earning a Masters degree in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. Throughout her career, Christine has worked with tour guides, campus visitation planning, alumni recruiting programs, transfer students, and international students managing staff and other “supplemental” duties that make an admission and enrollment office successful. Professionally, Christine has been active in various organizations including The National Association of College Admission Counseling on both the National and State level. She was the Co-Chair for the 2007 NACAC National Conference in Austin and served as the Chair of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas E-Committee. She currently serves as the Chair of the Colleges that Change Lives Board of Directors and as a member of the TACAC Fiscal Policy Committee. With 20 years of experience in the Admission profession, Christine believes in guiding students to find the right college fit and regularly gives presentations encouraging a stress-free college search process. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the global pandemic and its effects have impacted the work Christine and her team have done, and what adjustments they have made to adapt to the new reality What major wins Christine experienced during the summer enrollment period, and what important lessons she was able to glean from the challenges the team faced What adjustments Southwestern University has made to adhere to social distancing and health safety guidelines How Christine and her team are preparing for the coming enrollment cliff, and what steps they are taking now to strongly position themselves in advance of the drop Why traditional name lists through the SAT and ACT may not work as well as it has in the past, and why creative nontraditional solutions are needed What tips and strategies Christine has to share for better collaboration between marketing and admissions teams How Christine is focusing on maintaining authenticity and Soutwestern University’s sense of self even while innovating new strategies How strong collaboration across Southwestern had become a powerful asset to help drive their success through this transition What steps Christine is taking to help students and their families address financial concerns, especially during this difficult period How Southwestern works not just to recruit new students but to retain existing students by showing the value of the education and experiences they offer Resources: Website: www.southwestern.edu Website: www.ctcl.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/suadmissioncb @suadmissioncb Facebook: www.facebook.com/christine.k.bowman LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christine-bowman-5391568/ Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

Mim’s Bio Mim Phillips has had the opportunity to work in diversified career fields while maintaining a philosophy to help others and consistently bring her skills and strengths to each role she’s pursued. Born in Hong Kong, Mim has traveled to 43 countries and lived in the U.S., UK, and Iran, crediting her international experiences to her worldview. A Chapman University alumni, Mim received her B.S. in marketing and business administration as well as a teaching certificate. While working in the U.K., Mim attained an interior design diploma and subsequently owned a design firm in the U.S. gaining regional recognition. During that same time, as creative director and entrepreneur, for over a decade her highlight was providing leadership to increase graduation rates in the inner city and connecting business clients to partner with a K-12 Center. With an M.S. in Organizational Leadership and international management from Colorado State University-Global Campus, she moved into international higher education and for 6 years worked in a broad range of various roles, ranging from academic advising, DSO, recruiting and overseeing an international office. Today she works as an account executive for Study in the USA, a firm that believes in the global impact of international education. On her offtime, she enjoys hiking, painting, and spending invaluable time with her kids, husband, and 2 young grandkids. Simon’s Bio Simon Hamlin has lived quite a few lives in his life… After graduating from UCLA with a B.A. in Sociology, he backpacked through Europe. Shortly after, Simon worked as a counselor at an American high school in Israel (Alexander Muss), followed by another backpacking excursion through Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. Simon returned to his hometown of Seattle, where he worked in Public Relations at a high tech PR firm and in Marketing at a music startup. On a whim, he also decided to take an acting class. What began in earnest as a few evening classes turned into a 10+ year career as a professional actor. Simon worked extensively on stage and on camera, including roles in The Fighter (Academy Award nomination for Best Picture) and Leverage (TNT television series). In between acting gigs, Simon did all types of work: restaurant waiter, script coverage writer, speed dating host, producer, salesperson… But the job that had the biggest impact on his life was working with a young boy with autism. That inspired Simon to work with The Miracle Project, a theatre and film arts program for children with special needs. He co-produced a live show that became the topic of an HBO documentary called Autism: The Musical. As Simon’s priorities in life shifted, he transitioned out of acting to focus on several of his passions – international travel, education, and marketing. This led him to study in the USA, where he has spent the past 7 years helping US schools connect with international students. Outside of the international student marketing world, his main areas of interest in life are learning how to optimize and integrate mind and body (through yoga, meditation, diet), the environment, writing, world travel, and minimalistic living. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What part of Mim and Simon’s work at Study in the USA they find most impactful on a day-to-day basis How higher education institutions can better engage with international students, and how interacting with these students differs from domestic students What steps schools can take to better understand the needs of international students, their families, and other supporters, and why relationship-building is key What potential challenges and obstacles international students face, and why it is crucial to make efforts to bridge language barriers in particular What major misconceptions create challenges for international students, and how institutions can address those misconceptions Why international students often face overlooked financial hurdles, and how the outbreak of the global pandemic has uniquely impacted this student cohort Why tailoring your messaging to the current environment is crucial, and what areas of study seem to be most popular with international students How China, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Latin America lead the way in the number of international students coming to the United States to study Why it is important to allocate sufficient financial resources to marketing toward international students Why you should still be focusing on consistent marketing efforts, even during the global pandemic crisis Resources: Website: www.studyusa.com Website: www.studyintheusaglobal.com Mim’s Email: mim@studyusa.com Mim’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mimphillips/ Simon’s Email: simon@studyusa.com Simon’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/simonhamlin/ Study in the USA LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/study-in-the-usa/ Client Facing: www.studyintheusaglobal.com/our-solutions.html Student Facing: www.studyusa.com/en Twitter: @studyUSAcom Facebook: www.facebook.com/studyintheusa Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency  

Sara Taylor, President and Founder of deepSEE Consulting, has over thirty years of extensive experience in the practice of Diversity and Inclusion serving local, national and global clients. While her areas of specialty are in both Diversity and Leadership Development, Sara has become a thought leader particularly in the field of Cultural Competence. Her bestselling book, Filter Shift: How Effective People SEE the World, is used by numerous individuals and organizations to increase success and create greater effectiveness. Sara holds a Master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development and, prior to founding deepSEE, held positions such as Chief Diversity Officer and Leadership and Diversity Specialist. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why Sara and her team at deepSEE Consulting define diversity as “differences that make a difference” What unconscious bias is, and how of the millions of pieces of information we take in every second we are only conscious of around 40 of them Why bias isn’t just about negative feelings toward marginalized groups but also includes positive feelings toward dominant groups What the five stages of cultural competence are and how each stage affects our ability to navigate difference How Sara helps people overcome feelings of self-consciousness over their unconscious biases and move forward How diversity can be included in your marketing in an authentic and effective way, and what you should avoid doing Why diversity alone isn’t enough to improve productivity, and why a team’s cultural competence makes a big difference Why developing cultural competence is a process that starts with your own subconscious bias first How to best deal with situations in which people push back against diversity and inclusion work, and why commonality is the key Why equality isn’t the same as equity, and how doing the work can impact all aspects of your institution Resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Website: http://filtershift.com Twitter: @deepSEESara Facebook: www.facebook.com/deepsee.consulting LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarajanetaylor/ Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

What you’ll learn about in this episode: How at Up&Up, “conscious leadership” embedded in the agency’s culture by CEO Adam Landrum has created an environment of true collaboration and open dialog How conscious leadership is comprised of fifteen commitments, including “taking radical responsibility”, “learning through curiosity”, and “speaking candidly” Why these fifteen commitments are a powerful platform for having difficult but productive conversations within the team How radical candor is the ability to challenge directly and show that you are caring personally at the same time Why understanding your goals and intentions for having difficult conversations before you have them is necessary for ensuring that they are productive How radical candor can help you have difficult conversations by lowering defensiveness and reducing the likelihood of mistrust Why challenge can be a positive thing, and why having the courage to say something despite discomfort or worry is crucial Why it is good to bring problems you’ve identified into the conversation, even if you don’t have the solutions Why being candid should come from a place of caring, to avoid turning into unnecessarily mean “brutal honesty” Why having strong, ongoing consistent communication can help you discuss problems before they become major issues Resources: Read Allison’s blog article titled “How Conscious Leadership Helped Shape Up&Up” Learn more about Radical Candor and the 6 tips for helpful feedback Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upandupagency Twitter: https://twitter.com/upandupagency

As the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Circa Interactive, Joseph Lapin has created a career around his core passions: storytelling, strategy, marketing, education, and consumer behavior. His journey started after he earned his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a freelance journalist and wrote for publications like the LA Times, LA Weekly, Slate, and many more. Joseph brought those storytelling skills to Circa Interactive, where he helped build a digital marketing company focused on creating marketing strategies and brand campaigns for top-tier higher education institutions. Circa Interactive has made the Inc. 5000 list three years in a row, and Joseph is proud of how much they’ve grown in a short time. As Joseph builds his career as an advertising professional, he still works on his craft as an author and essayist. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why speaking directly to faculty is the key to better understanding your audience and developing your personas Why clear personas can be powerful resources to help you better focus your marketing efforts and bring your story to the right audience How the “hero’s journey” from literature can also apply to your higher ed institution’s marketing and storytelling efforts How building personas can help you speak to people on a fundamental, psychological level that connects to them emotionally and can help you develop categories of audiences How often your personas need to be updated and refreshed, and how to evolve your multiple personas alongside your programs, CRM and job titles Why Cambridge Analytica, despite their awful history and past controversies, provide a powerful example of how to use persona-based marketing Why accurate analytics are crucial for identifying what is and isn’t working and how you can evolve your methods and better reach your audience Why it is important to go beyond demographic data and identify what your target audience cares about and other psychographic information Why the coming shift to online-only education isn’t the major issue it may seem to be, and why the bigger hurdle is demonstrating the value of higher education going forward Why, in spite of all the turmoil, chaos and difficulties in our world today, it is important to maintain and share hope Resources: Blog: www.josephalapin.com Website: www.circaedu.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/CircaInteractive/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-lapin-mfa-5b50a812 Twitter: @JosephALapin Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency  

What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the outbreak of the global pandemic has had a broad effect on prospective students’ media consumption habits and the channels through which they consume media Why video is an explosive category for prospective students’ media consumption, with a 51% increase in online video consumption since the start of the pandemic How TV streaming, online video game viewing, and audio streaming are all rapidly growing categories that all indicate where you can best meet your audience Why a dramatic increase in website traffic volume indicates an opportunity for institutions to streamline their websites and make them more user-friendly Why it is important to begin doing a gap analysis to ensure that what used to be communicated through in-person tours is being reflected on your website Why you shouldn’t allow your advertising to falter during the pandemic but should instead focus on doubling down and bringing your message to your audience where they are Why updating your messaging and marketing today will reap rewards even post-pandemic when the coming enrollment cliff hits Why you should communicate how, even as students shift to increased online learning, you are focusing on maintaining the quality of the educational experience you offer Resources: Link to Download Report: https://www.upandup.agency/whitepaper/covid-19-2020-higher-education-media-impact-report Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upandupagency Twitter: https://twitter.com/upandupagency Episode Transcript

Justin Croxton is the managing partner at Propellant Media, a digital advertising and marketing technology company based out of Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC.His team primarily focuses on best-in-class programmatic display solutions ranging from geofencing marketing to OTT advertising, and they also partner with a host of digital agencies who leverage Propellant Media’s platforms, process, and execution. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Propellant Media differentiates themselves by developing their expertise in programmatic display solutions and other cutting edge marketing avenues How Justin defines “programmatic display” as the automated buying and selling of display ads in real time How OTT advertising and geofencing marketing fit within the heading of programmatic display, and why OTT advertising creates great, targeted opportunities for higher ed How geofencing marketing works to serve ads based in highly precise geographic areas, using location to offer insights into the audience How the global pandemic is creating challenges, specifically with geofencing, and how the Propellant team is shifting strategies to match students’ current behavior Why advertising is only as effective as the landing page that users are directed to, and why there is no single solution but it takes a recipe of different ingredients Why understanding who you are marketing to is critical for better reaching them by tailoring your message to their needs and interests Why it is important to take the time to actually develop the personalization of your content, and why video is a critical and powerful tool How to use video content in a personalized way to speak directly to specific audience demographics Why Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram are absolutely required channels to leverage, and why trying out and testing new strategies is key Resources: Website: www.propellant.media Facebook: www.facebook.com/propellantmedia/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/justincroxton/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/propellant-media/ Twitter: @PropellantMedia Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency Episode Transcript

What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the global pandemic and social distancing requirements have dramatically increased the number of webinar offerings available to higher ed professionals How Up&Up is now offering its own webinar series, and how Scott and Allison have found value in participating in webinars from others in the industry as well What facts, trends, and best practices Scott and Allison have noticed in how higher ed institutions have prepared for the fall 2020 term during the pandemic How many students have shifted their plans to second- or third-choice institutions to stay closer to home and as a cost-saving measure How 45% of students have reported that the global pandemic has had either a strong or extremely strong impact on their emotional and mental preparedness What concerns students are experiencing going into a remote learning environment, and how these concerns have an outsized impact on students with limited financial means Why communication is the vital key to ensure students’ success during the fall term and new academic year, despite the challenges and changes they are facing Resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upandupagency Twitter: https://twitter.com/upandupagency

Residing and working in Youngstown, Ohio, Kati Hartwig has five years of higher education digital marketing experience as the Coordinator of Social Media and Digital Marketing at Youngstown State University (fun fact: they currently hold the world record for “Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Penguins” – yes, it’s a thing). She manages the university’s official social media accounts, oversees a student ambassador program, coordinates content with departments and colleges, and helps write copy for the institution’s website. She was born and raised in Youngstown, and is a proud, two-time alum from YSU — it’s no wonder her favorite animal is the penguin. When she isn’t spending her days online, Kati loves to take copious amounts of photos of her dog, Sheba, visit with friends at one of the great wineries in northeast Ohio, bake with her mom, and cheer on her favorite sports teams (Go Steelers!). You can find her random thoughts on Twitter at @KatiHartwig. Callie Goodwin is the social media strategist for Columbia College, a small, private college in South Carolina. She manages social media, photography, video, and graphic design for her institution. Callie is a two-time alumna of Columbia College and is also a certified Social Media Strategist by the National Institute for Social Media. She is also the founder of Sparks of Joy Co, a card company focusing on spreading more joy in the world through writing cards. Callie can be found tweeting about her cats (Fish and Chips), iced coffee, and all things higher ed social at @calliegoodwin. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What inspired Callie to work in higher ed, and how her career journey began as a preschool teacher before changing career paths and finding her love of higher ed marketing How Kati worked in the nonprofit world as a fundraiser before being contacted by a former professor about a marketing position for graduate students How written lists help Callie focus without feeling overwhelmed, and how Kati tracks her efforts with a spreadsheet to record what’s working and what isn’t What strategic adjustments Callie is making to work through the global pandemic and its challenges, and how Kati is preparing for a post-pandemic reality How Kati and Callie dealt with the challenge of crisis messaging as the pandemic began to take hold, and how unity and community were critical during that time How the Higher Ed Social Media Facebook group and other communities have been integral support networks for both Callie and Kati during these challenges Why a higher ed institution’s social media strategist knows the audience better than anyone and should be a key part of the emergency messaging discussion How Callie and Kati handle the pressure and anxiety of audience criticism, negative social media feedback and personal attacks Why it is important to accept that things are challenging right now and to find time for self-care and an opportunity to take a step back and de-stress Why it is important to recognize your limits as a team of one, and why confidence and speaking up is key Resources: Callie’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/callie-goodwin Callie’s Twitter: @calliegoodwin Kati’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/KatilynHartwig Kati’s Twitter: @KatiHartwig Higher Ed Social Media Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/HigherEdSocial/ Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

Andrea Honaker holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University and spent the first dozen years of her career in the newspaper industry, where she took on roles as a copy editor/page designer, lifestyles reporter and education reporter. In 2018, she transitioned to work in higher education by becoming a digital content specialist in the Marketing Communications department at Mercer University. Her primary duties are managing content for the university’s main social media platforms and writing feature stories for the university’s news sites. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Andrea’s career path led her to working as a digital content specialist at Mercer University, and what she loves about her role What Andrea’s role entails, and how she is instrumental in helping developed a clear, focused message and great stories to share How Andrea and the team brainstorm new content that falls into separate “content buckets”, and what kinds of content they create Why fun and nostalgic posts have helped break up “heavy” content and connect well with alumni How the team tracks their analytics, and what specific metrics they focus on to determine the success of a post What impact the outbreak of the global pandemic has made on the content the team has been creating, and how they’ve rolled out new tools and resources during the crisis Why striking the right balance between focusing on the pandemic and sharing less stressful content has been vital How Andrea and the team plan out content for the future, without getting too far out so that their messaging can stay nimble How the team draws inspiration for their content, including from a Facebook group called #HigherEdSocial Why one of the things Andrea loves about her job is the ability to learn from other experts Resources: Website: https://www.mercer.edu Website: https://news.mercer.edu/ Website: https://den.mercer.edu/ #HigherEdSocial Public Group: www.hashtaghighered.social, www.facebook.com/groups/HigherEdSocial/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/MercerUniversity/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-honaker-278745163/ Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the current global pandemic crisis and the coming enrollment cliff are creating new changes in higher ed marketing and necessitate a plan Why there is a need for ongoing projects within higher ed marketing, and why research is vital for navigating these projects successfully Why your website needs a brand platform that offers at least three years of longevity, and why you should refresh your website every three to five years How your ongoing marketing campaigns will drive your brand awareness, enrollment campaigns and nurture efforts Why budget planning often creates a challenging roadblock to planning for your ongoing projects Why consistency is vital when leveraging partnerships and keeping your stakeholders informed about your efforts Resources: Free Up&Up “Benefits of a 3-Year Marketing Plan” Webinar: https://www.upandup.agency/whitepaper/webinar-benefits-of-a-3-year-marketing-plan Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upandupagency Twitter: https://twitter.com/upandupagency

Hannah Kerr is a 24 year old, Nashville native living in South Carolina to pursue her dreams as a Photographer, Content Creator, and Educator. She is on this journey with her fiance, who she met when she was 10 years old. Hannah started her career around 3 years ago with her first blog called Kerrageously Made. This online platform served as her healing method as she was recovering from an eating disorder and utilizing her faith to figure out her next steps. From her hardships, she found her passion for creating positive content through photographs and writing so she could shine some light and personal experience onto someone needing it. In college, Hannah found so much joy when having one-on-one conversations with women. She decided to mix that passion with her blogging skills and lead a women’s group called the Little Pink Book. A few years later, she took this name and turned it into an online platform for workshops, mentoring and photography for those growing a business or blog. Hannah created two workshops on the how-to’s of social media and blogging on-the-go. She offers brand and blog photography for online influencers. Most importantly, she offers one-on-one coffee sessions to discuss all things life, media, photography tips, prayer requests, you name it! By taking her past experience of blogging and applying it to others, she hopes she can make a difference not only in their social media feed, but in their life journeys. If you see her, she’s probably wearing a hat, planning her next travel wishlist for adventurous photoshoots, or meeting with her clients and/or bride and groom at local coffee shops. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Hannah followed her older sister’s path into public relations, and how personal struggles led to her first blog and a brand new career path Why Hannah feels passionately about social media and the opportunity to create positive effects in the lives of others How diverse skills and plenty of networking were the keys to Hannah’s growth as a social media influencer and photographer How Instagram became Hannah’s preferred social media platform and introduced her content to a much broader audience How to effectively use social media features to connect to your audience and form new relationships with brands and social media users Why Hannah believes that social media is the key to accelerating your growth and impact, and why trial and error is necessary to figure out what works for you What advice Hannah has to offer to help you better connect with students and create conversations What tips and tools Hannah has to share to help you start out on social media, how to schedule your posts, and why it’s important to accept and learn from failures Why your students can be a powerful and budget-friendly resource who can help you create engaging social media content Why sharing your passion online is the secret to creating engaging content that generates interest, and why you shouldn’t fear trying new things Resources: Website: www.Hannah-Kerr.com Planoly Social Media Planner: www.planoly.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahKerrPhotography/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-kerr-b0aa04a2/ Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency Episode Transcript

How to download Allison and Scott’s FREE webinar series, and what exciting topics they are covering within the series How the first of the 7-steps to successful branding is the insights or discovery step where you will collect data and ask meaningful questions How the second step is to strategize how to craft your messaging around attracting and retaining the right students, grow your engagement and strengthen your brand How step three involves creating a strategy roadmap and concepts, prototype your messaging and lay the foundation for your campaigns How the fourth step, production, is the key to creating consistency around your brand across all of your marketing efforts How the fifth step is the equip phase, where you give your team the training, tools and activation guidelines to own and live your brand How the sixth step is when you activate your marketing campaigns across traditional media, social media, SEO and other channels How the seventh and final step is to measure all your efforts and extract data to inform your future decisions and strategy Resources: Free Up&Up “7-Steps to Successful Branding” Webinar: https://www.upandup.agency/whitepaper/webinar-7-steps-to-successful-branding Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upandupagency Twitter: https://twitter.com/upandupagency

Cynthia Thomson is the Associate Director of Columbia University’s MA Program in Climate and Society where she manages the day to day administration of the program including recruitment, student and alumni affairs, budget, and admissions. She also spearheads strategic planning for the program through curriculum development and extracurricular activities. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Cynthia came to her position from the climate side rather than from higher ed, and why she feels passionately about the many hats she wears How the Columbia University Climate and Society program came about, and why this program is so important today Why the challenge for the program is finding the right students to encourage to apply due to its narrow niche and broad audience Why one of the important tasks Cynthia has is to educate people on the program and explain its science-heavy nature despite being a M.A. program How the program’s curriculum is unique and allows for many options to cater to the diverse students who are considering the program How the team works to align the program’s messaging with the overall messaging of the university at the institutional level How the program taking place in New York City offers both benefits and drawbacks for students that Cynthia and her team need to be aware of Why keeping the program small and focusing on the right students with a short program has meant extremely high program completion and strong support for students What actions, tools and support Cynthia has utilized to ensure her success as a team of one, and how Zoom and Slack have been powerful resources to optimize her time Resources: M.A. in Climate and Society: http://climatesociety.ei.columbia.edu/ The Earth Institute: https://www.earth.columbia.edu/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-thomson-60970a11/ Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency