Test. Learn. Grow.

The enrollment cliff is looming for regional schools like the University of Akron. These institutions are among the most vulnerable, competing with big state schools for students and dwindling enrollments.  Steve McKellips, Vice Provost of Enrollment Management has worked tirelessly to reverse that trend, analyzing finance, retention, affordability, student experience, and enrollments.  Tune in to our conversation with an inspiring leader who is finding traction through revenue-focused enrollment management.  

With all the noise flooding today's B2B sales channels, even the savviest marketing teams struggle to connect with their best-fit accounts. Tune into this episode of Test. Learn. Grow to hear from our CMO guests on how Account-based Marketing (ABM) allows businesses to get more targeted in how they engage their dream accounts. By coordinating marketing and sales teams to focus on the accounts that matter most, companies can have more relevant and impactful connections. Taking an ABM approach has helped streamline processes, boost efficiency, and build stronger relationships between company and customer. ABM is a process that takes time to pay dividends. Hear how to get organizational buy-in and manage long sales cycles while you wait for revenue to follow. Our guests share tips to refine your ABM approach. You’ll understand how to measure results and effectively connect marketing activities to pipeline impact. Make your ABM strategy more than just tech. Coordinate your outreach to bring those key accounts into your fold. 

If you’re an executive implementing generative AI tools at your organization, congratulations! You’re ahead of most leaders, for now. The latest episode of the Test. Learn. Grow. podcast features a discussion with two leaders who are futher along than most — Tesa Burg is CTO at Mod Op, and Patrick Patterson, our own CEO at Level.   They’ve both embraced generative AI as a part of their ways of working, and they’re not afraid to share their enthusiasm, advice, hot takes, and cautionary tales. Listen in for insights about: What generative AI is, and what it isn’t How to get organizational buy-in from the top down Where to apply AI tools to create the most efficiency and value Why security is critically important (but shouldn’t stop your team from experimenting)  

At Level, our Test. Learn. Grow. philosophy underpins everything we do. What exactly do we mean by this, and what makes it so effective? In short: it helps us find opportunity, focus our creativity and curiosity, and quickly adapt when needed.  Hear from three of our leaders as they illustrate ways that this methodology improves business outcomes, yields insights, and keeps us agile and learning in a changing marketplace. 

For Chris Brussalis, President of Point Park University, it’s time to re-think higher ed. For him, this means program expansion to reach nontraditional students, especially adult learners. It means applying the university’s mission to its downtown Pittsburgh location, and involving students in the cultural life of its community. And finally, finding like-minded leaders who are ready to support a bold vision. Basically, it means embracing experimentation and change that will ultimately enable institutions to do more than they ever could before. Test. Learn. Grow, right? Listen to our conversation on ways that innovative higher education institutions can adapt and grow in a time when many are facing dwindling enrollments and stiff competition.  

In this episode of Test. Learn. Grow., we're joined by Joshua Berry to unpack the concepts featured in his new book, "Dare to Be Naïve: How to Find Your True Self in a Noisy World".Berry dismantles the notion that naiveté is a weakness in business, arguing instead for its power in driving innovative, impactful change. He emphasizes the importance of curiosity, authenticity, and optimism in creating business strategies that are not only profitable but also socially responsible.Drawing from his book, Berry shares how embracing a mindset of chosen naiveté can lead to a more fulfilled life and successful business, backed by real-world examples. This episode offers valuable perspectives for leaders and individuals alike, illustrating how daring to be naïve can be a strategic tool for generating positive returns and profound impacts in today's evolving business world.

It’s no secret that higher education institutions face an onslaught of challenges. Shifting demographics, hybrid learning models, shrinking budgets, and even a lack of trust in the education space overall. It’s time for a reimagining with a focus on access and affordability. What’s stopping you? Oftentimes, it’s the pressure to keep up with larger, more traditional institutions rather than emphasizing your own unique offerings and how they serve your communities. Dr. Melik Khoury, President and CEO of Unity Environmental University, gives the lowdown on lowering barriers, expanding educational options, and inviting in new technologies and approaches to keep schools, and their students, on the cutting edge.This episode is sponsored by CompleteU Education. To learn more about CompleteU, visit their website at completeueducation.com

In this episode, guest Jenna Bluedorn, Team Lead at Level Agency and Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Media and Communications Studies, joins us to explore insights around today’s video content trends and strategies.User generated content and short-form vertical videos are dominating social platforms right now. Consumer trust in polished ads is declining. Authentic, raw videos shot on phones now build deeper relationships with audiences.If you’re struggling to cut through and connect with audiences, the perspectives outlined in this episode can help take your approach to content creation up a notch.

In this episode of Test. Learn. Grow., host Dave Babst is joined by John Meyer, CEO and Founder of CompleteU, to discuss strategies for engaging and supporting adult learners pursuing higher education. As more adults return to school to upskill, finish a degree, or pivot careers, colleges and universities have a tremendous opportunity to meet their unique needs.Dave and John explore common barriers adult learners face and how institutions can evolve to create a more welcoming, flexible, and supportive environment. Listeners will learn strategies for marketing, admissions, academic programming, student services, and more. The goal is to give higher ed marketers and leaders actionable insights to improve enrollment, retention, and graduation rates among this growing demographic.

This episode explores why B2B marketing teams need to shift their success metrics from leads and MQLs to tracking real revenue impact and ROI.B2B marketing experts at Level explain how marketing and sales misalignment happens when teams have separate goals and metrics. They discuss why marketers need to analyze the full customer journey through hybrid attribution to demonstrate how their programs influence pipeline and closed-won deals.Start embracing shared goals with sales and focus on revenue-based metrics to optimize spending and prove marketing’s value.

In this episode, our experts in higher education marketing share their insights on how getting beyond email into a dynamic, multichannel lead nurturing effort can make a huge impact on your enrollment rates. Key insights from the episode:You want to be where your students are. Test into channels like social, video, and text messaging.Personalized experiences are crucial. Use segmentation and personalization tools to cater to unique buyer challenges and needs.Have clear goals for success, but know what bad performance looks like, too. You'll know when to pull the plug. Marketing is not a lone wolf. Build consensus with your admissions teams and agency partners to avoid any missteps. Don't set it and forget it with your lead nurturing campaigns. You're probably leaving enrollments - and long term relationships with great students - on the table. 

On this episode of Test. Learn. Grow. we dive deep into feed management and optimization, and its important role in the world of Ecommerce marketing.Starting off with a foundational understanding, we tackle the common pitfalls that businesses unknowingly step into, highlighting the ramifications on their performance. Special guest Jeff Bordeaux, Strategic Account Director at Feedonomics, joined us to shed light on their holistic approach to feed optimization, enriching the conversation with real-world success stories.

Dive deep with us as we unpack the transformative trends from the 2023 Forrester B2B Summit. As the B2B landscape rapidly shifts, are businesses truly prepared for what’s next?Growth via Customer Value – Discover why centering marketing, sales, and product around customer value is the new gold standard. We unravel Forrester's new B2B customer-obsessed growth engine.The Age of AI – If you aren't already incorporating AI into your strategies, you're already behind.  We explore the titanic influence of AI, especially generative AI, in the B2B realm. We discuss the prudent and strategic use of AI to ensure it enriches, not hampers, the customer journey.The Backbone of B2B - Tech & Data Stacks – Intent data is the new oracle for B2B growth teams. We dive into why a robust tech and data infrastructure is indispensable, and how it's reshaping the ways businesses approach marketing, sales, and product development.Tune in, rethink your strategies, and align with the future of B2B!

Exciting times ahead: Level Agency and Becker Media have merged! We're combining two industry-leading digital marketing agencies to redefine performance marketing in the education sector and beyond. In this episode, we discuss how this strategic move will:Expand Our Resources & Capabilities: We're enhancing our service delivery across all sectors.Foster innovation: Infusing fresh perspectives and strategies in our portfolio.Provide Benefits of Scale: With 125+ professionals and $150M+ digital media spend, we’re deepening our expertise, technology, and insights.

In this  episode, we unpack the changing landscape of the B2B buying process and how marketers need to navigate these changes to drive growth. Here's what we dive into:The transition of the B2B buyer's journey from a linear pathway to a complex, unpredictable cycle.The growing trend of self-service among modern B2B buyers and methods for supporting this shift.The necessity of creating personalized marketing experiences that resonate with a diverse range of B2B audiences.The critical shift from traditional lead-focused KPIs to revenue-centric metrics.Effective strategies for synchronizing marketing and sales efforts to accelerate business growth.

In this episode, we unpack how to strategically craft a personalized B2B content strategy and offer actionable insights on how to execute it at scale. Key Takeaways:The Power of Personalization: Get to know your audience segments' unique needs, motivations, and pain points.Audience Segmentation is Key: Slice your audience into distinct segments based on shared characteristics or needs to create highly relevant content.Scale Personalization: Identify shared challenges among your audience segments to guide content creation.Content Mapping: The type of content you provide matters and it should align with your customer's journey. From awareness to decision-making - we cover what works best at each stage.‘”One to Eight” Approach: Maximizing efforts is key. Learn how one piece of comprehensive content can be transformed into eight unique pieces, catering to various platforms.

Measuring brand awareness impact can often seem like an impossible task. In this episode, we tapped in our Education Team Lead, Geoff Roebuck, to demystify brand awareness and how to effectively measure it.Here’s what you’ll learn:🚀 The tactics we leverage to grow brand awareness🤔 Tackle concerns about investing in demand generation📏 Reveal actionable strategies for effectively testing and measuring brand awareness tactics

In this episode, we dive into the critical role of ecommerce marketing and audience segmentation in formulating effective marketing strategies. The focus is on our advanced approach to audience segmentation, particularly at the pivotal consideration stage of the buyer's journey. We unpack the power of tailored messaging, showing how we've honed message development for various audience segments and sharing powerful success stories that demonstrate the results of our strategies. We're giving a behind-the-scenes look into real client examples and   examining how our segmentation and personalized messaging have significantly reduced costs and increased conversion rates. You will have the understanding to implement improvements in your marketing strategies and the starting steps to get there.

Let's talk about the everchanging ecommerce landscape!Why Staying Updated Matters — In an era where Ecommerce is rapidly evolving, businesses need to keep pace with the latest trends to stay competitive. We'll discuss the importance of being informed and share a practical tip to help you stay updated.Troubleshooting Common Platform Issues — Ever faced issues with platforms like Performance Max? We'll uncover common challenges and provide practical solutions. Plus, discover the benefits of joining user communities for these platforms.Testing New Display Platforms — Consider the value of testing platforms like Criteo. We'll discuss the potential benefits and share a success story that underlines the power of starting small and scaling up based on performance.Embracing New Platforms — Looking to spice up your Ecommerce strategy? Consider newer platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, or Reddit. We'll discuss the potential of these platforms and share a success story of a business that dared to venture into new territory.Flexibility & adaptability are crucial— continuous learning is your key to success🏆🔑

In this episode, we navigate the complex landscape of Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Automation— specifically honing in on their pivotal role in higher education marketing. As these technologies become increasingly essential in a data-driven world, we highlight the necessity of adaptation and strategic innovation.Our attention then shifts to the specific applications of AI, ML, and Automation within marketing. We highlight how AI can reshape student recruitment strategies, how ML can personalize content for enhanced student engagement, and how automation can streamline administrative tasks, improving overall efficiency.Finally, we explore the tangible advantages that these technologies can offer to higher education marketing. From optimizing Return on Investment (ROI) to increasing operational efficiency, we delve into how a strategic shift towards AI, ML, and Automation can result in significant gains.