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Are you still using follower count to define your institution’s social media success? article image. Close-up of hands holding a smartphone displaying an Instagram post. The screen shows a large blue thumbs-down icon with "Disliked by 800 others" written below.

Are you still using follower count to define social media success?

AI-driven curation is reshaping social media, and engagement now reigns supreme over follower count.

Social Media /
By: Kellen Manning
Can’t-Miss Higher Ed Conferences for 2024-25

Can’t-Miss Higher Ed Conferences for 2025

Our tracker of virtual, in-person and hybrid higher education leadership conferences for the upcoming academic year.

Professional Development /
By: Volt
Boring? Think Again: Social Media Content That Stole the Show in 2024 article image. A young woman with curly hair, wearing glasses and a yellow plaid shirt, enjoys listening to music on red headphones. She appears relaxed and happy, surrounded by floating slices of pizza in a surreal, neon-lit cityscape background.

Boring? Think Again: Social Media Content That Stole the Show in 2024

Discover the unexpected niche social media content of 2024 that turned “boring” into brilliant.

Social Media /
By: Kellen Manning

Popular on Volt

We broke up with our OPM. Your institution can, too.

D’Youville University’s decision to leave its OPM highlights how institutions can save money, grow enrollment and take control of online programs.

Institutional Strategy /
By: Jeremiah Grabowski
A male runner with short dark hair and beard, wearing a white and black striped shirt and black shorts running through a race banner with the word "Myth" written across it multiple times.

Breaking Barriers: 3 Persistent Media Myths That Limit Potential

These media myths constrain higher ed marketing, but breaking the barriers can lead to more effective campaigns, even with limited budgets.

Marketing /
By: Chris Huebner
A male college student walking through an open doorway with an "exit" sign above. Instead of "exit" the sign depicts the blue butterfly of the Bluesky logo.

Why Bluesky may not be your school’s next social media star.

Emerging platforms like Bluesky might be gaining buzz, but without one key factor, they’re unlikely to be the future of social media.

Social Media /
By: Kellen Manning
A split image with two female students, both with long brown hair, standing and speaking with a seated male professor with short blond hair. To the right is a school building teetering on the metaphorical demographic cliff.

Turn the demographic cliff into an opportunity with four strategic moves.

Even with enrollment challenges, colleges can thrive through uniqueness, flexible spaces, community ties, and refined communication.

Institutional Strategy /
By: Tori Grandstaff
Three keys to turn students into stakeholders by humanizing the experience article image. Collage of four images, top left: A close-up of a hand signing a document with a pen. Top right: two students smiling and collaborating outdoors. Bottom left: a professional standing outside a university building, holding a tablet. Bottom right: a classic stone university building with an arched wooden door, surrounded by greenery. White circular arrows overlay the images.

Humanize the experience. Three keys to turn students into stakeholders.

What if, instead of focusing solely on retention rates, higher ed gauged success by the generational impact of student stakeholders?

Marketing /
By: Elliot Lollis
What speaks to your donors? Emojis, GIFS, smoke signals? article image. A woman is seated at a desk, working on a laptop in an office setting. She is surrounded by floating icons of envelopes with red dollar signs, symbolizing email fundraising or alumni giving donations.

What speaks to your donors? Emojis, GIFS, smoke signals?

One preparatory school did the leg work to find out what works best to solicit alumni giving. The answer may surprise you.

Marketing /
By: Danielle Hladky
"Breaking the one-size-fits-all trap by optimizing higher ed marketing, pr and communications for success." article image. Three women in a professional setting, each representing different roles: one on the left holding a laptop and smiling, the middle woman holding a camera up to her eye as if taking a photo, and the woman on the right with gray hair and glasses writing on a clipboard. The background shows a blurred office environment.

Optimizing higher ed marketing, PR and comms to avoid the one-size-fits-all trap.

Separating marketing functions can streamline efforts, boost results and enhance institutional reputation.

Marketing /
By: Melissa Horvath, PhD
Two people collaborating at a desk in an office setting. A bearded man in a gray shirt reviews a document with a young woman in a striped shirt who appears focused on taking notes. A laptop and notebook are on the desk in front of them.

Want a strategy for higher ed’s survival? Unite the faculty and administration.

In a polarized climate, faculty-administration alignment can drive student success and ensure higher ed’s resilience amid today’s challenges.

Institutional Strategy /
By: Dr. Kelly Dore
Two social media professionals at different ages. On the left, a young woman with long brown hair and light skin, and on the right, an older woman with short, gray hair and light skin. On both images are social media heart icons.

I’m getting too old for this … or am I?

Three ways to stay relevant, build trust and thrive in the fast-paced world of social media, no matter where you are in your career or how old you are.

Social Media /
By: Kellen Manning
Do politics shape college choice? Here’s how institutions can respond article image. Three students on campus with red, blue, and neutral lines (US flag) separating them representing the political parties.

Politics impact college choice. These examples show how to adapt.

Institutions must thoughtfully balance neutrality and expression to align with their values and prospective students’ concerns.

Institutional Strategy /
By: Jarrett Smith
Four different types of college campuses side by side with the word "we're not so different" emblazoned across the middle to showcase college branding strategy of being distinct not different.

Stop trying to be different. Distinction is the key to college survival.

In a crowded higher ed landscape, colleges must shift from emphasizing differences to embracing what makes them truly memorable to thrive.

Marketing /
By: Joseph Master
A female educator with dark skin, dark hair, and a tan blazer smiling as she teaches her students, indicating her overall well-being.

We focus on student mental health. But what about educator well-being?

UK-based educator and student May Ho explores practical steps higher ed can take to maintain faculty well-being and how these efforts can positively impact student experiences.

Institutional Strategy /
By: May Ho
WTF is “skibidi Ohio rizz”?

WTF is “skibidi Ohio rizz”?

A handy guide for when to adopt the vernacular of Gen Alpha, and when not to.

Social Media /
By: Katelyn Mills-Erickson