Ep. 26: Breaking Silos within Marcomm Units

Shane Baglini sits down with Kimberly Hallman, Senior Vice President of Institutional Marketing at 160over90, to explore a topic that many higher ed professionals wrestle with—how to effectively integrate marketing and communications efforts on campus. While these two functions are often grouped together under the MarCom umbrella, they serve distinct purposes, and treating them as interchangeable can hinder their effectiveness. Kim breaks down the fundamental differences between marketing and communications, shares insights on best practices for collaboration, and offers advice on structuring teams to maximize impact. If you’ve ever wondered how to strike the right balance between storytelling and sales, this conversation is for you.Guest Name: Kimberly Hallman, SVP, Institutional Marketing, 160over90Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyhallman/Guest Bio: Now in season 12 at 160over90, Kim leads the agency’s institutional marketing practice, helping colleges and universities, research institutes, health enterprises, and cause-based organizations raise awareness and raise funds to support a core impact mission. A former journalist turned publicist now all-around communications strategist, she first penned bylines in The Post-Standard in upstate New York, then worked as an editorial assistant for the National Campaign for the Arts in London, before landing on the marketing scene 18+ years ago. Originally focused in retail and hospitality PR, Kim quickly found that education category work fulfills her desire for healthy intellectual debate and mental nourishment. She holds a BA in English from Bucknell University and a master’s degree in Print Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. These days, when Kim’s not working, she’s soaking up all the firsts of new motherhood (and still trying to make some time for sleep).Key TakeawaysMarketing and Communications Are NOT the Same: While related, marketing is sales-driven and focuses on lead generation and conversions, while communications is about message clarity, reputation, and stakeholder engagement.Successful Integration Does NOT Mean Merging the Two: Effective collaboration requires recognizing the strengths of each function and ensuring they complement rather than compete with each other.Start with a Shared Content Strategy: Aligning messaging across both marketing and communications efforts helps create a cohesive brand experience while still allowing each team to focus on their core objectives.Social Media Lives in the Middle: Social media plays both a marketing and communications role, requiring a thoughtful balance of engagement, storytelling, and calls to action.Challenges in 2025: Higher ed institutions face increasing external scrutiny, leadership turnover, and financial constraints, making strategic MarCom collaboration more critical than ever.Marketing vs. Communications: Why the Distinction MattersToo often, higher ed institutions lump marketing and communications into one broad function, assuming they are interchangeable. However, Kim Hallman argues that these are two distinct disciplines, each with its own skill set and objectives.Communications answers the question: What is the message? It focuses on institutional positioning, reputation management, and audience engagement through storytelling, PR, and internal messaging. Key metrics for communications teams include brand sentiment, message clarity, and stakeholder trust.Marketing, on the other hand, asks: How do we get people to act? It is sales-driven, aiming to increase enrollment, event attendance, or donations. Marketers use advertising, digital campaigns, and targeted content strategies to drive measurable actions. Their KPIs often include conversion rates, lead generation, and revenue growth.While these two areas overlap, conflating them can weaken their effectiveness. Instead, institutions should recognize their unique value and ensure they work together in a complementary way.How to Integrate Marketing and Communications for Maximum Impact1. Create a Shared Content StrategyOne of the best ways to align marketing and communications is by developing a joint content strategy. Both teams should work from a common roadmap that includes:Institutional priorities: Align messaging with university goals and areas of excellence.Audience needs: Understand whether a communication should inform, inspire, or drive action.Cultural context: Ensure messaging remains relevant to the broader landscape beyond the institution.By defining these pillars, institutions can ensure marketing and communications efforts reinforce each other rather than compete for attention.2. Develop a Unified Content CalendarTo avoid message fatigue or misalignment, institutions should maintain a joint MarCom calendar that outlines:Key events and milestones: Academic calendar highlights, admissions deadlines, and major institutional initiatives.Content distribution channels: Social media, email, print, earned media, and paid advertising.Storytelling opportunities: A mix of informative communications and compelling marketing messages.A shared calendar allows institutions to plan their messaging strategically while maintaining a balance between engagement, information, and persuasion.3. Collaborate on ExecutionIntegration doesn’t just mean planning together—it means working together throughout the execution process. Some best practices include:Leveraging earned media in marketing efforts: If a faculty member is featured in a major publication, marketing teams should amplify it through paid media and social campaigns.Ensuring consistent branding across all messaging: Whether a press release, a social post, or an ad, the tone and messaging should align.Optimizing storytelling for different formats: A strong institutional story can live in a news article, a marketing video, and a social media campaign—each tailored for its respective audience.Where Does Social Media Fit? Communications or Marketing?One of the most debated topics in higher ed MarCom is where social media fits within an institution. Is it a communications tool, designed for engagement and public relations? Or is it a marketing tool, meant to drive recruitment and conversions?Kim argues that social media sits in the middle of the MarCom Venn diagram. It is both a storytelling platform and a conversion tool, requiring a balance between:Community engagement (communications): Answering questions, fostering discussions, and reinforcing institutional values.Promotional messaging (marketing): Driving attendance to events, boosting applications, and increasing donor participation.Because of this, institutions should be intentional about how they use social media, ensuring it serves both purposes effectively.The Challenges of Leading a Combined MarCom Unit in 2025As higher ed institutions navigate an increasingly complex landscape, MarCom teams face unique challenges:Leadership Turnover: Many institutions are experiencing high turnover at the executive level, making long-term branding and communications strategies difficult to sustain.External Pressures: Political scrutiny, donor influence, and public perception are putting institutions under the microscope.Budget Constraints: Many teams are being asked to do more with fewer resources, leading to staff burnout and inefficiencies.The Need for Strategic Issues Management: With crisis communications becoming an everyday reality, MarCom leaders often struggle to balance long-term storytelling with immediate response needs.For institutions to successfully integrate marketing and communications, they must recognize these challenges and invest in the right staffing, training, and strategic planning.What Makes a Successful MarCom Team?Kim highlights a few institutions that are leading the way in MarCom integration, including:University of Pittsburgh – A forward-thinking MarCom team that embraces both branding and institutional storytelling.University of Virginia – Operates under "University Communications," signaling a commitment to strategic messaging.UW-Madison – A centralized approach that aligns public affairs, brand strategy, and marketing efforts.What do these successful teams have in common?Leadership that understands the distinction between marketing and communications.A culture of collaboration where storytelling and conversion efforts support each other.Clear strategic alignment between branding, enrollment, fundraising, and reputation management.Where Should Institutions Start?For institutions looking to better integrate marketing and communications, Kim suggests starting with two key conversations:With Leadership: Advocate for dedicated resources and strategic alignment between marketing and communications goals.With Your Team: Assess existing skills, identify gaps, and clarify roles to ensure everyone is playing to their strengths.Ultimately, institutions that invest in a structured, strategic MarCom approach will be better positioned to navigate the challenges of 2025 and beyond.