Rebecca McSwiney, Online Marketing Manager at University of Southern Queensland (Australia), is one of the 12 higher ed professionals presenting at the 2015 Higher Ed Content Conference (April 15).
In this 3-question interview, Rebecca discusses the state of content at her institution, how she measures content performance and shares some advice to create content for higher ed.
1) Would you say that content has now the place it deserves at your institution?
Our University’s approach to digital content has been received positively.
Through the continued education of staff members about the changing world of the digital landscape, we have found greater collaboration with departments across our institution. We have been able to provide evidence of the benefits of our work and ultimately improve the student experience at our organisation.
2) How do you measure the performance and/or the impact of your content at your school? How does this help you with the content creation process?
My favourite quote and team mantra is “marketing is a science, but it should not become less of an art.”
The data from the analytics that the digital world provides gives us opportunity to gauge measures of success but also identifies room for improvement. We also look to the engagement of our content and seek student feedback on their expectations and opinions of our work.
The dynamic world we work in also continuously challenges us to look at how we can be more creative to reach our target markets and to be noticed in their newsfeeds.
3) Can you share the best piece of advice or lesson you learned about creating content for higher ed?
The best piece of advice I can share is become more collaborative.
Regularly meet with your support staff, analyse search results and actively listen in social media, these places provided invaluable knowledge and can challenge and strengthen your content.
