Why Brand Storytelling Is Essential for MBA Enrollment Marketing
Thanks to the rise of flexible online MBA programs, digital-first marketing strategies, and constant pressure to improve rankings, the world of MBA admissions is more competitive than ever. Prospective students have a wealth of information at their fingertips. A glossy admissions brochure or a flashy website is no longer enough. To stand out, your marketing needs to build emotional connections and clearly communicate what makes your program different.
Students, faculty, alumni, and staff are the heart of your MBA program. They define your culture and shape your brand both internally and externally. They’re often the reason applicants choose one school over another. Their stories should fuel every aspect of your marketing.
Help Prospects Visualize the Experience
Enrolling in an MBA program is one of the biggest career decisions someone can make. Beyond tuition, students invest significant time away from friends and family while balancing life inside and outside of the classroom. For 12 to 24 months, the program becomes their world. If there’s ever a moment when trust matters, this is it.
Brand storytelling is one of the most effective ways to give prospective students a peek behind the curtain. It builds genuine connections and showcases the lived experience of your students, faculty, and alumni. Done well, storytelling also becomes a powerful source of content for your website, social media, email marketing, and broader communications.
Cleary Define What Makes Your MBA Program Different
Before you can tell your story effectively, you need a clear sense of your brand. What makes your MBA program different from peer schools? In our work with clients, this is often a gray area. What may seem like a key differentiator internally may actually be a point of parity. To uncover what truly sets your program apart, gather insights from student and alumni surveys, feedback from admitted students who didn’t enroll, and conversations with faculty and staff. Competitor benchmarking can also help clarify how your brand is positioned relative to others.
Marketers often confuse communicating features and benefits with telling a brand story. Features and benefits answer what. A narrative explains how and why. It has a voice, a perspective, and a human element. Often, the best brand stories aren’t about the program itself. They’re about the people who come through it and make it stronger.
“A brand narrative is an invitation—a start of a conversation that ultimately explains how and why.”
— Michael Schinelli, CMO, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Make the Admissions Process More Relatable
Brand storytelling should also bring your admissions experience to life. Share stories that follow the applicant journey, highlight your values, and reflect the culture of your program. Don’t underestimate the power of personal connections. Encourage classroom visits, student-alumni conversations, and live Q&As through tools like Instagram or LinkedIn Live. These experiences are not just informational—they're emotionally resonant.
Invite current students to talk about academics, student life, community impact, and career development. Their voices are relatable and credible. Their stories are more powerful than any admissions brochure. They also help build a steady stream of content for your blog, emails, or social platforms. Just make sure those platforms stay active. A Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in months tells its own kind of story.
When it comes to academics, many programs focus on faculty quality. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business elevated that message by highlighting its unmatched number of Nobel laureates. That’s a compelling differentiator. But even if your faculty haven’t won global prizes, they each bring something unique. Share their stories with clarity and relevance—through their research, teaching, and connections to students.
Put Brand Storytelling at the Center
To cut through the noise, brand storytelling should sit at the center of your MBA enrollment strategy. Empower your internal community to share their perspectives. When done right, their voices create a clear and compelling narrative that resonates with prospective students—and helps your program stand apart.