Brain Waves Blog

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.

The rise of AI has increased the number, impact, and sophistication of online bots and their activities. Bots are automated social media accounts programmed to mimic human behavior (e.g., liking, sharing, or commenting on posts). In 2024, bot activity accounted for almost half of all internet traffic, and bad bot activity was nearly a third of all traffic.

Recently, I spoke to student success professionals about the student experience data available through social intelligence. As always, I spent some time talking about Reddit, and the role it plays—particularly for younger people—in experience sharing, information gathering, and ultimately decision making. After the session I learned that some attendees were uncomfortable with real-life examples shared that mentioned their college.

You’re constantly balancing urgent requests and strategy, handling increased expectations, and needing actionable data to support your team’s priorities. All of these challenges feed into your need for a brand strategy that’s built on a solid foundation. Campus Sonar’s brand equity framework is that foundation. The purpose-built model supports your understanding of the value your brand has in the mind of your audience.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is more than just a buzzword, it’s become woven into the fabric of everyday life. Picture a student searching where to go to college who is met with an AI summary at the top of the search results, or a parent typing prompts into a university chatbot to figure out when Move-In Day occurs, or a professor leveraging generative AI in the classroom to tailor feedback to individual learning styles. In all of these scenarios, you can use AI to center the needs and questions of individuals in your marketing strategy.

Prospective students are giving you a roadmap to their college decision in their conversations with peers on Reddit. Trends and insights from a decade of social intelligence research identified five themes students and families value in college admissions—get the report. We expanded on the strategies in the report to share more recommendations and examples to connect with and appeal to right-fit students. Use the ideas that fit your audience and community to meet and exceed enrollment goals.