Universities have a lot of different audiences - students, staff, businesses, research bodies, employers and more. Copy and content can help institutions assert their reputation, promote their brand and, ultimately, generate income.
But marketing teams are often under-estimated and under-resourced. So, when a leading UK university needed support to implement its content marketing strategy, I was delighted to be invited to help.
The client
One of the world's leading learning providers - and among the UK's most prominent academic institutions - this university has taught millions of students over the past five decades. Their programme portfolio covers everything from short courses to Master’s degrees, which they promote to both students and employers / L&D teams.
Their challenges
The university wanted to target the employer audience with B2B content. Despite their high profile, like many universities, they only had one staff member dedicated to B2B content marketing. And, even with complete dedication to the role, there’s only so much one person can do.
As the need for content grew, so did the business case for outsourcing content writing. It became clear they needed access to agile freelance support to increase capacity - as required - to meet increasing demands and deadlines.
Luckily for me – and I’d like to think for the client too – they received my email promoting my services to marketers in Higher Education. They sat on my details for a while, never finding time to get in touch. But when they really needed me, they picked up the phone. And the rest is history.
The Write on Tyne Impact
As one of several ‘on-call’ writers, I’m available as and when my client needs me. This increases their agility and capacity to meet internal requests for quality copy.
My experience in Higher Education has made me a versatile addition to the team. In the past twelve months, I’ve enjoyed a variety of assignments including:
writing everything from web copy and webinar write-ups, to student interviews and thought leadership pieces
rewriting their external-facing B2B website to improve user experience, clarify their offer and drive higher enquiries
taking part in tone of voice development with internal and external agencies
working with a wide range of stakeholders including partner employers, senior university managers and students
One year on, our relationship is going strong and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next 12 months bring.