Getting university marketing insight right – structures, data and enhancing the overall offer

The Partnership Podcast - Higher Ed Marketing

Universities hold vast amounts of data but turning it into meaningful action remains a challenge. How can institutions go beyond spreadsheets and reports to make data work for them?

In this episode of The Partnership Podcast – Higher Ed Marketing, Andy Youell, Higher Education Data Expert, joins CEO and Founder of Marketing Partnership, Penny Eccles, to uncover the secrets to making data truly impactful. Together, they explore the evolving role of planning teams, the power of collaboration, and why storytelling is the key to turning insight into action.

Making data meaningful in higher education

Higher education is no stranger to data. For decades, planning functions have played a crucial role in helping universities navigate compliance and predict student numbers. But the role of data has evolved—and so have the challenges.

Andy shares how planning teams have moved from being behind-the-scenes number crunchers to taking centre stage in shaping institutional strategy. From juggling internal demands to meeting external regulatory requirements, the expectations on planning teams are higher than ever. Together, Andy and Penny tackle some of the big questions: How can marketing and planning teams collaborate to unlock the full potential of HE data? Why is context just as important as the numbers themselves? And how can university colleagues use storytelling to make their insight resonate with leadership and stakeholders?

In This Episode

• The evolution of planning functions in higher education
• Turning data into actionable insight through collaboration
• How to break down silos and align teams
• The importance of adding context to data to avoid oversimplified conclusions
• Using storytelling to make data relatable and persuasive
• Tips for marketing and recruitment teams to work effectively with planning colleagues
• How understanding trends and demographics can shape strategies
• Why the structure of planning teams matters less than fostering collaboration

Quotes

• “The journey to insight is about bringing together published statistics, demographic trends, industry reports, government policies, and competitor activities, all of these things. It no longer becomes a conversation about just analysing data.”
• “I don't think the answer is within structures and job titles. The answer is within an organisational culture and mindset. The ability to bring together the hard data and the softer issues, the warm data, and to bring that together in a meaningful way.”
• “Once we’ve interpreted the data and got to the insight, we then need to take it out and tell a story because people don’t remember numbers, but they always remember a story.”