This summer series of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is proudly sponsored by NextGrad.

NextGrad helps colleges and universities reach students where they already are, inside the high school itself. With a network of over 2,500 schools across North America, NextGrad puts your institution's message in front of future students every single day. Be the school they remember when it's time to decide.

Nextgrad.com — Where students see you first.

What if the biggest opportunity to influence prospective students happens long before they ever become an inquiry? Harrison “Soup” Campbell, Chief Growth Officer at NextGrad, joins us to discuss why colleges and universities need to rethink traditional enrollment marketing strategies. Drawing on his experience in admissions leadership and his new executive role at NextGrad, Soup explains why building brand awareness inside high schools is becoming one of the most effective ways to connect with future students.

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What We Cover in This Episode

🔘Why colleges should begin building relationships with students well before their junior and senior years.

🔘How in-school media is creating new opportunities for authentic brand awareness.

🔘Why digital marketing alone is no longer enough in an AI-driven landscape.

🔘How NextGrad helps colleges reach students where they spend their time every day.

🔘Practical Advice for building a long-term enrollment marketing strategy.

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Episode Highlights

01:15 - Soup shares his unconventional journey from educator to higher education leader.

08:00 - Why colleges need to prioritize awareness before the inquiry stage.

11:20 - Research showing how early brand awareness influences college applications.

16:00 - How NextGrad's in-school media network helps colleges reach students every day.

19:00 - Why high schools remain one of the most valuable environments for student engagement.

22:15 - The growing impact of AI on digital advertising and why marketers should diversify their outreach.

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The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is powered by Caylor Solutions—your go-to partner for higher ed mission-fit marketing strategies, enrollment, AI expertise, and branding needs.

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

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