Last week I had the privilege to speak at the Law School Admission Council conference in beautiful Asheville, NC. My colleague, Ann Oleson, and I spoke about Inbound Marketing to the group which was comprised of admissions and marketing professionals from some of the best law schools from around the country. Stop Pushing and Start Pulling.

What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing at its core is about pulling interested and qualified prospects into your funnel or pipeline by attracting them with relevant content. It really is that simple.

The old way of simply pushing your message out by casting a wide net and hoping you connect with someone who fits your target audience is in many ways an antiquated way to market your school or institution.

For instance, if you are The University of Scranton, wouldn’t you want to be on the first page of search results if someone typed into their search bar Jesuit colleges in the northeast? That is what an effective inbound marketing campaign will result in.

When you think about implementing an inbound marketing strategy at your institution, there are four separate and distinct pillars that you should focus on.

One of the challenges that came up during our discussion is the need for a blueprint to help guide you through these pillars. Many institutions are challenged with small staffs so the need for a concise blueprint or road map is essential. Many institutions don’t know where to start.

Take our Inbound Marketing Quiz to see how you measure up! You can also download our checklist and get some other great resources. If you start with this check list, you will be well on your way to creating a sound Inbound Marketing strategy for your institution and you will begin pulling qualified prospective students that are predisposed to your school’s offerings.

Interested in Learning More about Inbound Marketing?

• Join industry expert and Converge Senior Vice-President, Dr. Brenda Harms, for an enlightening discussion on Leveraging Student Personas to Benefit Marketing and Enrollment | Thursday, June 26 at 2PM EST.
• Tune into our Friday After Class video series throughout Inbound Marketing Month.
• Share your thoughts and ideas by submitting a guest post to the Converge blog.
• Register to attend Converge 2014: A Higher Education Marketing Conference in Nashville, TN to take your inbound marketing strategy to the next level.