Marketing Leadership & Strategy

THE ASK: As Director of Marketing Services for API, I built a team to help universities boost student participation in international education, fostering global citizens who carry their multicultural experiences throughout their lives.

STRATEGY: Establish a department to assist university education abroad offices in marketing their programs to students while utilizing proprietary SaaS technology to streamline workflows. Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to raise awareness of the department and its benefits.

THE WORK:

  • Establish internal processes for managing departmental work

  • Develop and refine the onboarding process

  • Meet with clients and provide insights, ideas, and digital marketing campaigns to advance their goals

  • Train clients on the software platform capabilities and benefits using Account Based Management principles

  • Create and maintain a client self-service portal to scale services

  • Leverage AI to streamline workflows and assist schools in program database management

  • Hire and train additional team members as national client base grows

RESULT: 6X client growth in 3 years

Marketing Enablement

Here are some of my favorite things we produced.

  • Evolved the client onboarding meeting process to align with introduction of new features and services for study abroad offices nationwide.

    • Established an internal ticketing system to ensure timely scheduling of onboarding meetings and to provide my team with all necessary information for a successful initial meeting

    • Created a comprehensive onboarding presentation deck to guide the discussion

    • Encouraged digital transformation, starting with co-branded, custom landing pages that showcase mutual program offerings

    • Sent a post-meeting welcome email featuring essential resources

    • Designed co-branded mini-flyers and print posters with a QR code directing students to the landing page for more information

  • Evolved service offering over time:

    • Regularly updated landing pages to reflect current campus focus

    • Developed digital posters for campus AV screens

    • Created social media posts, collaborations, and Stories to boost program and event awareness

    • Implemented automated email nurtures to maintain student engagement

    • Provided training on the SaaS platform for visibility into student pipelines and journey status

    • Collaborated in developing webinars on new programs and marketing basics

    • Distributed a monthly newsletter to communicate key messages

  • To scale services, I developed a resource portal offering clients a variety of self-serve tools to save time. The portal includes:

    • Announcements and news

    • New content and resources

    • An extensive asset library with social media images, student quotes, infographics, and links to relevant videos and webinars

    • “Marketing packs” with pre-built campaigns available for download

    The long-term plan is to add training and how-to videos, accessible via single sign-on with their technology platform credentials.

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Know Your Audience

Clients in the international education sector often struggled to engage Gen Z students, who favor quick, authentic communication and visuals over lengthy text.

I advised schools on connecting with this audience by emphasizing brevity and authenticity. Our longer YouTube videos were not resonating, so I spearheaded the production of 1-minute videos highlighting program locations.

Working with host institutions worldwide, we utilized their b-roll, our student photos, social media Reels, and authentic student interviews. This approach was not only cost-effective, it made content more digestible and fostered a genuine connection with the target audience.

Some samples are below; for the full list, visit this YouTube Locations Playlist.