THE BIG STORY

Break Through The Campus Clutter: Be Unexpected with Campus Marketing

Tait Martin is using his years of knowledge to teach students the best marketing tools to grow and energize their organizations. For nearly two decades, Tait has worked as a communication and marketing expert for advertising firms, college campuses, non-profits and the media. He currently serves as a Regional Counselor and Member of the National Branding Committee for Theta Chi Fraternity.

What students need foremost, Tait believes, is to learn the ability to shape a positive campus brand, with an emphasis on effective language and the proactive use of social networking tools. Tait’s advice: be unexpected!

There are many ways that marketing works and Tait knows that college students aren’t robots. They don’t automatically respond when told to do something. They often forget information on a whim. They get bored with mediocrity. Yet, most college marketing is based on the notion that if a poster, flier, website, Facebook page or table tent is produced then students will be rushing to an event or joining an organization.

In addition to this Field of Dreams approach (“If you build it, they will come”), most of the stuff being produced is not even getting in front of the eyes of the people you’re trying to reach. If it does, they’ve either seen it all before, or they can’t find it on a cramped sea of fliers and posters covering every inch of campus bulletin space.

Take a look at a flier that was made for Tait’s campus keynote Breaking Through the Clutter on the St. Cloud State University library bulletin board below. That’s right, you can’t! (Hint: look at the bottom left corner for a familiar image of Tait).

Be Unexpected

Strong marketing happens when you effectively interrupt the eyes and minds of the people you’re trying to reach.  Rather than following the model of “How many fliers can we post across campus?” go for “Who specifically are we trying to reach and where’s the best place to reach them?”

Here are three proven tips to refocus your campus marketing:

(1) Place your message where people don’t expect it. 
 
EARTHLUST at Swarthmore catches attention by chalking sidewalks at major campus buildings.   

The “Relay for Life” team at Randolph-Macon College chose to wrap trees with environmentally safe banners and purple ribbons in order to catch the eye of students.

Ask yourself: Where on your campus are students NOT expecting to see messages?

(2) Don’t default to “We have to spend money to promote ourselves.”

After a heavy snowfall, SUNY Canton student leaders challenged each other to a snowman building contest. The one rule: the snowman had to represent their organization.  Most organizations put a sign with contact information near the snowmen if students wanted more information about the group.   

Ask yourself:  What resources are available – either on campus or in your organization – that can be used to help promote your message?

(3) Have fun with your outreach; people remember what makes them laugh.

When the Burger King at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire decided to have fun with students, business boomed.  No, they didn’t receive any Valentine’s Day reservations, but they did get an influx of students who wanted to take a picture with the sign and, while they were there, decided to pop in for a bite to eat.

In addition, check out this video about the fictitious Quendlin University (top right column). With the onslaught of digital camera technology and sites like YouTube, students have the capability to be creative with their message and branding, as well as opportunities to poke fun at themselves (in a tasteful manner, of course). Want to get noticed? Use the tried-and-true method of humor!

Ask yourself: How can you tastefully inject humor into your message? 

This isn’t your typical “public relations” approach. Tait’s experience helps guide student leaders in understanding how their group’s actions and image affect potential members, administrators, community members and other students on campus. Click here for more information about his program, Breaking Through The Clutter: Cleaning Up Your Campus Image.

Tait’s program is perfect for student leaders, fraternity and sorority members, students of public relations and student government officials.