Ep. 61: From Agency to In-House: How Clemson Took Control of Paid Social

Jenny Li Fowler sits down with Hillary Smith of Clemson University to unpack a bold move: bringing paid social media in-house—and outperforming an agency in the process. What started as a learning opportunity evolved into a powerful case study in smarter enrollment marketing and stronger cross-team collaboration. Hillary shares how Clemson’s centralized marketing structure, internal audience insights, and access to real-time data analytics in higher education led to better results at half the cost. This episode is a must-listen for higher ed marketers questioning whether agencies are always the right answer for paid campaigns. Guest Name: Hillary Smith, Assistant Director of Social Media at Clemson University Guest Socials:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryruthsmith/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillaryrsmith/?hl=en Guest Bio: Hillary Smith serves as the Assistant Director of Social Media at Clemson University. She oversees the paid social media strategy, analytics, and reporting needs for the brand's social media accounts. In addition, Hillary serves as a resource for the campus community focusing on social media account assistance, paid social media campaigns, reporting, and digital accessibility. Hillary graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from Youngstown State University and an M.S. in Marketing from Clemson University. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Jenny Li Fowlerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylifowler/https://twitter.com/TheJennyLiAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.