Our Opinion: LU's marketing strategy designed to attract students

Marketing is about offering the most attractive products and services - a combination of quality and cost - to the greatest number of people.

Marketing is often linked to retailers, just as education is associated with schools. But schools, particularly colleges and universities, compete for students and, consequently, must market themselves effectively.

A new marketing effort is among the priorities for Lincoln University's Board of Curators, administration, faculty and students.

LU President Kevin Rome captured the essence of the marketing strategy when he said: "When you can get a great education at a reasonable price - really, our doors should be bursting open."

The burst is the goal, but recent statistics show the doors are opening wider and Lincoln's welcome mat is experiencing more traffic.

In 2013, LU welcomed 400 first-time students and more than 500 students started classes late last summer.

The new goal, LU Chief of Staff Jerome Offord said, "is 600 freshmen for the year." He also reported the school has processed 2,700 applications, compared to 1,986 at this time last year.

An ambitious goal requires an ambitious marketing plan. The campaign Lincoln will launch targets 80,000 potential students around the country.

And a component of the campaign will be Lincoln University's diversity.

"We have a diverse faculty, diverse staff, diverse students and we represent the country," Rome said.

Rome said LU must celebrate its heritage and its stature as one of the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), but acknowledge that the school has become more diverse.

Lincoln University is growing, but wisely not resting on its laurels.

Rome is a realist. "We can't control the outcomes," he said of the marketing campaign, "but we can control the effort, and our effort is going to move forward as mightily as possible."

Marketing requires effort. And, although effort may not result in desired outcomes, a lack of effort assures failure.