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These marketing professionals offer ten tips for deans and communications officers who want to pull together an integrated marketing plan that showcases their unique strengths and plays to every audience. 1. Stop looking over your shoulder. "Don't worry about what the Ivy League schools are doing, and just do what you need to do," says Fitting. "Figure out the kind of student who would thrive at your school and who would then go out into the world to do wonderful things. Figure out how to speak to that person." 2. Focus on what makes you unique. "Put a stake in the ground. Pick something you're really good at, and talk about it all the time," says Fitting. Make sure you're high- lighting an area of expertise that suits your location, she adds. For instance, you will be better able to market your school's focus on entrepreneurship if your region supports startups, has access to venture capital, and contains a large number of successful business owners who can mentor your students. Impressing the Press While it's important for schools to develop inte- grated marketing cam- paigns, it's equally essential that they understand how to position themselves to receive media coverage in articles and broadcasts. "Obviously, there's value in any kind of attention you can get, whether it's through traditional marketing means or media relations," says Chris Stout, account execu- tive at media relations firm Gehrung Associates. The company, based in Keene, New Hampshire, special- izes in higher education and research institutions. "If you're really going to enhance your credibility and reputation, you need both." The advantage of a news article over an ad is that the article is a third-party endorsement, he says. "It's not you saying you're great, it's someone else saying it." He recommends five ways administrators and marketers can position their schools to attain that valu- able media coverage. 1. Take advantage of news opportunities. Make sure marketing staffers thoroughly understand the institution and "have the flexibility to jump on news events that are happening right now," says Stout. "You need to find ways to make But it's crucial to pick a brand strategy that actually dif- ferentiates you from your peers. "Too many schools make the same kinds of promises, using the same words, like 'global' or 'ethics,'" says Morse. "Schools need to make sure they're not just selling an MBA, but selling a distinctive experience. They need to articulate their own worldview or their particular perspective on business or markets." She points to one of the agency's clients, Johns Hop- kins University's Carey Business School in Baltimore, Maryland, which positions itself as the school that "teaches business with humanity in mind." Says Morse, "That statement says everything, both about the school's academic quality and its worldview." Articulating that worldview—and promoting your school based on it—has another advantage, Fitting says. "It means that every school doesn't compete with every your programs or professors fit stories in a timely manner. That means you must know the institution, know who's available, and know what information they have. And that means you must talk to faculty, interview the staff, and talk to students—beat the bushes a little." He adds, "If I see an article that quotes deans from three of the top ten schools and then the dean of a school that's not even ranked, I think, 'How did that happen?' Well, it hap- pened through hard work on the part of the marketing department." But you also must make sure the journalist you're contacting is likely to be interested. "Not every busi- ness reporter will care about a finance story or a career story. Pick up the phone and call the reporters and the editors. If you build a rela- tionship with these people, you'll know what they're interested in. They're more likely to open your emails because they know you're 28 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2011 DAVE CUTLER /CORBIS