Connect Brand Research to Tangible Outcomes
January 27, 2026 | Michelle Mulder
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 built on a solid foundation—one that starts with understanding the value your brand holds in the mind of your audience.
That value is your brand equity. Social intelligence, the analysis of public online conversation paired with expert interpretation, shows how your brand is perceived and why, in your audiences’ own words. But data alone doesn’t change a strategy. The work is turning what audiences say into priorities your marketing and enrollment teams can act on together.
What Strong Brand Research Should Answer
Where you stand. How does awareness of your brand compare to similar institutions? How strong, far-reaching, and engaging is your campus’s own voice in shaping how your brand is perceived?
What you’re saying. Which themes do you rely on in your storytelling, and how consistent is your brand from one institutional channel to the next?
What to do about it. Findings only matter when they become priorities. Expert analysts interpret the conversation and recommend where to focus, so your marketing and enrollment teams can align and share accountability for building awareness and interest.
Turning Insight Into a Focused Brand Strategy
Use what you learn about awareness, perception, and consistency to shape a vision for the future. Understand how your campus is discussed online and which messages resonate with the audiences you’re trying to reach. Then assess and prioritize opportunities and build a focused strategy that strengthens brand awareness and responds to market shifts.
What this Looks Like in Practice
Duquesne University wanted to increase awareness of its vibrant student life to better highlight the student experience. Social intelligence helped inform strategies to showcase their campus culture, and branded content associated with the student life theme grew 11% year over year.
Questions to Test Your Brand Equity
How does your brand’s awareness compare to similar institutions in your market?
Which themes do you lean on in your storytelling, and do your audiences echo them back?
How consistent is your brand across your institutional channels, and where do the gaps appear?
Where do your marketing and enrollment teams need to align to build awareness and interest?
Start With How Your Brand Shows Up
Understanding how your brand shows up in the marketplace is the first step toward a strategy that builds awareness and interest among your enrollment audiences. Download our brand equity book or learn how the Brand Power Assessment gives you an objective view of your brand and strategy your team can act on.