Outreach Marketing for University & Community College Academic Centers

Some of our most interesting projects have come to us by way of projects affiliated at universities. Whether it's a university center that has to generate its own revenue, a workforce development program affiliated with a community college, or a newly-launched program, we have experience breaking you out beyond campus to engage your target audience.

Here are some advantages that university centers and institutes have, and how they'd benefit from outreach marketing:

Innovation

The latest, most exciting research is often happening at centers affiliated with colleges and universities. The most important way your marketing can be an asset is to look and feel as innovative as your work. This requires branding that appeals to your audience, and marketing language that sparks interest.

Sustainability

We recently had a community college center program director share with us that the branding and marketing materials helped set them apart at a funder interest meeting and get the funding needed to make their program sustainable.

Spin-offs

Oftentimes, university centers doing social justice work eventually outgrow their college homes and want to spin off as their own organization. We can help with that transition, launching the new organization with branding that gains instant credibility.

Approachability

The world of research and academics can have its own language. While effective for talking to other researchers, this can be a barrier to attracting clients outside of academia. We’re fascinated by the work that higher education centers do and genuinely enjoy working with subject area experts. We help you position your center to be accessible to clients in your target sectors, with outreach that is clear and compelling.

Marketing

Having an office on campus can make you feel like you’re in a bubble. Generating revenue means getting out into the market and in front of prospects. We have a tested toolbox of strategies that can help you identify your best audience, understand their psychology and what motivates them to hire you, and puts your best image in front of them.

Prestige

Branding is about positioning. In what field is your center a thought leader? Why should clients hire you? We can help create and refine branding collateral like logo identity, folders, presentation, and conference materials to let your audience know you’re worth engaging with.

Darren Schwindaman

Darren Schwindaman is a graphic and web designer who oversees creative & strategic direction for Creative Distillery clients. He studied graphic design at Loyola University New Orleans and lived in Jackson, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Darren now lives in Upstate New York.

Darren values building relationships with his clients and making the real world a better place through communications. He is a rare breed of left-brained artist, and he believes that good design comes from equal parts creativity, strategy, and coffee. Darren enjoys Atlanta Braves baseball and The Expanse, a gritty sci-fi drama.