A brilliant report from McKinsey notes we need to foster intentional learning by feeding our curiosity. The report states that “inspiration is strongly correlated with an intrinsic desire to learn. Curiosity sparks inspiration. You learn more and more frequently because you are curious. Second, curiosity marks the beginning of a virtuous cycle that feeds your ability as a self-directed …
Podcast Episode #60: IMD Professor James Henderson on How to Create a Compelling Lead Magnet
How do we get more butts in seats? This is a question many in marketing and admissions grapple with to some extent. A related question is how do we improve the quality of the students attending our school. Key to addressing these questions is lead generation. One way to generate new leads is by creating a compelling lead magnet: offering a valuable form of content in exchange for a new …
Integrate Content Into The Customer Experience
One of my former communications colleagues in Switzerland always used to say “savoire-faire et faire-savoir”, meaning “know how and make known”. All too often, we don’t do this when it comes to our communications assets. Strategic communications is about strategic dissemination. If you generate amazing media visibility, you need to communicate this to your audiences across all your different …
New Survey: The State of PR and Communications at Public Policy / Public Affairs Schools
Public policy and public affairs schools still have work to do in ensuring that their PR activities are aligned with institutional big-picture goals. This is among the findings from Experiential Communications’ inaugural public relations and communications survey of schools focused on public policy and public affairs. The 10-question survey was conducted in May and June 2015 with the goal of …
Holiday greeting lessons from Truman State University
Don’t we all love receiving those politically correct holiday well wishes with no personalized message from brands we hardly ever interacted with? Note sarcasm. Of course, holiday greetings, done right, are an important way in which we can connect with different stakeholder groups. Truman State University, a public liberal arts and sciences university located in Missouri, took this to a whole new …
What bad content marketers and annoying people at social gatherings have in common
You are at a social gathering and don't know many people in attendance. You are looking to engage in an interesting conversation. Finally, it happens - you connect with a new person and start to converse. However, after a few minutes, you feel trapped. The other person - let's call him Joe - begins a rant about his accomplishments, lavish vacations and how his child won the second grade spelling …