FIR on Higher Education

How can professors – regardless of field – be more creative? What are ways to use digital communications tools to enhance the student experience? How can professors become co-creators in the learning…

Communicating research visually can be challenging. I have struggled to find really compelling examples of academics / researchers who are effective at using Instagram to communicate research. I was …

An academic, researcher or expert’s bio is important real estate that often times is neglected. A compelling bio can go a long way towards supporting strategic goals, both at the individual and organ…

How do you communicate complex ideas via video?

If you are a researcher or communicator, perhaps this is a question on your mind. On episode 64 of the FIR on Higher Education podcast, guest Jonathan …

This short episode is an update about FIR on Higher Education. In summary, FIR on Higher Education is going on a bit of a hiatus for the next few months. I share a bit of the rationale on this episod…

Has your school integrated a marketing automation program?

If not, or if you have not been successful with your marketing automation efforts, you will want to listen to the insights from Christie Cam…

Have you dabbled with Medium, the online publishing tool owned by Twitter? Not happy with your success? If that is the case for you and you want to discover how to change this narrative, then you wil…

On the FIR on Higher Education podcast, we have discussed how a podcast can be used in higher education to support big-picture objectives. We focused on using podcasts for events (with Donna Papacost…

Many schools and programs seek ways to increase enrollment numbers. An optimal way to generate new leads is by creating a compelling lead magnet: offering a valuable form of content in exchange for a…

The success of a PR program hinges on monitoring. We need to have the tools in place to know not only what is being said about our brand, but also what is being communicated about our industries, com…

As the Edelman Trust Barometer details, the public in general is skeptical about messages coming from PR professionals or senior leadership. However, employees and subject matter experts are trusted,…

There are many factors that motivate researchers. From my years working in higher education communications, I believe that “impact” is one of the key motivators. This impact is measured in several di…

The media interview is not the right time to be reviewing answers and going over tactics! Ken Starr, the recently ousted president of Baylor University following an investigation into the…

Are you confident in your institution’s key messaging? Can you summarize it in a simple, clear and jargon free way to your different audiences? What about within your department? Do you know why the …

The book publishing world has undergone massive disruption in recent years. This presents challenges and opportunities for book authors. Many academics are writing books, and communicators directly o…

One of the most critical communications exercises we all face at some point relates to our career transitions. We all know that the days of staying at one job for life are long gone. Studies show tha…

There is a big difference between communicating an institution’s brand if it is based on prestige or reputation. We delve into this nuance on episode 52 of FIR on Higher Education.

Guest Bertrand Gui…

We all know that newsrooms are shrinking. The ratio of PR professionals to journalists in the United States is almost 5 to 1. Most any journalist will complain about the exorbitant number of pitches …

There is a good chance that if you listen to this podcast, you might be involved in participating or organizing events. Many higher education related events have a plethora of content that is present…

Many studies highlight how top leadership in companies can reap positive benefits by using social media (see Weber Shandwick study for example).

While certainly not the majority, there are some unive…