The 2023 Engage Summit brought together industry experts to shed light on the latest strategies and trends in an attempt to unify the student experience. Enrollify founder Zach Busekrus joined us to present on the next wave of higher ed content marketing and provide actionable content marketing strategies institutions can implement to stay ahead of the curve of changing student expectations. 

In this session, he delved into three essential components of the evolving landscape: leveraging creators, harnessing the potential of AI agents, and creating niche media brands. 

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Strategies to Leverage Creators

Zach emphasized the growing importance of creator marketing in the era of edutainment. 

With the rise of social media platforms, individuals have become empowered to build their personal brands and become content creators. Zach introduced the concept of niche "edutainers," individuals with small niche audiences but immense potential to engage and inspire.

Brands are taking notice of this trend, as they are projected to spend a staggering $6 billion on creator marketing this year alone. He stressed the importance of consistent call-to-action messaging, and how leveraging specific offers such as attending events or requesting calls can boost engagement and conversions.

Zach outlined a holistic approach to creator marketing, where content is created by originators and distributed through facilitators. He highlighted the need for a robust measurement strategy that evaluates campaign success as a whole rather than focusing on individual creators. Key performance indicators, such as an increase in branded program search, can inform the effectiveness of these campaigns.

The ideal organizational structure for content marketing 3.0 includes a strategic content engineer, producer, promoter, and, of course, creators. Zach emphasized the need for open communication and collaboration among these roles to create impactful and cohesive content strategies.

Building Systems and Processes for AI Agents

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized various industries, and content marketing is no exception. Zach highlighted the transformative power of AI agents like ChatGPT, assisting marketers in content creation and SEO strategies. These AI agents can:

• offer a faster, more efficient workflow
• help brainstorm ideas
• generate keywords
• draft blog posts

Zach also emphasized the importance of prompt engineering to achieve desired results from AI agents. Skills such as refining keywords based on difficulty and priority, as well as structuring prompts for specific audience targeting, unlock the full potential of AI in content creation. 

Zach provided real-life examples of utilizing AI agents like Bard for keyword research and then switching to ChatGPT for content development, streamlining the process and enhancing efficiency.

This AI-first approach enables content creators to rank quickly for desired topics, experiment with different content styles and formats, and produce content for a larger number of personas, expanding reach and engagement. 

By leveraging AI agents, institutions can also reduce dependence on expensive SEO software in the future.

Creating Niche Media Brands to Build Owned Audiences

In an era of abundant access to educational resources and entertainment, higher education institutions face challenges concerning branding and product perception. Zach advocated for a shift in mindset, encouraging institutions to position themselves as media organizations and build niche media brands.

By thinking of themselves as media brands, institutions can develop regionally recognized content assets, capturing attention and engaging their target audiences. Zach encouraged higher ed institutions to ask thought-provoking questions, such as which of their programs would be featured in a Netflix documentary or which faculty members would be chosen for interviews with popular figures.

Zach discussed the success of Northwestern Medicine, which developed a compelling podcast network that significantly contributed to recruitment, alumni engagement, and reputation enhancement. He highlighted the need for Higher Ed institutions to transition from being solely sales or marketing organizations to becoming content-driven media brands.

Zach's session at the Engage Summit provided invaluable insights and strategies for higher education content marketing. By leveraging creators, harnessing the potential of AI agents, and creating niche media brands, institutions can adapt to the changing landscape and engage their audiences more effectively.

Embracing creator marketing allows brands to tap into the power of niche edutainers, leveraging their specific expertise and dedicated audiences. AI agents like ChatGPT streamline content creation processes, empowering marketers with quick and efficient ways to generate ideas and keywords, while niche media brands enable institutions to build their content assets and captivate audiences.

To see how Element451's AI-powered content generation tools can help you unleash your full potential in content marketing, connect with us and get a personalized demo.

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