Describe some of the aspects of a routine day for a marketing professional.
On a routine day, I work with our student leadership teams to develop marketing campaigns for activities and programs on campus. I advise on contentand design,andhelp them share information through various college media outlets. This includes our student engagement platform, PantherHUB, as well as department social media accounts. Bimonthly, I design and publish our campus events bathroom stall newspaper,
The Potty Press. On not-so-routine days, I work on creating “Instagramable Moments.” These standalone, theater-like prop displays are erected on the main floor of the Student Union to attract audiences for larger events. Almost everyone has a camera at their disposal, and people love to take pictures of themselves!
What are the best attributes and skills sets for someone working as a student union/student center marketing representative?
Community college professionals wear multiple hats to ensure all bases are covered. While the college has a marketing department, they cannot accommodate the steady flow of activity coming from the PCC Cascade Student Union Building. Marketing is not specifically mentioned in my job description, but it is a personal passion, so I incorporated it into “other duties as assigned.” In today’s union, marketing is layered. Creating print materials is only Step 1. Marketing representatives cannot be afraid to try new things! Recently, we created a “Thriller” music video to market our program to the student leaders we are working with. This was an opportunity to showcase our professional staff, and simultaneously served as a way for us to connect with our student audience.
How are students involved in your marketing efforts?
Many of the student programs and events are marketed by students themselves. Sometimes we have students from the college’s multimedia program involved in student leadership roles. However, most of our student programmers do not have that skill set. To foster their success, I design and lead intentional marketing trainings that cover everything from policy, to sending out an attractive all-campus email, as well as social media and online etiquette. We subscribe to on online design software, Canva. Each term, Canva trainings are incorporated into workshops for student leaders and organizations.The Office of Student Life & Leadership is primarily responsible for all major marketing avenues at PCC. Collaborating with students, professional staff create content, monitor and maintain campus advertising on college bulletin boards, sandwich boards and digital signage, just to name a few.
Describe one of your finest success stories.
In 2015, our department conducted a program review. I led the charge on data collection and design of this 176-page document. Designing and writing a program review provided an opportunity for our department to redesign, streamline, and brand our promotional materials. To create a user-friendly and inviting document, I set font and color standards for our department. Everything from the Potty Press to our Student Resource Guides and brochures have a similar look and feel. Rebranding and streamlining our materials created an association between our printed products, our activities and programs, and the Cascade Campus Office of Student Life & Leadership. This project has set the standard for our department’s branding and has since been adapted and incorporated into all office marketing materials.
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