At MindMax, our core values are the foundation of everything we do, guiding our approach to helping educational institutions achieve their goals. We’ve put together this Core Values Series to share how our values shape our work and drive our commitment to excellence. 

Through this series, we aim to provide a deeper understanding of the principles that influence our strategies and contribute to the success of our clients.

You can check out the full series at the links below:

Get Results
Learn Always
Align to Mission
Build Meaningful Relationships
Actionable Insights

The Inverted Pyramid Approach

Capturing people’s attention is difficult. It’s essential to get straight to the point. More often than not, the point isn’t the data but the insights that we derive from it. 

You may be familiar with the “inverted pyramid” in journalism. The idea is that a news article should prioritize the most important information at the beginning, followed by supporting details and background information, to ensure that key messages are conveyed quickly and clearly.

I take this approach when discussing marketing and enrollment data with higher ed leaders. I share a “headline” (the insight) before digging into the data. This approach makes it easier for the person I’m speaking with to grasp the key message and understand the context behind the numbers. 

Actionable Insights Help Avoid Higher Ed Marketing Mistakes

I’ve found over the years that providing actionable insights helps avoid common mistakes when analyzing marketing and enrollment data.

Mistake #1: Jumping to a conclusion with a small piece of information

My dad used to say, “Don’t get confused by the facts.” In other words, while data might suggest a particular outcome, avoid jumping to conclusions too quickly. Instead, develop a hypothesis, investigate the data, and recommend an action as a result of the learning (that’s where the “actionable” in “provide actionable insights” comes into play). 

Sharing reports and numbers isn’t enough. It’s important to dig deeper to determine what the numbers mean. Here are some questions I ask to develop actionable insights: 

What is this information really telling us? 

Is it different from our expectations, desires, or past trends? If so, why?

What is our hypothesis? 

How can we mitigate the negative or accentuate the positive? 

Mistake #2: Changing course impulsively

The pressure to meet enrollment goals can lead schools to impulsive decisions, especially as enrollment deadlines loom and registration numbers are lower than anticipated. Marketing teams can fall prey to what I like to call the “more cowbell” approach: increasing ad spend, sending more emails, and rallying the team for an all-hands-on-deck effort. 

The problem is that these actions are often driven more by panic than thoughtful analysis and insight. Instead of changing course impulsively based on a single data point, take the opportunity to step back, consider what the information is telling you, develop a hypothesis, and make an informed decision on the best way forward. 

Mistake #3: Assuming a few successes indicate a trend

Just because the data shows you’ve been successful doesn’t necessarily mean that success will continue.

MindMax’s core value of providing actionable insights reminds us to approach each new situation with a high level of thoughtfulness and analysis. Rather than chasing success, continue to test, verify, and base actions on a thorough understanding of the data.

Beyond Higher Education Marketing and Enrollment

Providing actionable insights is also a critical component of MindMax’s advisory services, short-term engagements that produce an actionable plan in marketing, enrollment, data analysis, or student experience—or a combination of the four. 

Higher education institutions often have fragmented or incomplete data sets, which can hinder effective decision-making. I focus on highlighting these gaps to emphasize why it’s important not to rush into a marketing or enrollment services investment. 

The insights and recommendations I provide empower schools to move forward with clarity and concrete, measurable goals. I make a point of being candid with schools about which actions are achievable and will have the most significant impact. 

MindMax’s Approach in Action

During a recent engagement, MindMax discovered that 70-80% of applicants were abandoning their summer program applications at the final step—even after entering sensitive information like their Social Security number, address, and contact details. 

The sticking point? A $50 application fee that was required on the last page. Although the fee was mentioned on the landing page, the majority of new enrollees didn’t notice it until they’d nearly completed their registration details.

Upon closer examination, another key insight emerged: the program offered financial aid as part of its mission to make education accessible. This insight led me to a hypothesis: prospective students were self-selecting out of the application process due to the fee.

With this hypothesis in mind, I helped the university establish an innovative pricing strategy that allowed summer program enrollees who required financial aid to submit their applications fee-free—and applications increased dramatically. 

A Critical Differentiator

Believe it or not, providing actionable insights is MindMax’s most challenging core value to uphold. It’s far easier to simply share the data and leave it at that. That’s probably why so many marketers take that approach. Finding a trusted source for meaningful insights is increasingly rare. At MindMax, we make it our mission to be that trusted source. 

We don’t just deliver numbers; we interpret them, challenge assumptions, and guide schools toward informed decisions. And when we don’t have the answers, we’re honest about it. Our commitment to actionable insights ensures that schools receive not only data but also the clarity and direction needed to be successful. 

Reach out to learn how MindMax can help you meet your enrollment goals.