Marketing staff are expected to communicate a wealth of information to a wide variety of stakeholders. In some cases, these staff members are individuals who possess a housing and student affairs background and have chosen (or have been chosen) to apply that knowledge in a marketing format. In other cases, they are experienced communication professionals who must learn about the housing market. Each option provides unique opportunities and challenges.
Where marketing and communication responsibilities reside within the structure of an institution of higher education, as well as a housing and residence life department, can vary widely. For example, in larger institutions, several marketing positions may exist for individual departments. Smaller campuses may have one central office that services all departments. And, of course, there exists a myriad of options in between those.
For senior housing officers, when considering how to best market the benefits of on-campus living, it is important to consider multiple perspectives when building out a marketing structure and determining specific needs. Some examples may be:
- What types of projects will be needed?
- What formats will best meet HRL’s needs?
- What will the workload be for HRL?
- With what other departments or considerations (e.g., campus brand management, admissions, campus website, social media, etc.) may HRL need to coordinate?
- Can current staff within the institution or division assist with these responsibilities without creating standalone positions within HRL?
- Could these responsibilities be supported by an internship or curricular assignment within a school or program at the institution?
If the best solution is to have an individual position or team that focuses on HRL marketing, then it is important to define the type and scope of work. For example, a graphic designer may or may not have the skills to manage a successful social media campaign and vice versa. Consider some of the above questions related to the type of content/project you are looking to implement and then build out a job description and scope of responsibilities from there.