Note: This content is relevant for other graduate programs in addition to business schools.

Summertime, summertime. For many of us, it means baseball, barbeques, and beaches. For beloved fans of the Bard, it means taking in a Shakespeare festival under the stars.

From the Oregon Shakespeare Festival on one coast to the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival on the other, you can find an event just about anywhere.

That’s pretty remarkable when you think about it and you have to give the ole chap a lot of credit. After all, the work of the famous English poet and playwright has endured for more than 400 years.

That’s right. 400 years.

As the Brits would say, Blimey!

So why has Shakespeare resonated with so many for so long?

The answer, quite simply, is he wrote great dialogue.

“Every moment of Shakespeare’s play drip in poetry. Evidently he understood the power of language – its ability to paint landscapes, create atmospheres and create compelling characters,” explains this article.

All great lessons to keep in mind if you are looking to grow your MBA inquiry pool and attract more applications.

When it comes to marketing communications, I encourage you to picture your program as a play.  How can you use the power of language to paint a portrait of the educational experience? How can you create atmosphere through the distinguishing personality/culture of your university?  How can you make your students, alumni, and faculty compelling characters?

Take a page, so to speak, out of the Bard’s playbook when crafting content for your business school’s marketing collateral.

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean tweets along the lines of “To b-(school), or not to b-(school) – that is the question.”  (Although, you must admit, that would be a lot of fun!)

Instead, make your MBA programs come to life by tapping into your candidates’ emotions.  (Tweet this!)

Think about why Shakespeare has endured for centuries.

“The world has changed significantly since Shakespeare’s time, but basic human nature hasn’t really changed for centuries.  Joy, sorrow, greed, lust, hate, love, ambition — the basic human emotions are at the heart of every Shakespeare play and are what make the bard’s works relevant today,” according to this article.

Think of how you can create content that speaks to positive feelings such as ambition and joy.  Ask yourself what do their hearts desire?  What are their goals?  How can you make your candidates fall in love with your university?

Be sure to demonstrate how your program will add value to their lives – and, ideally, more value than any of your competitors.

Write with passion, with imagery, with empathy. Inspire. Be memorable.

This goes for an entire website or a 140-character social media post. And, remember, the best content that is clicked on – and shared – entertains as well as informs.  (Tweet this!)

I’ll be chatting more about this topic in Converge Consulting’s free webinar, A Midsummer Recruiter’s Dream: How to Heat Up Your Marketing & Recruitment Strategies, on Thursday July 24 at 2 p.m. EST.

For now, here are some examples of content from business school social media posts that embrace this winning combination.  It goes without saying that these programs are challenging and rigorous but note how these business schools make their case studies, scholarships process, location, and extracurricular activities look like a lot of fun as well.  And that last post, well, doesn’t it have that lovin’ feeling?