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2025 had "busy" written all over it.
In 2025, higher education marketers came looking for practical help: what’s changing in search, what’s working on social, how to stand out in recruitment moments like Clearing, and how to keep your website and content operations moving.
New platforms, new search behaviours, and the same old challenge of doing more with less.So we pulled together the 20 most-read posts we published in 2025, in order.
If you missed a few, this is your excuse to bookmark them—and steal a couple of ideas for your next sprint.
1. Ten marketing trends for higher education you can't ignore in 2025
You don’t need more noise—you need a clear signal. This post helps higher education marketers spot what’s genuinely shifting (student expectations, channels, measurement, AI) so you can plan with confidence instead of reacting in 2026.
If you want a "what now?" follow-up, try: Making the case for digital transformation in higher ed: your roadmap to buy-in
2. Mastering YouTube Shorts: how to engage Gen Z and boost recruitment
Short-form video is crowded, but higher education still wins when content feels real, specific, and made for students (not just for metrics). We break down how higher education marketers can create Shorts that feel student-first, not overly produced, and still support recruitment goals.
For more platform pulse, try: Autumn social media updates: What higher ed marketers need to know
When you’re staring down the content calendar and everything feels a bit same-y, this article gives you ready-to-run ideas higher education marketers can adapt quickly without sounding like every other institution in the feed.
If your team needs guardrails as well as ideas, try: Creating smart social media guidelines for higher ed students
4. Who’s cutting through the noise in Clearing 2025? Examples from UK universities
UK Clearing isn’t a scramble anymore—it’s a moment, and you don’t get many second chances.
This post shows you examples of how universities made decisions easier for students, so your Clearing pages and messages can feel clearer, calmer, and more compelling.
If you’re also looking at your wider recruitment journeys, try:
These examples are a confidence boost for higher education marketers who want a site that still feels structured and accessible—but also unmistakably you.
You know the pressure to play it safe on the website, but this article is a reminder that "accessible and structured" doesn’t have to mean "forgettable."
These examples are a confidence boost for higher education marketers who want a site that still feels structured and accessible—but also unmistakably branded, to show how design, storytelling, and confidence can coexist with the realities of higher ed governance.
6. How to turn higher education anniversaries into brand wins
Anniversaries can be content gold…or a missed opportunity dressed up as a logo lockup. This post makes the case for milestones that feel meaningful, modern, and genuinely community-building.
For a smaller-but-mighty example, try: https://www.terminalfour.com/blog/posts/a-playful-post-from-ul-alumni-that-struck-a-nostalgic-chord.html
7. The rise of university brand managers: why higher ed is investing in new roles
If you’ve felt the tension between "move fast" and "stay on brand," you’re not alone. This article explores why higher education teams are formalising brand leadership and what that means for the way you work day to day. It’s about the reality of alignment when everyone owns a piece of the story.
You’re watching search change in real time. If your team is worried about visibility as AI summaries become the "front door," this article helps you focus on what actually matters. It gives you practical ways to stay visible as AI shapes how students discover answers without throwing out everything you know about SEO.
For the operational side of local SEO, check out: Local SEO strategies for colleges and universities: owning the digital landscape
9. Ten tools and ideas to get your marketing team out of a creative rut
Every higher ed team hits the wall sometimes. This is a friendly reboot for higher education marketers—tools and prompts that help you generate better ideas, faster, especially when you’re short on time and long on deadlines.
10. The future of higher education marketing: Thriving in digital disruption
This is the "zoom out" piece you share when your team needs alignment. We offer a way for higher education marketers to connect the dots between shifting expectations, digital habits, and the kind of experiences your university or college needs to deliver next.
11. Five approaches to multilingual websites for higher education
Multilingual isn’t just translation—it’s trust. This post helps you think through options so you can choose an approach that fits your audience, your resources, and your reality (without creating a maintenance nightmare).
12. Ten really useful tools for higher education digital marketing
The "make my life easier" list, built for small teams. It’s a handy scan when you’re trying to speed up production without sacrificing quality.
When your to-do list is longer than your team, tools matter. This roundup gives higher education marketers practical options to streamline content, planning, and production—so you can spend more energy on strategy, not admin.
13. AI-writing assistant tips for higher education marketers
If you’re curious about AI but cautious about quality, you’ll like this. It shows you where AI can genuinely help higher education marketers: getting past blank-page moments, repurposing content, and freeing you up for the work only humans can do.
14. Beyond the envelope: what universities can learn from China’s creative admission
Admissions is all about emotion. In this article, we show how packaging, presentation, and ceremony can turn a "yes" into belonging, and what that could mean for your own recruitment moments.
15. The value and evolving role of alumni in higher education marketing
Alumni stories work really well when they’re specific and credible, rather than polished and generic. In this article, we dig into how alumni influence perception—and how to make engagement feel mutual.
For a tone-and-timing masterclass, try: A playful post from UL Alumni… that struck a nostalgic chord
16. Bluesky 101: What higher ed marketers need to know about this platform
New platforms are tempting, but your time is limited. This year, Twitter changed to X, and (some) marketers flocked to Bluesky… and while social media is changing all the time, here’s a breakdown of what this platform is like, and if it deserves a place in your channel mix.
17. From down under to worldwide: how Australian is driving online learning
Online learning is now a real differentiator. In this post, we took a trip down under to see what’s working in Australia, and how you could rethink how your university or college positions online flexibility and access.
18. How to turn 42,000 student insights into smarter content strategy – KEG Report
If you’ve ever had to defend a content decision to stakeholders, this article summarizes the report and insights so you can get clearer messaging and priorities and focus on what students actually need, not what internal teams assume they need.
19. Why digital governance matters—and how to get it right at your institution
Governance isn’t glamorous, but it’s how you keep your website coherent when everything is urgent. Here, we focus on what good governance looks like and practical ways to bring order to content, ownership, and workflows, so quality doesn’t depend on heroics.
For a channel-specific companion, try: Autumn social media updates: What higher ed marketers need to know
20. A playful post from UL Alumni… that struck a nostalgic chord
A great reminder that higher education doesn’t have to sound like a brochure. Tone, timing, and a bit of bravery can make even a simple post feel like a moment people want to share.
So, what were we all really trying to solve in 2025?
Taken together, your top reads point to a few consistent themes.
Higher education marketers want tactics that work now, but also foundations that keep working when the next change hits.
Which of these challenges felt most familiar at your university or college this year: keeping up with platform shifts, proving value with data, or getting the web "machine" running smoothly across teams?