Addressing big issues in a university environment is fraught with tension. There are practical challenges to overcome - systems, processes, technology - but there’s also the human element. 

Defining what makes a university distinct from others can be quite tricky. There’s not a lot of reputational space in which to play - so if we’re starting to think we’re the same as everyone else, how do we really make our university feel different?

I’ve lost track of the amount of times I’ve heard, “But our budget is too small for that!”

Resource can be a constant struggle in education. We’re so committed to delivering the best experience for our students that sometimes our efforts and finances are focused elsewhere. Yet for those students, from recruitment to graduation and beyond, content design and strategy are fundamental assets that need to work. And when you’re working with a limited budget, it’s easy to become frustrated.

But a small budget doesn’t have to mean mediocre work.

I spoke with Pickle Jar Communications CEO & Leader Tracy Playle about her experiences - and asked for her advice on delivering quality while considering a small budget.

In my experience of working in higher education, communication between departments and central teams is always an issue. It’s certainly not the case for all institutions, and if your relationship with departments is fantastic, keep it up! You might start to think, “Oh but they aren’t speaking to me, they’re making it hard”. I’m going to break your bubble here and say it’s very, very rare to be fully one-sided. Are you really making an effort? Probably not. 

Budget cuts aren’t anything new to the education sector – but this pandemic may tighten the marketing budget even more. Our CEO shares five places to look to in order to still win with a reduced budget.

As the Star Wars and Marvel series come to an end, our Head of Research reflects on why it is essential to have a clear strategy that all stakeholders buy into.

Who will help you develop a content strategy for your institution? What skills will you need in your team? Our CEO shares the key skills capabilities that you may need to assemble.

How do you begin to explain content strategy to stakeholders? Our CEO shares her secret to really getting stakeholders interested and supportive in your content strategy project.

Can you put an ROI figure on content strategy work? Our CEO shares examples of what content strategy can bring to your institution so that you can justify the investment.

Our Head of Strategy shares three key areas to make sure your content creators are well motivated and highly skilled to do the best job they can.

It’s essential that key stakeholders are onboard with your project from the very start – and designing personas can help you to think about engaging your stakeholders.

In the final post of the 10th birthday series, Pickle Jar CEO and Founder shares what she would change about education advancement.

Our Head of Research and Insight, Robert Perry, looks at the importance of gaining stakeholder buy-in for your projects.