The world’s best and brightest business schools all accept one core truth: institutions need PR.

Irrespective of geographical location, breadth of educational offering(s) or even strategic focus, business schools must embrace PR to succeed.

Marketing is great. Sales too, for that matter. How could schools recruit students or faculty without either? But they only get you so far. PR is essential to cultivating a clear, distinct and appealing brand on a long-term basis.

But what kind of PR do business schools need most? PR, after all, is an umbrella term. It encompasses a wide array of practices and services – from traditional media relations to reputation management. So, which of those services suit business schools best?

Before we get into what kind of PR services prove A) most popular, and B) most effectual for business schools, I should note that this will vary depending on the institution, its goals, its strengths & weaknesses, and what staff there are trying to achieve. There is no ‘right’ answer to the question of ‘what PR service should a business school invest in?’, but there are certain services that schools would do well to keep in mind:

Media relations support to promote senior leadership/the Dean

An overwhelmingly and understandably popular service, the undertaking of media activity around senior leadership staff – including (but not always limited to) the Dean – is a sure-fire way to promote your institution’s message. As is the case for organisations everywhere, irrespective of industry, people associate an organisation with a face, or a select group of faces – hence the phrase ‘face of the brand’.

The Dean is an extension of your business school’s brand – your institution incarnate. And so, the promotion of that individual, as well as other senior leadership staff, serves to benefit more than just their personal reputations. This activity can take a number of forms:

• Profile interviews serve as an effective way to get them, and their message, out there. That’s because these opportunities, broad in scope, afford your school’s senior leadership staff the opportunity – and the platform – to explore a number of issues that matter to your institution.
• Sector-wide reflections/commentary present your Dean with opportunity to establish your business school’s stance on a core issue impacting the industry. This could be a chance to distinguish your brand from that of competitors – or forge a sense of continuity, depending on the issue.
• Op-eds are not only effective in providing your Dean with the remit needed to address an important subject, but also afford them the solitary space to connect with the reader in a way that commentary within a broader trend piece might not.

And, of course, beyond promoting your Dean as head of the institution (for those keen to demonstrate that they’re still academics at heart), media activity around research undertaken by the Dean is also a great way to bolster personal brand recognition.

Whether they’re keen to stand out as a senior leader, thought-leader or committed researcher, the Dean’s voice is arguably the most powerful one your institution has to leverage. Promoting it will always be a valuable use of PR support.

Promoting academic research/thought leadership

Of course, even if your Dean is still an avid and active researcher, they won’t be the only faculty member at your institution engaged in academic study. No, for virtually all faculty, research will be a big part of their professional lives. As such, schools are keen to leverage the studies they undertake to set themselves apart from the competition.

So how is it done?

Press releases are snappy, punchy and to-the-point, making mass media distributions a great way to cast the net wide and get an array of media interest for a particularly digestible and news-friendly piece of research.

Targeted pitching too, is a sure-fire way to land a high-value, deep-dive opportunity with a leading title.

Features & guest contributions (op-eds) are also viable routes to securing high-value, deep-dive coverage around faculty research.

Expert insight and commentary is, of course, a great avenue to explore for promoting faculty expertise/research. With years of experience to their names, faculty are well-placed to offer their reflections on on-going events and trending topics.

Whether it’s inspired by recent research, or a reactive opportunity, promoting your faculty is always a great way to utilise PR to promote your school.

Programme-specific media activity

Going hand-in-hand with programme marketing, PR efforts specifically aimed at promoting degree programmes is a popular service among business schools looking to complement more direct student recruitment activities.

Legitimate editorial offers prospective applicants to programmes trustworthy content, fostering their interest in studying at your institution.

Whether it’s new programme launches or changes to existing courses, earned media coverage is a great way to attract the best talent to your programmes. And, in doing so, you’ll also attract a great calibre of academic, which in turn will draw in the best and brightest students. And so a virtuous cycle is created.

Whether you’re promoting your senior leadership staff, the expertise of faculty or key programmes available at your business school, embracing PR is essential.

PR is all about shaping the way the rest of the world sees you; business schools need to make sure that they’re putting their best foot forwards – because their competitors are.

If your business school would PR support, contact BlueSky Education today.

Author: Jonny Stone

Jonny delivers impactful PR results using an evolving network of essential media contacts, from national newspapers like Forbes, The Guardian, the Financial Times and The Telegraph, to specific trade editors such as PIE News, QS Top Universities, We Are The City and University World News. He is committed to helping more ambitious institutions reach international media goals.