Octane Library
Actionable Insights. Remarkable Topics.
Higher education is constantly evolving, which is why we’ve created Octane to help you stay “in the know” on important industry topics. Whether you’re a Vice President of Enrollment, Director of Marketing, or President, we have an article for you!
Below, we’ve included a free digital library of all previous Octane issues. You can also sign up for a free subscription.
OUR LATEST ISSUE
Volume 9, Issue 2—2025
- A Decade of Change. A Legacy of Leading.
- A New Era for Federal Student Aid: What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Means to You
- Listening, Adapting, Succeeding: Insights from 3 Enrollment Leaders
- Building an Internal Student Search Team: What It Really Takes
- Strategic Enrollment Planning in an Era of Diminishing Resources
- Why Smart Presidents Are Choosing Interim VPs Over Quick, Internal Fixes
- Cliff or Catalyst? Rethinking Enrollment Strategy
Volume 9, Issue 1—2025
- What New Enrollment VPs Need to Know (and What Established VPs May Have Forgotten)
- The Real Cost of the Financial Aid Talent Gap
- Pipeline Building—The Critical Role of Sophomore/Junior Search
- How to Build a Strategic Case for a Bigger Enrollment Budget—A Guide for Enrollment Leaders
- To AI or Not to AI—What Higher Ed Really Thinks of Tech’s Latest Leap
Volume 8, Issue 3—2024
- Adapting to Change—How OCU Revitalized Its Enrollment Strategy
- The 2024-2025 Enrollment Cycle—Trends, Challenges, & Predictions
- From Contact to Commitment—10 Tips for Upgrading Your CRM & Communications Strategy for the Upcoming Cycle
- Aligning Enrollment Strategy with Institutional Vision—The Importance of a Strategic Enrollment Plan
- But We Don’t Have Enough Staff (in an AI World)
- Big Goals to Achieve? Start with Small Wins
Volume 8, Issue 2—2024
- Inbox Evolution—How New Email Provider Policies Impact Strategic Enrollment Management
- Support from Start to Finish—Methodologies to Reduce Melt
- Technology at the Forefront—Transformative Solutions for Enrollment Challenges
- From Trends to Trust—Building Long-Term Relationships Through Influencer Marketing
- Train to Retain—The Best Practices for Designing Learning Experiences
- Best in Class Centers for Career Development
Volume 8, Issue 1—2024
- Beyond the Classroom—Navigating the Impending Enrollment Cliff with Innovation
- The “Lost” Generation of Students—Targeting a New Market for Recruitment
- Plotting the Course for the Mid-Year Enrollment Pivot
- Adapting Higher Education for Today’s Non-Traditional Students
- Maximizing Yield with Smarter Online Ad Strategies
- Elevating Graduate Program Marketing for Sustainable Growth
Volume 7, Issue 2—2023
- From “See” to Shining “See”—Observations of the Changing SEM Landscape Across the Country
- Operationalizing a Strategic Enrollment Plan
- Cross-Campus Partnerships—Breaking Down Silos & Why It’s Important
- 5 Tips for Admission Counselors Reading Application Essays
- Partnering with Athletics to Attract Non-Athletes
- How Do You Fit Professional Development into the Life of Your Admission & Enrollment Team?
Volume 7, Issue 1—2023
- The Boomerang Effect—Circling Back to You on How to Get That Deposit
- How to Use Social Media to Engage Potential Students in 2023
- Engineering A Great Campus Visit—Level Up Your Guest Experience!
- What Higher Ed Should Know About Twitch
- Building a Career Track for Enrollment Professionals
- 3 Ways to Win—Segmentation, Personalization, & Triggered Communications
Volume 6, Issue 3—2022
- Quick Takes—Fast Reads & Innovative Ideas to Boost Results
- Teaching & Learning Organizations—Why You Need to Be Both
- Succession Planning in Enrollment Management—Now is the Time
- From Athletic Coach to Admission Counselor—8 Lessons Learned from Coaching Men’s College Basketball
- Financial Aid—What’s Your Strategy for 2022-2023?
- Best in Class Comm Flow
- Decision Fatigue & Its Impact on Recruiting
Volume 6, Issue 2—2022
- Quick Takes—Fast Reads & Innovative Ideas to Boost Results
- Do Ask This Question—The Art & Science of Problem Solving
- Customize to Actualize Increased Enrollment—Marketing to Adult Learners
- May the Wookiee Speak to You!
- You Should Never Ask This Question
- Musings of 2 First-Year Admission Advisors
- Maintaining SEO During a Website Redesign
Volume 6, Issue 1—2022
- Quick Takes—Fast Reads & Innovative Ideas to Boost Results
- The New Admissions Director—How to Avoid the Mud Pit in the Tug of War
- Sometimes, Captain Obvious Doesn’t Report for Duty—An Examination of 4 Commonly Overlooked Retention Strategies
- Hometown Win—How to Combine Local Area Marketing with CRM Power for Local Recruiting
- The Gender Gap—What Can You Do to Nudge Numbers in a Different Direction?
- How to Market a University—A Book Worth Reading
- Adapting Tactics in a Cookieless World—Definitions to Know
ENROLLMENT MARKETING EDITION
Volume 5, Issue 4—2021
- The All-Important Search—Why Forensic Lead Generation™ Matters
- 3 Reasons Why Higher Ed Needs Influencer Marketing
- Digital Advertising—How to Spend Dollars to Reach Enrollment Goals
- Focus Group Takeaways to Improve Direct Mail Communications
- SEO Fundamentals—What Every Higher Education Marketer Should Know
- Who is Jay Baer & Why Might You Care?
- Can Look-Alike Modeling Replace Traditional List Purchasing?
- Social Media Influencers: Macro, Micro—Wait, there’s a Nano Now?
- Does Enrollment Marketing Need Its Own Content Strategy?
- Managing Your Online Reputation—7 Questions to Ask
Volume 5, Issue 3—2021
- The Art of the Relationship—Painting a Canvas of Advice, Help, & Friendship as an Admission Counselor
- Spreading Opportunity & Eliminating Obstacles—The PJ Way
- Bringing Student Search In-House 2.0
- Email Marketing—Current & Next Thoughts from Enrollment Leaders
- The All-Important Search—Why Forensic Lead Generation™ Matters
Volume 5, Issue 2—2021
- The Evolution of Communication Flows—A 360° Journey
- Diagnosing Financial Aid Mechanics
- Let’s Talk About Your First Contact Message
- I Never Expected to Be Here
- Your Lucky 13—Finding Leads for Undergrad Programs
- How to Improve Online Presentation Skills
Volume 5, Issue 1—2021
- From Clay to Gold—Lessons Amid Chaos
- Madison Square Garden, Here We Come—Recruiting Graduate & Adult Students
- Mini-Case Studies—Just Right for 2021
- Aligning New Board Members to Your Way of Thinking
- Get Found—SEO Lessons from a STEM University
- Can Look-Alike Modeling Replace Traditional List Purchasing?
- Emailing Unengaged—Adapting to Succeed Today & Tomorrow
Volume 4, Issue 4—2020
- No Pets Allowed in Residence Halls—Lizard Brains an Exception
- The Year Ahead—3 Fundamental Drivers for Recruiting Success
- 7 Reasons Why Your CRM is More Important Than Ever
- Jared Shelton’s Story—Choosing an HBCU
- Life Choices—3 Students Share Thoughts on Returning to College This Fall
OCTANE SPECIAL EDITION
Volume 4, Issue 3—2020
- When the Lead Pool Dries Up
- Campus Tours, Live & Virtual
- Backyard Recruiting Strategies
- Answering Squirmy Questions
- The Impact of Marketing Budget Cuts
Volume 4, Issue 2—2020
- And Then, Lady Gaga Said… How Storytelling Can Reshape the Campus Visit Experience
- Focus Group Takeaways to Improve Direct Mail Communications
- A Proactive Plan for Melt Prevention
- The Up-Your-Game Guide to Decision-Making
- FUELing Thought—Q&A with InstaBrain Author, Sarah Weise
Volume 4, Issue 1—2020
- No Snowflake in an Avalanche Feels Responsible
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective Enrollment Leaders
- Digital Advertising—How to Spend Dollars to Reach Enrollment Goals
- Who is Jay Baer & Why Might You Care?
- Be Prepared for 2 Areas of Angst
- Every School Needs an Outcome Brochure

Volume 3, Issue 4—2019
- What Building 20 Taught Us About Brainstorming
- Senior Enrollment Officers & Chief Financial Officers—Looking for Support in Challenging Times
- The Senior Search Campaign
- The Rural High School Student—Recruitment Strategies
- The Rankings Game—Play to Win
Volume 3, Issue 3—2019
- Politics, Workload, Cost—How They Impact Student Search Lead Generation
- Staging Your CRM Implementation
- Working Hard to Get Nothing Done—A Lesson in Project Management
- Winning Mom’s Heart—The Key to Enrollment Marketing Success
- Tips & Tricks for Recruiting at a Two-Year College
Volume 3, Issue 2—2019
- Applying 4 Frames of Leadership to SEM
- Summer Melt Meets Its Match
- Price Reset Considerations, Concerns, & Implementation Tactics
- Anonymous Confessions of a College Copywriter
- Does Enrollment Marketing Need Its Own Content Strategy?
- A Quick Update on Informed Delivery
Volume 3, Issue 1—2019
- A Countdown to May—Tips, Tricks, & Calls to Action
- Components of Territory Management
- A Seat at the Table—Nurturing a Winning Relationship with Your Board
- Complaints, Frustration, & Opportunity
- Building Relationships with Independent Educational Consultants
Volume 2, Issue 3—2018
- But We Don’t Have Enough Staff
- Designing Functional Spaces to Create Emotional Connections
- Planning for Fall Travel Season
- 360° Digital Advertising Strategies
- Generation Z Goes to College
Volume 2, Issue 2—2018
- Why Things Fail in Enrollment Offices
- Disrupt Your Campus Visit
- Fish in the Right Ponds
- The Fast 4
- Is It Time to Fix Photo Fatigue?
- 3 Tactical Opportunities for Parental Communications
Volume 2, Issue 1—2018
- 5 Enrollment Leaders of the Future
- What’s In a Name?
- Bringing Student Search In-House
- 7 Tips for Effective Email Subject Lines
- Rebranding Review—Insights from 2 Enrollment Leaders
- Measuring What Matters
- The Backstory on Instagram Stories
Volume 1, Issue 2—2017
- Get That Deposit!
- Numbers, Data, Research… So What?
- How to Develop a New Market for Recruitment
- Geofencing & Geotargeting
- 10 Tips for New Admission Counselors
- Your Hiring Bar—Should It Be Higher?
Volume 1, Issue 1—2017
- How & Why College Students Select an Institution
- Retargeting Ramps Up
- Boundless Organizations
- Does Direct Mail Make Sense?
- The Genesis of microSEARCH®
- Streamlining Resource Decisions Using Data-Driven Behavioral Scoring