Enhancing Marketing to Increase Student Engagement
During the summer time, campus gets a little quieter, allowing staff an opportunity to reflect on the year and work on areas we have identified for improvement. As we work through upcoming projects, strategic plans, and staff development, it is important to keep the Adapting to Student Needs strategic plan in mind to ensure our process and spaces enhance student experiences.
Always Evolving in ASUU
The Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) serve as the student government,
taking on the responsibility of representing and advocating for the student body.
We place tremendous emphasis on student engagement, which is one of our strategic
themes within the Adapting to Student Needs plan. Unfortunately, the pandemic significantly
impacted student engagement, prompting us to reassess our marketing approach in order
to effectively reach the campus community. In 2022-2023, ASUU brought back large-scale
events, initiatives, and campus traditions to the in-person student experience. We
anticipated that this academic year would set the tone for the next few semesters
and we wanted to ensure our marketing efforts help students find opportunities to
get involved, meet friends and discover their passions.
With an organization so large, we rely on marketing and communications to connect students to our services. Our ASUU students recognized the need for more attention-grabbing marketing materials that would distinguish us from the numerous advertisements on campus. This led to additional graphic designers on staff and a new design request process. To create more unique marketing materials, our designers incorporated color schemes outside of the traditional red, black, and white — which resulted in a more colorful (figuratively and literally) brand. Implementing this fresh approach to marketing amplified our messages and ultimately increased student engagement.
Download the wellness week style guide
Download First Year Council Brands style guide
What’s Next?
As advisors, we help our student leaders understand the strategic initiatives of Student Affairs and ensure we are keeping things moving. However, ASUU is student-led so we encourage them to take the wheel and determine how our brand will move forward and be communicated to students. Our students for this upcoming year are excited, driven, and incredibly passionate about student success at the U. They are working collaboratively and with advisors to reevaluate how we utilize graphic design, photography, videography, social media, and outreach opportunities to better serve students. As we brainstorm new ideas to promote events and initiatives, we are asking:
- Who is our messaging reaching?
- Who do we want to reach?
- Who is not represented within our organization?
- How do we make ASUU accessible to students at large?
2023-2024 is bringing us a larger class of incoming first-year students with new ideas, needs, and passions. We eagerly welcome them to the U and hope our evolving marketing and communication process guides them towards discovering their passion, people, and purpose.
