The Future of Higher Education Marketing with Cheryl Broom of GradComm

In this episode of The Sheer Growth Podcast, James Sheerin sits down with Cheryl Broom, CEO of GradComm, one of America's leading higher education marketing agencies specializing in community and technical colleges.Cheryl shares her journey from working as a community college marketing director to launching her own agency during the pandemic. What started with two clients quickly grew into a national agency serving more than 150 community colleges across the United States.The conversation explores the unique challenges of higher education marketing, the changing landscape of student recruitment, AI adoption in agencies, and why specialization can outperform even the largest global agencies.We cover:• How Cheryl launched GradComm during the pandemic• Growing from 2 clients to 150+ colleges nationwide• Why community colleges face unique marketing challenges• The rise of larger agencies entering the higher education market• How GradComm maintains a 90% client retention rate• The importance of client experience in agency growth• Why storytelling matters more than ever• How AI is transforming agency operations• Building custom GPT tools for colleges• The future of student recruitment and enrolment marketing• The demographic cliff facing higher education• Why niche expertise often beats generalist agencies• How colleges are adapting to changing student needsIf you're an agency owner, marketer, consultant, education leader, or entrepreneur looking to build a highly specialized business, this episode offers valuable lessons on growth, positioning, client retention, and innovation.🎙️ About Cheryl BroomCheryl Broom is the Founder and CEO of GradComm, a higher education marketing agency specializing in community and technical colleges.Before founding GradComm, Cheryl spent over a decade working inside community colleges as a marketing leader. Since launching the agency in 2020, GradComm has supported more than 150 colleges nationwide through branding, enrollment marketing, media buying, strategic communications, AI implementation, and institutional growth initiatives.GradComm specializes in: • Community College Marketing • Higher Education Branding • Enrollment Marketing • Media Buying & Advertising • Strategic Communications • AI Solutions for Colleges • Program Launch Campaigns • Rebranding & Naming Projects • Student Recruitment Strategies🌐 Website: https://www.gradcomm.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylbroom/⭐ About The Sheer Growth PodcastThe Sheer Growth Podcast features smart conversations with founders, marketers, agency leaders, and innovators discussing growth, AI, leadership, and the future of business.Hosted by James Sheerin.🚀 Powered by Sheer AIAt Sheer AI, we help agencies grow with AI-powered client acquisition.We help marketing and advertising agencies:• Build predictable lead generation systems • Improve campaign ROI • Replace unnecessary tools with smarter workflows • Scale without bloated overhead🌐 https://www.sheer-ai.com