The Higher Ed Marketing Literacy Gap: Why Leaders Must “Trust, But Verify” Strategy

Higher ed marketing literacy is often the missing ingredient in successful institutional leadership.

As a president, cabinet member, or board member, you are likely feeling the weight of the “enrollment cliff” and the constant pressure to innovate with fewer resources.

It is common to feel overwhelmed by the technical jargon of digital marketing, leading many to delegate the entire strategy to others without a way to measure its true health.

This creates a “vicious cycle” where leaders are forced into blind delegation, resulting in wasted budgets and missed opportunities to connect with the right students.

However, there is a hopeful path forward that doesn’t require you to become a technical expert.

By gaining just enough literacy to ask the right questions, you can move from a place of uncertainty to a position of “Trust, but Verify.”

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The Danger of “Blind Trust” in Delegation

When leaders feel they don’t know enough about a topic, they often step back entirely and hope for the best.

I often use the analogy of a general contractor building a house.

You don’t need to know how to solder a copper pipe or wire a circuit breaker yourself.

But if you walk through the framing and see a pipe leaking or a wire hanging dangerously low, you need to know enough to say, “That doesn’t look right.”

In the same way, delegating your marketing strategy without any personal literacy leaves your institution vulnerable.

According to research from the Content Marketing Institute, the most successful organizations are those where leadership understands the value and the basic “how” of their marketing engine.

Without this, you risk investing in “vanity spends”—like expensive billboards that make the board feel good but do nothing to reach the digital-native students of today.

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” — Peter Drucker

To do the “right things” in marketing, you must be literate enough to verify the “how.”

Strengthening Higher Ed Marketing Literacy

The goal is not mastery; the goal is phronesis, or practical wisdom.

This is the ability to take what you know about your mission and apply it to the complex world of modern marketing.

One of the first steps in this journey is assessing where your team stands today.

For example, our AI Marketing Readiness Checklist is a great tool for leaders to gauge if their team has the foundation needed for new technologies.

When you strengthen your literacy, you stop being a passive observer of reports and start being an active participant in strategy.

You begin to recognize the marketing trends in higher education not as threats, but as opportunities to differentiate your brand.

Practical Steps for Higher Ed Marketing Literacy

How do you begin to “Trust, but Verify” without spending hours in technical training?

First, use the Journalist Method.

Whenever a new tactic is proposed, ask the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

If the “Why” doesn’t align with your mission-fit student profile, it’s okay to push back.

Second, ask for Outcomes, Not Just Metrics.

A report showing a 20% increase in website traffic is nice, but a literate leader asks, “How many of those visitors filled out an inquiry form?”

Third, conduct a “Smoke and Fire” Test.

If you see a “red flag”—like a keyword costing $250 per click—don’t be afraid to ask to see the data that justifies that cost.

Finally, remember that you are not the audience.

Practical wisdom means recognizing that just because you don’t use a certain social platform doesn’t mean your prospective students aren’t there.

Lead with Clarity and Confidence

You don’t have to navigate the complexities of higher education marketing alone.

But in this era of disruption, you can no longer afford to stay on the sidelines.

Gaining marketing literacy is an act of stewardship for your institution’s future.

It is the key to ensuring that every dollar spent is a dollar invested in the students you were called to serve.

My new book, Know What You Don’t Know: What Every Higher Ed Leader Needs to Understand About Marketing, was written to be your field guide in this process.

It provides the “bearings” you need to lead your team with confidence and clarity.

Take the first step toward leadership literacy by ordering your copy of Know What You Don’t Know today.

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Know What You Don’t Know

What Every Higher Ed Leader Needs to Understand About Marketing.

The essential marketing literacy guide every higher education leader needs! If you are a higher education leader seeking the clarity to evaluate strategy, challenge assumptions, and lead with confidence through disruption, “Know What You Don’t Know” is your guide.

Discover how to:

• • Ask better questions to evaluate marketing plans, budgets, and ROI
  • Align marketing, enrollment, and your broader team around what moves students from interest to enrollment
  • Identify the common mistakes that waste hundreds of thousands of dollars
  • Challenge outdated assumptions about what works for enrolling today’s students
  • Leverage Generative AI to save time and money, without losing strategy or clarity

So you can “trust, but verify” your marketing decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and lead your institution with the strategic clarity and courage needed to thrive in this new era.

Ready to lead with confidence?
Order now!

Images via Gemini