The Education Marketer - An interview with Kyle Campbell

My latest guest on the Marketing Tales Show joined me all the way from the United Kingdom.This creative writer with a degree in English from Falmouth University turned his passion for higher education into an occupation.He is a seasoned marketing expert, writer, and internet culture nerd, who shares insightful higher-ed news fortnightly from his Nintendo room in a market town and borough in the Staffordshire region of England.Meet Kyle Campbell, Founder and Managing Director of Education Marketer.When I asked him why he chose to serve the higher-ed industry, he said, "I always loved higher education and had a fantastic time as a student," he explained. "Some people hate working on their dissertation and doing research; I happen to love it."The admiration carried over into the professional sector.After a few years of working at agencies as a young marketer, Kyle returned to his first love and started building his communications career at several Universities on the British Isles, where he remained for over eight years until starting his newsletter, the Education Marketer."I always found when I worked at a university as an employee, the last thing on the agenda was your own personal development," Kyle recalls.He wanted to change that and created a resource tailored to people like him, an education marketer.The company started as a free weekly newsletter, then a podcast, followed by a daily LinkedIn post with valuable nuggets that are easily digestible."Content is marketing these days," Kyle stresses. "If you want to be the person someone thinks of when they have a problem, you have to show up regularly and add value to their lives."One of his passions lies in community and peer-to-peer marketing, which this episode focuses on.He reminds us that in the past, brands had control, and consumers had to get past gatekeepers to access information about an institution.Today, however, thanks to the internet, when a prospect gets in touch with a university, they probably already know everything they need to know about your institution."That's where the peer-to-peer angle comes in," Kyle says.He suggests universities facilitate these peer-to-peer conversations on platforms like Unibuddy or Zeemee.But avoid the notion that peer-to-peer is only between prospective and current students.Kyle mentioned a study by Unibuddy that revealed that "56% of students find it more valuable to speak to another perspective student considering the same institution than a student who is already there."To learn more about leveraging the power of peer-to-peer and community marketing within higher-ed, check out this week's complete episode with Kyle by following the link in the comments below.And if you'd like to get your daily dose of bite-sized higher-ed marketing insights, connect with Kyle on LinkedIn and subscribe to his bi-weekly newsletter, "The Education Marketer."You'll be glad you did.Until next time. ✌️