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What happens when marketing leads with empathy, deep listening, and a genuine commitment to student outcomes? In this episode, Lisa March sits down with Nicole Dingley, VP of Marketing at Ad Astra, to explore how customer advocacy can fuel pipeline growth, shape marketing efforts, and build lasting partnerships in higher ed.
From uncovering real challenges facing institutions to translating those insights into meaningful marketing and product direction, Nicole offers a practical and mission-driven approach to connecting with customers. Along the way, she also explores how something as foundational as course scheduling can influence equity and accessibility—and why listening is one of the most powerful tools in any marketer's playbook.
Sponsored by Partner in Publishing:
https://partnerinpublishing.com/
Bookmarks:
00:39 - Lisa introduces Nicole and highlights her early achievements in sales at Wiley.
03:07 - Nicole defines customer advocacy and explains how it shaped her $2M territory.
04:15 - Discovering her dream role: Nicole's pivot into customer success marketing
07:15 - Why customer advocacy marketing is essential in the age of AI
09:02 - What Ad Astra does and how course scheduling impacts equity and student outcomes
11:32 - Partner in Publishing's Digital Marketing Services
12:35 - Why customer feedback was key to tackling inefficiencies in course scheduling
14:40 - Using community and benchmarking data (Higher Education Scheduling Index) to guide marketing
17:37 - Ad Astra's annual Aspire Conference and how it fosters customer learning and engagement
19:20 - The link between scheduling equity and breaking cycles of poverty
21:18 - Multi-channel marketing strategies: community, associations, and roadshows
23:30 - Partner in Publishing's Video Services
24:40 - Nicole's love for content marketing and how it supports student-centered solutions
26:32 - Navigating complex sales and tailoring content for multiple campus stakeholders
29:52 - Nicole's favorite marketing tool: Influitive - for building community and content
30:39 - Career advice: shifting from individual contributor to collaborative leader
32:12 - What excites Nicole about EdTech marketing and the mission behind her work
34:22 - Reflections on the partnership with Partner in Publishing and scaling with confidence
Resources:
Leading with Noble Purpose by Lisa McLeod
Selling with Noble Purpose by Lisa McLeod
Influitive - Customer advocacy SAAS
