“It’s not your numbers that make you interesting,” writes Amber Naslund, as if she’s speaking directly to college marketers who still insist on including the number of library books and research grants in their institutional descriptions.

“It’s not your logo, your tagline, your brand promise,” continues the social media and marketing expert. “It’s not the colors you agonized over for your website.”

It’s your stories.

“I want to follow your story,” Naslund says simply in a recent post on her blog, “Altitude…brand elevation through social media.”

The blog is directed at businesses of all sizes, so she is quick to remind readers that they don’t have to be big to have a compelling story, nor do they need to be small and quirky to keep people’s interest.

What she doesn’t say is that higher education is better positioned than most industries to offer stories that draw people in and make them care about the product. You have a treasure chest of students, professors, athletes and alumni. By telling their stories, you make it possible for prospects to relate to your school and see themselves as part of the community.

“I want to hear your voice,” Naslund says. “I want you to stand out, to rise above your function and instead find your purpose. I want to know why you’re here, what makes up the fabric of you.”

Stories can do that. Facts and figures can’t.

To read Naslund’s post, visit:
altitudebranding.com/2009/04/i-want-to-follow-stories/

Read more about our authors.  Ray Ulmer, public relations director at TargetX, has been involved in higher education marketing for more than 25 years, including serving as executive director of communications at La Salle University and director of public relations at Drexel University. He has also worked in corporate marketing and advertising.