mStoner/Slover-Linett Survey Pinpoints Marketing Challenges Facing Higher Education -- Budgetary Constraints Top the List

A recent survey of thought leaders in American higher education marketing, communications, and PR revealed that more than half of the respondents identified financial constraints or budgetary problems as the top challenges facing their institutions in 2009. Citing such obstacles as "unexpected budget constraints," "insufficient funding levels," and "budget cuts," respondents described a lack of necessary resources to reach institutional goals in fund raising, printing, web development, and more. Respondents also predicted negative repercussions from economic factors beyond their own institutional budgets, as in "Economic changes in the newsroom have led to a shrinking news hole for higher-ed stories." The survey was conducted by mStoner and Slover Linett Strategies.

Chicago, Ill. (PRWEB) November 19, 2008 -- In these difficult economic times, what are the top challenges facing communications, marketing and public relations professionals at the nation's colleges and universities? Not surprisingly, more than half of the respondents to a recently launched survey cited financial constraints or budgetary problems as the top challenges facing their departments.

mStoner, the prominent Chicago-based communications consulting firm serving the nonprofit community, and Slover-Linnett Strategies, a research and planning firm that serves cultural and educational organizations, recently invited 150 thought leaders in the higher-education communications, marketing and PR community to participate in a survey to find out. Respondents included senior professionals who lead marketing, communications, advancement and other areas at institutions ranging from Williams and Smith Colleges to Princeton, Harvard, Fashion Institute of Technology, the University of Texas, and Stanford.

"In the course of our work, we're hearing about people's concerns and issues on a daily basis," said Michael Stoner, mStoner's president. "Our goal with this survey is to develop a broader, more quantitative sense of what the big issues are."

Not surprisingly, more than half of survey respondents cited financial constraints or budgetary problems as the top challenges facing their departments--and nearly every respondent included financial concerns among the top three challenges. Citing such obstacles as "unexpected budget constraints," "insufficient funding levels," and "budget cuts," respondents described a lack of necessary resources to reach institutional goals in fund raising, printing, web development, and more.

As one respondent put it, "At a time when electronic media should be in a heavy stage of growth and evolution, progress will likely be hampered by shrinking budgets at our institutions."

Respondents also predicted negative repercussions from economic factors beyond their own institutional budgets. One respondent, for example, commented, "Economic changes in the newsroom have led to a shrinking news hole for higher-ed stories." Another said the number-one challenge was to "market value at a highly selective college in the face of the challenging economy."

What's in a brand?

Beyond financial considerations, a number of respondents identified issues in articulating a strong brand. One respondent said the top challenge was "Creating agreement on a message that is pointed and clear (versus 'We are good at EVERYTHING!')," while another said it was "having the organization, particularly high-level administrators, recognize the need for marketing."

Along with the difficulty of crafting a brand identity is the challenge of conveying it. "[Our target audiences are bombarded from all directions, how do we get through the information clutter?" wrote one respondent.

For a number of survey participants, internal organizational issues presented significant challenges. "We are still working in silos," wrote one participant. "The marketer is in a position of having to make friends and cajole to get the job done." Another cited the challenge of "creating greater collaboration among development, alumni relations, and PR at the staff level."

Finally, a number of respondents pointed to marketplace changes as a significant challenge. Some cited demographic changes (such as "declines in our major demographic market"), while others talked about harnessing new technologies and adapting to new forms of communication, including social networking and online videos.

The survey, which mStoner conducted in collaboration with research partner Slover Linett Strategies, is the first phase of a two-part initiative. For the next step, the firm plans to conduct a similar survey among a larger group of marketing and PR professionals.

For more information about the survey results or to participate in the next round of surveys, please contact Katie Jennings at katie.jennings@mstoner.com or 802.388.2408. The survey is also covered on mStoner's blog (http://www.mstonerblog.com/index.php/blog/budgetary_constraints_top_the_list_of_marketing_challenges_facing_higher_ed).

mStoner (http://www.mstoner.com) is a consulting firm that helps nonprofit organizations -- colleges and universities, charitable and social service organizations, foundations and associations -- develop and implement technology-based, marketing-driven communications strategies.

Slover Linett Strategies (http://www.sloverlinett.com) is a Chicago-based audience research and planning firm for cultural and educational organizations nationwide. For more information about Slover Linett, please contact Cheryl Slover-Linnet at cheryl@sloverlinett.com or 773.348.9204.

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