In this episode of The Hidden Gem, Maya Demishkevich welcomes Alana Villemez, CEO of Most Likely to Succeed, to discuss the growing importance of program-specific marketing for community colleges. With extensive experience working with over 100 colleges, Alana shares insights into why colleges should prioritize marketing specific programs over broad awareness campaigns and how to effectively allocate limited resources to those efforts.

Key Takeaways:

• Hear why program-specific marketing is becoming more important than ever, especially as students increasingly search for specific career pathways rather than general college options.
• Learn about how student needs have shifted post-pandemic, with growing interest in certificates, micro-credentials, and career-oriented programs.
• Discover how to prioritize marketing efforts by using a product lifecycle framework to determine which programs need the most attention based on their stage of development.
• Find out how to package and market programs effectively, focusing on unique benefits like job placement rates, time to completion, and industry demand.
• Get tips on how to balance program marketing with overall brand awareness, leveraging digital channels like pay-per-click advertising and video content to target prospective students.

Product Lifecycle: https://theproductmanager.com/topics/product-life-cycle-management/

Community College Mission Pillars: https://www.mltsucceed.com/insights/

PESO Model: https://spinsucks.com/communication/pr-pros-must-embrace-the-peso-model/

Guest Name: Alana Villemez, CEO, Most Likely to Succeed

Guest Bio: Alana Villemez is the founder & CEO of Most Likely to Succeed, an advisory firm focused on community college enrollment marketing. With over a decade of experience, Alana has worked with more than 100 community colleges to drive enrollment through strategic marketing and communications.
Alana created Most Likely to Succeed with the mission to make community colleges the number one choice for students across the nation. Most Likely to Succeed helps community colleges deliver on their promises by optimizing their enrollment strategies to better attract and support students, communities and local workforces.
As the creator of the Community College PROMISE Framework, Alana employs tailored methodologies—developed from her extensive experience working with community colleges— to empower community college professionals to drive meaningful change and redefine success within their institutions.

www.mltsucceed.com

- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Maya Demishkevich
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayademishkevich/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Hidden Gem: Marketing Community Colleges is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! Some of our favorites include Visionary Voices: The College President’s Playbook and Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO.

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.

Attend the 2025 Engage Summit!
The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.

Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register