Kathleen Stockham
Chief Marketing Officer at South College
Website Address: www.south.edu
Each week on “Digital Champions”, our host talks to digital marketing experts across the country. This week our host speaks with Kathleen Stockham from South College.
To learn more, check out https://www.south.edu.
What is your company Elevator pitch when talking about your company?
South College is a private college with more than 80+ Programs and Concentrations featuring high-end labs and classrooms. Seven gorgeous campuses across 6 states plus online! We have Certificates all the way to Doctoral degrees from Healthcare to Business, Technology, Legal Studies and more. Exceptional hands-on and real-world focus for the serious student.
What is the biggest change in marketing that you see coming in the next 2 years?
With cookies going away and further contraction in the paid search space where 11 major search engines is now really 1 with 2 distant cousins, marketers are being forced to look elsewhere for prospecting such as OTT and new paid social options. However, if Washington DC gets their way so that only politicians get to play with personal data and not free enterprise I think the consumer experience will continue to suffer as the pendulum will swing the opposite direction. What was once a curated and custom experience becomes more “vanilla” and we go back to just “buying eyeballs” like we did in 1999 (albeit more expensive) because the restrictions and DPA laws (by state) will be such that you won’t know anything except your first party data but even then you won’t be able to do much except email. (If you can even do that anymore…)
What is one tip that you would give when it comes to digital marketing?
Don’t assume you “know”‘your demographic. If I have seen it once I have seen it many times that just because your demographic was X some 8 years ago, don’t assume that it’s always going to be that way. Watch your data and let your data tell you who they really are. Chances are your demo is changing about every 5 years or sooner.
What is the main pain point that you solve for your customers?
Our role is to put relevant content whether it be social media or a Microsite or a direct mail piece in the path of a potential student who is looking to either start their life or change their life. We know students and parents have a lot of choices out there so we have to work harder to show why we are the best choice.
