Healing your Achilles Heel: Marketing Greek Life

Originally written for ERI Insights.

With the reputation surrounding Greek life distorted by pop culture and social media, it’s understandable for institutional leaders to feel conflicted about including their campus chapters in their marketing efforts. In many cases, it becomes a double-edged sword: there is a desire to showcase their feats of philanthropy and social-driven organizations on campus, but a hesitation to affiliate their university with popularized images of red solo cups and extensive partying. 

Some choose to minimize promotion to sidestep this challenge. However, if your institution has Greek life, it’s inevitable that prospective students will seek out information on how it plays a role in campus life. 

To assist your audience in their search for a compatible university culture while clearly defining how Greek life weaves into your campus’s community, consider the following in your digital strategy.

---

Use University Values as a Framework

University values—often concepts like wisdom, curiosity, leadership, and service—are fundamental to an institution’s mission and purpose. Integrating these core values into the messaging of Greek organizations on campus therefore reinforces the university’s commitment to these ideals while defining how your institution’s Greek chapters uplift them within the campus community.

Value of Tradition & Longevity Example: University of Georgia (UGA)

A leader in Greek life within the higher education sphere, it’s no surprise that UGA has leaned into an angle of long-held tradition and pride within their Greek life messaging. By emphasizing a rich history and unity through diversity, UGA is able to identify a purpose for Greek life specifically within its campus.

Value of Community Service & Involvement Example: Valparaiso University (Valpo)

Valpo’s 247,000+ hours of community outreach accrued by their student body makes it clear that service plays a large role in the university’s identity. As a result, their Greek life messaging reflects the importance of philanthropy, providing concrete information on each chapter’s service initiatives that connects these chapters to the heart of the campus culture.

Value of Leadership Example: Arizona State University (ASU)

ASU champions innovation, leadership, and achievement beyond an undergraduate degree in their messaging. To echo these sentiments and define their university’s Greek life experience within their own borders, ASU emphasizes leadership opportunities found within these organizations as well as real-life examples to perpetuate their vision.

Value of Academic Achievement Example: Lafayette College

Lafayette College makes it clear from the beginning of their messaging that academic excellence plays a key role in every aspect of their institution, Greek life included. By providing statistics that support that Greek life within their campus equates to academic achievement and graduate outcomes, the university successfully incorporates educational pursuits into their definition of what Lafayette’s Greek culture is. 

---

Emphasize YOUR Chapters

While certain sororities and fraternities may gain a cultivated national reputation throughout their history, the reality is that chapters vary from university to university in a variety of ways. With this in mind, a key way to define your institution’s Greek life is to focus specifically on what your university chapters bring to the table, and how they make a positive impact on the community around your campus.

University Emphasis Example: Northeastern University

By focusing on university-specific facts & statistics as well as showcasing campus-exclusive Greek life community traditions, Northeastern is able to define their own on-campus Greek culture without relying on the national counterparts, building a positive and community-oriented identity.

---

Rely on Student Voices

When developing any aspect of university messaging, student testimonials often provide the missing ethos an institution needs. Hearing from individuals in a similar life stage speak on their experiences gives a sense of authenticity to prospective students and helps an institution define the campus culture with individuals who are genuinely immersed in it.

Student Testimonial Example: University of Michigan

---

In Conclusion

With over 650 colleges and universities in the United States offering Greek life as part of their undergraduate experience, it’s important to note that all 650 institutions are offering a completely different experience within their chapters. Despite the imagery that #RushTok and early-2000s movies may provide, each Greek community is largely shaped by the personality of the respective universities, not the other way around. 

Some universities may see Greek life playing a large role in their community, and others may see it as a small percentage – its campus impact can be reflected in the prominence of your organizational marketing efforts. 

Regardless of the size of your Greek community, by aligning your chapters with your institution’s values, local community, and students, your messaging can give a new perspective and definition to Greek life as it pertains to your university’s experience.