From Insight to Impact: Nicole Dingley on Advocacy-Driven Marketing in Higher Ed

What happens when marketing leads with empathy, deep listening, and a genuine commitment to student outcomes? In this episode, Lisa March sits down with Nicole Dingley, VP of Marketing at Ad Astra, to explore how customer advocacy can fuel pipeline growth, shape marketing efforts, and build lasting partnerships in higher ed.

From uncovering real challenges facing institutions to translating those insights into meaningful marketing and product direction, Nicole offers a practical and mission-driven approach to connecting with customers. Along the way, she also explores how something as foundational as course scheduling can influence equity and accessibility—and why listening is one of the most powerful tools in any marketer’s playbook.

Sponsored by Partner in Publishing:

https://partnerinpublishing.com/ 

Bookmarks:

00:39 - Lisa introduces Nicole and highlights her early achievements in sales at Wiley.

03:07 - Nicole defines customer advocacy and explains how it shaped her $2M territory.

04:15 - Discovering her dream role: Nicole’s pivot into customer success marketing

07:15 - Why customer advocacy marketing is essential in the age of AI

09:02 - What Ad Astra does and how course scheduling impacts equity and student outcomes

11:32 - Partner in Publishing’s Digital Marketing Services

12:35 - Why customer feedback was key to tackling inefficiencies in course scheduling

14:40 - Using community and benchmarking data (Higher Education Scheduling Index) to guide marketing

17:37 - Ad Astra’s annual Aspire Conference and how it fosters customer learning and engagement

19:20 - The link between scheduling equity and breaking cycles of poverty

21:18 - Multi-channel marketing strategies: community, associations, and roadshows

23:30 - Partner in Publishing’s Video Services

24:40 - Nicole’s love for content marketing and how it supports student-centered solutions

26:32 - Navigating complex sales and tailoring content for multiple campus stakeholders

29:52 - Nicole’s favorite marketing tool: Influitive - for building community and content

30:39 - Career advice: shifting from individual contributor to collaborative leader

32:12 - What excites Nicole about EdTech marketing and the mission behind her work

34:22 - Reflections on the partnership with Partner in Publishing and scaling with confidence

Resources: 

Lisa March 

Nicole Dingley

Partner in Publishing

Ad Astra

Leading with Noble Purpose by Lisa McLeod

Selling with Noble Purpose by Lisa McLeod 

Influitive - Customer advocacy SAAS