AcademicsWeb is excited to be sponsoring this week’s HighEdWeb Association event in Ithaca NY, June 11-12th. Members of the higher education community will be gathering together to network, share thoughts and ideas and collaborate with the shared goal of advancing the mission of higher education, both locally and beyond. Read on to learn more.

Many content managers and higher education admins make the mistake of thinking that content management is simply about placing copy on a website and writing the occasional blog post. While this is certainly a good place to start, the next step is finding ways to attract traffic to that website or blog. To follow are just a few ways that you can promote your content and get it noticed by more prospects.

Most higher education institutions face the same or very similar challenges when it comes to both marketing to new students as well as helping existing enrollees get around campus. AcademicsWeb is excited to announce some new features that will address these specific pain points.

One of the most fundamental skills college students must learn is that of collaboration. Students who collaborate with others – whether their professors or their peers – will develop the ability to learn from others, share thoughts and ideas and become innovators. This will serve them very well in whatever career path they happen to choose. So, how can higher education leaders foster and develop this important skill? To follow are 5 strategies that will get results.

So, you’ve invested some money into a dynamic website for your higher education institution. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to achieve growth for your school. In fact, the website itself is really just a shell or vehicle. What drives engagement and therefore improves your school’s bottom line is the content contained within that shell or vehicle. Of course, knowing this and putting it into action are two entirely different things. That said, let’s take a look at some ideas for coming up with great content for your college or university’s website.

As any experienced college admissions professional knows, recruiting quality students is only half the battle. In fact, some studies have shown that 1 in 3 enrolled freshmen will not come back for their sophomore year. Add to this the number of students who choose to transfer and you’ve got quite the challenge on your hands. That said, let’s take a look at some tips for improving the retention rate of your higher education institution.

Finding new and creative ways to market your college or university can be challenging, especially if you’re working within a rather restrictive budget. The good news is, there is a valuable resource already available to you that won’t cost much, if anything, to leverage. We’re talking about tapping into your existing students as well as alumni and incorporating their data into your marketing strategy. Here’s how.

One of the most valuable resources for colleges and universities today is the former students that share an affinity for their alma mater. Alumni can do many things for a school, including word of mouth marketing and, of course, fundraising. In order to keep former graduates involved and connected to your school, you must find a way to engage them. Social media is a powerful and easy way to do just that. Let’s look at some examples.

The first step in marketing your higher education institution involves attracting the attention of quality prospective students. In other words, getting them to click on your ad, visit your Facebook page or go through your website. This, of course, is only half the battle. The ultimate goal is to convert these prospects from interested viewers into applicants, and eventually enrolled students. Knowing this and actually achieving it, however, are entirely different things. To follow are a few techniques to increase conversions and improve your school’s enrollment rate.

We are well into the fifth month of 2015 and we’re already seeing some interesting forecasts come to fruition in the higher education field. The good news is, there’s still plenty of time to prepare for some of these changes and trends as they continue to unfold over the coming months. That said, let’s take a look at some of these top happenings and what they mean for those in higher education careers.