Transcript BPD Branding & Marketing to Potential Faculty

BPD
Branding & Marketing
to Potential Faculty
Barbara Rittner, PhD, LCSW
University at Buffalo
Chair – GADE
Agenda
• Branding
– Identifying strengths
– Finding images to convey strengths
• Marketing
– Creating a message based on strengths
– Exciting people about your program
– Communicating the message
Branding
What’s So Great About You?
Branding –Myth Busting
Branding from Strengths
• Your Town: What makes it a great place to live
– What are the strengths of the area
• What is the character of community
• What do people do in the community
– What does it offer
• What are the assets of the community
• How does the University fit into the
community
– Come armed with details and links
Branding from Strengths
• Your Town: Buffalo’s a great place to live
– Accessible & Affordable (commutes & housing
costs)
– Outstanding education (ranking of public schools
– including Fortune’s ranking Buffalo in top 20% best
public education cities)
– Arts & Culture (albrightknox.org sheas.org )
– Great Outdoors (buffaloskiresorts.com)
– Canada calls (if you are in a modest city – where’s
the nearest big city)
Branding from Strengths
• Your University strengths
– Develop a list of strengths
• Campus -What does it offer
–Location – (part of the town, suburba)
–Educational opportunities (educational
vision of the university, scholarships)
–Pool of students at University: Regional,
national, international students
Branding from Strengths
• Your University strengths
– Develop a list of strengths
• Campus -What does it offer
–Libraries (especially social sciences)
–Resources (technology, space, labs,
start-up funding, collaboration across
departments)
–Cultural & Sports events
–Food (campus dining)
Branding from Strengths
• Your School/College/Department strengths
– Develop a list of Social Work strengths
• Status – free standing or department
• Faculty
–Strengths (social, intellectual, rank within
school & department)
• Students
–Strengths (academic, short & long term
professional)
• Rankings of the School/University
Marketing Strengths
Marketing Strengths
• Advertising
– Create language that sells the community,
university, program strengths
– Be strategic where you place print ads
• APM/ SSWR / NASW Newsletter &
consider by rank best options
– Use listservs GADE/BPD/NADD to
disseminate the ads (mailing is expensive
and adds steps to distribute)
– Have a contact person in the ad
Marketing Strengths
• Responding to applications
– Consider a personal contact
• Explore if the applicant will be at APM or
SSWR
• Use it as an opportunity to market
strengths
• Inform about possible timelines
– Remember – each contact is a chance to
market your school
Marketing Strengths
• Interviews
– At conferences invest in a suite to interview
if possible
– All available faculty not presenting or
attending colleague session attend
– 30 minutes interviewing applicant
– 15 minutes marketing the school
• Even if you won’t consider – you want the
applicant to want to be considered
Marketing Strengths
• Campus Interviews
– Make sure that the person gets a welcome
package including materials from a real estate
agent about housing & community strengths
– Schedule breaks & let people eat – use meals
to sell the department or school/university
– Make sure that the schedule includes exposure
to “selling points” (students, libraries, sports
facilities, technology labs, etc)
Marketing Strengths
• Campus Interviews
– Be clear the colloquium format:
• How much time
• What equipment will be available
• Research?
• “Mini” teaching for class with students?
• Interdepartmental?
• “Community” practitioners?
Branding & Marketing
?