Fixing the Gaps in Parent and Counselor Communication – a conversation with Laura Rudolph

On the latest episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I interviewed Laura Rudolph, founder of Square One Consulting and former higher-ed marketer at Transylvania and Marshall University.

We talked about the two audiences that are often overlooked in enrollment strategy: parents and high school counselors.

Laura put it plainly: "Parents aren't along for the ride. They're driving the car. Counselors? They're the GPS."

It's something we don't talk about enough in higher ed marketing.

We spend so much time crafting campaigns for students that we overlook the people shaping the decisions behind the scenes.

In this conversation, Laura shared practical strategies she's used at small, regional colleges, where teams are lean and time is tight, to engage parents and counselors in ways that actually move the needle.

A few takeaways that stuck with me:

▪️ Students will share parent contact info. You just have to ask and give a reason. "We want to send them info you might not care about, like billing, safety, or support services." That framing works.

▪️Parents don't need polished campaigns. They need clear, timely answers: What's this going to cost? Will my kid be safe? What's the return?

▪️Counselor newsletters aren't dead, but the old way of doing them is. Personalized student status emails with real-time application updates? That's what gets opened and acted on.

▪️Text reminders to parents before deadlines (like enrollment forms) are simple to set up and can drastically reduce melt.

Laura also brought up something I think more teams should consider: Surveying your own parents and counselors.

Ask what worked.

What didn't. What felt helpful or missing.

You don't need a 20-question Qualtrics form.

Even five quick questions can give you the insight to make next cycle smoother.

If you're trying to build stronger relationships with the people who influence your prospective students most, this episode is for you.

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