Like any sector, common threads run throughout business education.
Flagship programmes such as the MBA, Executive MBA, and Master’s in Management serve as a common point of comparison across many business schools’ course portfolios.
Methods of teaching and assessment are adapting to many of the same global challenges, such as the advent of emerging AI technologies and the need for sustainable transition.
And shared values underpin the sector, such as support for personal leadership development, lifelong learning, and inter-disciplinary collaboration.
However, creating an institutional brand relies on being able to differentiate yourself from your competitors, showing your key areas of strength and, where possible, building on particular specialisations. So, how can business schools achieve this, and how can they harness it in their communication strategies?
Building an institutional brand is a question of communication. Effective strategies ensure that messaging is consistent, as well as relevant to the needs and interests of potential students and staff.
Developing a clear value proposition sets the foundation for these efforts. This should be a concise statement outlining your areas of strength, especially in areas you perceive are under-explored by your competitors, and linking these strengths to the current and emerging challenges facing businesses.
This should be reflected in your course offerings.
Typically, programme portfolios strike a balance between larger, more generalised programmes that provide a holistic approach to personal development (such as the MBA) and specialised courses designed to help students access particular industries, roles, or skillsets.
The school’s brand is developed through designing courses and curricula that cover the areas aligning with your value offering. For instance, if entrepreneurship is a focal area, the school could offer a suite of specialised courses that introduce elements of design thinking, innovation, and technology. On a more granular level, modules within the courses could tackle topics such as radical creativity and sustainable entrepreneurship in detail.
Partnering with organisations operating in areas relevant to these key themes complements the curriculum and communicates the school’s areas of specialisation by demonstrating closeness to industry and opportunities for experiential learning. Opportunities such as pitching competitions and consultancy projects not only enhance theoretical classroom-taught knowledge with hands-on learning; they immerse students in sectors of interest.
Success stories are the evidence that your programmes achieve the goals your institution set for itself. It’s important to share them as widely as possible. Social media platforms, the alumni community, and external sources such as independent rankings can all be opportunities to do this.
Graduate employment rates are a key metric here, especially in the key areas defined in your value proposition. Success stories of individual alumni can also provide a more detailed look into how your programmes support students in attaining their personal goals, unpacking the individual journeys that lie behind impressive statistics. This could range from remarkable career outcomes to competition wins.
For instance, if your school is trying to position itself as a leading hub for expertise in AI and emerging technologies, one way of evidencing this to potential students is to share how many graduates have gone on to work for, or found, influential tech companies.
If the school’s tech-centric specialised courses perform well in international rankings, or include initiatives featured in spotlight programmes such as AACSB’s Innovations That Inspire, these are also ways to differentiate yourself from the competition by signalling your leading position in your field.
While success stories explore the outcomes from your programmes, thought leadership shows the reasoning behind the design approach, teaching, and methods of assessment. At the same time, it highlights faculty expertise, building your brand reputation as a source of insights and sector-leading research in key areas.
Thought leadership content can come in many forms.
Podcasts are good for unpacking complex research papers and pedagogical decisions in a more relaxed, easily digestible format. Framing insights as a discussion helps to present technical details in an engaging way for listeners.
Articles offer a more structured approach to sharing thought leadership. Long-form written content provides the space to unpack complex topics, while allowing the author the freedom to edit or redraft as needed before publishing to ensure clarity.
Organising, moderating panels at, or speaking at conferences are also ways to demonstrate thought leadership by enabling the school’s faculty or members of senior leadership to interact with their peers from other institutions. Presenting experts in groups allows them to show both areas of consensus and also points of difference, as they share their individual perspectives on important issues affecting business education or the industries and professions graduates anticipate stepping into.
A PR and media relations consultancy can provide support in positioning your student and alumni success stories, programme updates, and thought leadership content in the media. Proactive media engagement helps you to exercise more control over your brand reputation by bringing your key messages to the outlets that potential students and faculty consume.
To find out more about how BlueSky Education can help your institution develop its brand in the media, get in touch with us today.
Having developed his craft as a writer under the guidance of world-renowned novelists, poets and playwrights, Jamie has also spent a couple of years as a content writer for a primarily American readership, with over 150 articles published under his name. He boasts an evolving network of international media contacts ready for the benefit of the institutions and organisations he works with.