In 2024, social media became the world's largest marketing channel, as measured by marketing spend. Why? It’s the biggest opportunity to build trust in a brand.
But I bet it’s not where most of your marketing budget goes, despite trust being one of the primary concerns of many higher ed leaders. Consumers’ consideration process has fundamentally changed, and the institutions that understand this will have a competitive advantage as we move through a significant demographic shift.
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals a sobering reality. In the United States, only 47% of people on average trust business, government, media, and non-governmental organizations. Low trust is largely driven by people with low incomes. Trust averages 62% for the top quartile of income earners and drops to 33% for the lowest quartile. This is the largest income-based trust gap among all countries in the Trust Barometer—we have a unique and severe problem in our country.
The students who would benefit most from higher education—and make up a significant percentage of many public universities and need-blind private colleges—are operating in an environment where trust in institutions has nearly collapsed. So how do you gain their trust?
In low-trust environments, people don't turn to institutions directly. They seek validation from intermediaries: influencers, peers, online communities, and the algorithms that shape them. The Edelman research found that more than half of people who trust influencers say they would trust or consider trusting a company they currently distrust if it was vouched for by someone they already trust—including online influencers.
This is already happening with college choice. Students are asking Reddit whether computer science is still worth it. They're watching Instagram reels from current students about campus life. They're trusting peer experiences over polished marketing materials. Most campuses have some idea these conversations are happening, but they don’t have a strategy to ensure they know what’s being said.
While other industries have recognized that social media is where trust is built (or broken), higher education largely hasn't adjusted their investment. We're still spending most funds on channels that broadcast our message—billboards along the interstate, web advertisements, direct mail, pitching national news outlets—while treating social media as just another place to post our content.
But social media is fundamentally different. It's a distribution channel AND a listening channel. It's where students share unfiltered experiences, seek advice from peers, and validate (or invalidate) your brand promises. The conversations on Reddit, Instagram, and other platforms are shaping perceptions of your institution whether you're present or not.
Industries outside higher ed understand this. That's why social media marketing spend has surpassed every other channel. They realize that in low-trust environments, you can't just tell your story louder, you need to understand what others are saying and empower authentic voices to tell their stories.
Here's the good news: Most of your peers and competitors aren't taking this shift seriously, yet. The campuses that start listening to and learning from social media conversations—not just broadcasting on them—will have a strategic advantage in understanding student needs, addressing concerns proactively, and building trust through authentic peer-to-peer storytelling.
You can make this case to your president. The data is there, and the market has shifted. The question is whether your budget reflects this new reality.
As you build your next marketing budget, ask yourself: Are your investments aligned with where trust is actually built today? Or are you still allocating resources based on how brand building worked decades ago?
If your institution still treats social media as a small line item compared to traditional advertising, you have a gap to close. Not just in distribution, but in listening. Because understanding what students actually say about college—and your institution specifically—is the foundation for building trust in a low-trust environment.
The market has changed. Your budget should too.