Best University Branding: Create a Powerful Brand for Your Institution - A Comprehensive Guide to Higher Education Branding
Hey, Higher Ed institutions!
Want to stand out from the crowd of 6,000 postsecondary institutions in the US and attract the best students and faculty members?
Then listen up!
Educational branding is the key to your success! It’s how you craft a unique identity that differentiates you from the competition and builds trust with your target audience. For educational institutions, effective branding shapes perceptions and improves awareness.
But developing a brand strategy and identity that can be implemented across your entire organization can be overwhelming.
Higher Education Brand Strategies
Your school's brand needs strong brand messaging, creative strategy and brand strategy that reflects the personal values of the institution.
It should answer questions such as:
1. What makes this school unique?
2. Why should students choose it over other schools?
3. How does it differentiate itself from its competitors and establish the institution's identity?
4. What is its mission and vision for higher education?
5. Does it have an established set of values?
Your branding strategy should be driven by research and data-driven insights.
You need to understand what makes your college or university unique in order to create a lasting brand impression.
Utilize surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other forms of customer feedback to help shape your school’s message and identity.
Your own personal values, mission, and vision should also be reflected in your school’s brand.
Your higher education brand strategy should include:
• An overview of your school’s mission and values
• A description of your target audiences
• Goals for reaching those audiences
• A positioning statement that describes what makes your school unique
• Consistent messaging across all communication channels
• Identification of keywords and phrases associated with your institution
• Guidelines for visual elements such as logos, colors and fonts.
Brand elements: Maintaining a cohesive visual identity and messaging strategy is crucial. Branding guidelines should outline the use of brand elements, such as a specific color that reflects the institution's spirit and sets it apart as unique and aspirational.
Establishing and Maintaining Your Institution’s Brand Identity
Your brand identity is how you choose to represent your school through visual elements. This includes the use of logos, colors and fonts that reflect your mission and core values. It’s important to have a consistent identity across all marketing materials such as websites, brochures, social media accounts and other promotional materials.
Developing Educational Key Messages
Key messages are statements that communicate the core of your institution. They should be consistent, succinct and memorable. To develop key messages, you should identify the unique aspects of your school and craft messaging that reflects those features. For example, if your institution has a strong focus on community service, you could include a statement like “Our students are empowered to serve their communities.”
Measuring Brand Success
Once you have established a brand strategy, identity and key messages, it's important to regularly assess the success of your efforts. Keep an eye on metrics such as website visits, social media followers, applications received and other indicators that can give you insight into how well your branding is resonating with your target audiences.
When it comes to higher education branding, there are some key distinctions between colleges and universities.
Colleges typically have a more local focus, while universities often aim for a broader reach.
It's important to tailor your messaging and visual elements accordingly.
For example, you may want to emphasize the small class size and close-knit community of your college.
On the other hand, a university may want to focus on its high quality research and diverse student body.
Rebranding to Attract Prospective Students
It’s important to keep your educational branding up-to-date to maintain brand recognition as tastes and trends evolve over time. When looking to rebrand, focus on the key elements of your brand identity such as logos, colors and fonts, as well as new target audiences or messaging that speaks to current students.
Different Types of Colleges and Universities
It’s also important to recognize that there are different types of colleges, universities, and university brands. For example, a technical college may focus more on career training while a liberal arts university may emphasize the value of a broad education. Make sure you’re aware of the type of institution you’re marketing to ensure your branding accurately reflects its values.
A list of College and University Categories and Specialities
• Liberal Arts Colleges
• Technical & Vocational Schools
• Community Colleges
• Research Universities
• Art/Music Academies
• Law Schools
• Business Schools
By keeping these distinctions in mind, you can ensure your branding accurately reflects the unique characteristics of each type of institution.
Branding for Business Schools
Business schools have a unique set of needs when it comes to higher education branding. It's important to emphasize the value of an MBA and how it can enhance career prospects. You should also highlight any specializations or faculty members that make your business school stand out from the competition.
Branding for Law Schools
For law schools, it's important to emphasize the value of a legal education and highlight any areas of specialization offered. You should also focus on the quality of your faculty, alumni network and job placement/career support services.
Branding for Art/Music Academies
Art and music academies need to focus on the unique talent and services they offer. This includes highlighting any notable faculty members, alumni or special programs. You should also emphasize the creativity and innovation your academy encourages in its students as well as any opportunities for collaboration with other institutions or industry leaders.
Branding for Liberal Arts Colleges
Liberal arts colleges should emphasize the importance of a broad education and challenge students to think critically. Your branding should also highlight any unique programs or faculty members that make your school stand out as well as any career resources available for students.
Branding for Technical & Vocational Schools
Technical and vocational schools need to emphasize the practical skills their students gain. This could include hands-on training, job placement support or specialized programs. You should also focus on how these qualifications will prepare students for a successful career in their chosen field.
The Benefits of Higher Education Branding
Higher education branding offers several key benefits for institutions.
First, it creates a clear and consistent message that aligns with the institution's identity, helping prospective students understand your school’s mission, values, and goals.
It also allows you to differentiate yourself from other schools and gain a competitive edge in the market.
Finally, it enables institutions to create an emotional connection with their target audience by highlighting the unique benefits offered by their institution.
Examples of College and University Branded Campaigns
One of the most successful higher education branding campaigns in recent memory was the University of Wisconsin’s ‘On Wisconsin’ campaign.
The campaign featured TV spots, radio ads and print ads that highlighted the institution’s unique spirit and school pride.
It also included digital elements such as a dedicated website, social media hashtag (#onwisconsin) and even custom apparel.
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business also launched a successful branded campaign in 2016.
The ‘Chicago Next’ campaign featured print ads and digital content that highlighted the school’s commitment to producing next-generation business leaders. This campaign helped the university stand out by emphasizing its innovative approach and quality education.
The campaign was supported by digital advertising, public relations and social media outreach.
It was well received by prospective students and helped the school differentiate itself from other top business schools.
Toronto Metropolitan University Case Study
At The Branded Agency, we’re experts in college and university branding. We’ll help you develop a comprehensive brand strategy that accurately reflects your institution’s mission and vision. From establishing your identity to creating visual elements and identifying key messages, we’ve got you covered.
You won’t believe the incredible transformation we achieved with the rebranding of Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly known as Ryerson University!
Our team meticulously crafted a new logo and brand identity for MUES, blending iconic university imagery with a contemporary twist. The result was a sleek, minimalistic design that perfectly captured the essence of MUES, ensuring adaptability across various platforms and applications.
The new brand identity not only enhanced visual appeal but also helped MUES establish a strong and memorable presence. This revitalized identity resonated deeply with their audience, aligning perfectly with MUES's values and mission.
How Much Does Branding Cost for Colleges and Universities?
The cost of higher education branding varies depending on the size, scope and complexity of the campaign.
Typically, campaigns range from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars or even more for larger projects.
It's important to work with experienced professionals who have a track record of creating successful branded campaigns in the education industry.
They will understand the unique needs of your institution and be able to craft a campaign that fits within your budget and meets your goals.
Higher education branding is an essential part of any successful marketing plan.
By understanding the benefits offered by each type of institution, you can craft a message that resonates with prospective students and helps your school stand out from the crowd.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion on Educational Branding
Fewer students are impressed by cool custom graphic elements but instead by one cohesive message about the value that an institution like Yale University can offer.
By understanding and crafting a message that resonates with your target audience, you can create a strong brand identity for your institution.
Your college brand should create tangible materials that include your mission statement, core values, and goals.
It is essential to create a unified brand across all of your communication materials, from print ads to social media posts.
You should also highlight any unique programs or faculty members that make your school stand out as well as any career resources available for students.
College Branding campaigns can be expensive, but they are an invaluable investment!
