Woman-in-pink-hoodie.jpg

The difference we create

We believe in the power of education to make a positive difference. And we’re proud to help universities and colleges in the UK and around the world change for the better. We help them enhance the experience they offer students, increase their marketing performance, and live their brands.

Whether it’s through hands-on campaign delivery or high-level strategic thinking, here’s how we could create a measurable impact for you.

Strategic marketing

Teal-arrows.jpg

By setting the right direction

Campaign strategy

With over 20 years’ sector experience and a proven framework, we can create and seamlessly deliver innovative, impactful and effective campaigns.

Read more
Woman-writing-on-glass.jpg

By creating cross-channel results

Channel planning and buying

Combining market-leading research, data and insight, we can make your media work harder – delivering the right messages to your audiences at exactly the right times.

Read more
Data-chart.jpg

By keeping everything on track

Monitoring campaign performance

We can track all campaign activity – using our sophisticated SMRS Reporting platform to optimise performance and give you a real-time view of how things are progressing.

Read more
Man-in-pink-background.jpg

By putting you in the picture

Data visualisation and analysis

Using our unrivalled YWare platform, we can merge and visualise complex data sets, to give you priceless insights into your markets and audiences.

Read more
Man-writing-notebook.jpg

By telling your story beautifully

Creative and messaging

We’ll work with you to define a compelling story, and then our experts will craft it into bold, beautiful messaging and visuals that your audience just can’t ignore.

Read more
Working-on-laptop.jpg

By sharing your story far and wide

Content creation

Exploring all kinds of formats and channels, we can develop striking content to engage and speak to your target audiences, wherever they are.

Read more
Mobile-phone-social-media.jpg

By making you shine online

Social media

From insightful social listening to intelligent strategies, we can get greater value, and a bigger impact, from your social activity.

Read more
View All

Strategic consultancy

Group-of-people-walking.jpg

By showing the world who you are

Branding

We can work with you to develop, communicate, manage and measure an institutional brand that will set you apart in a crowded market.

Read more
Woman learning online.jpg

By making your experience unbeatable

Customer experience

From initial awareness to graduation and beyond, we can map and improve the moments that matter throughout your student journey.

Read more
Cycling.jpg

By understanding your audience

Audience segmentation

We can identify the key groups within your audience, and then use our understanding to shape everything from targeting to retention.

Read more
Women-in-meeting-2.jpg

By knowing just who to talk to

Persona development

By understanding your current students, we can create a data-informed set of personas that will allow you to more effectively target and engage your next intake.

Read more
Using-phone-2.jpg

By digging deeper

Research and insight

We can provide market analysis, competitor benchmarking and innovative methodologies – helping you better understand your markets and audiences.

Read more
People-in-meeting.jpg

By helping you work even better

People analytics

Taking a close look at your institution, we can help you understand how to create more effective teams, improve communication and drive collaboration.

Read more
Using-phone.jpg

By giving you a site worth seeing

Website development

From website and campaign landing-page development to UX audits and conversion rate optimisation, we can take your web presence to the next level.

Read more
View All

What we’re up to

Insights. Opinions. Bright ideas and beautiful work. We find and create new things all the time, and we’re happy to share.

Show me:

This much we know - Undergraduate cross border migration

At first glance, the 2023 EOC topline data reveals a robust volume of accepted applicants stayed within their domiciled region – 246k (51%) of all accepted applicants. However, as we know there are notable variations in the number of providers and population sizes at a regional level, so there’s a compelling case to dig a bit deeper.

Read more
Woman-raising-hand.jpg

There’s a lot to do in 2024...but it can be a year of change for the better

Dan Beynon, Director, SMRS

It’s been an exciting start to the year despite the annual challenge of getting back into things through these dark wet mornings! 2024 feels like it will be full of change and I’m hopeful that will be positive change, matching our agency mission here at SMRS which is to help organisations change for the better. Last year saw us work with loads of fantastic organisations to help them make improvements and deliver success in three areas, culture, brand and communications.

Read more
Untitled design (5)

It’s August and UK Higher Education is once again front-page news

Dan Beynon, Head of Education, SMRS

As exam results happen this month across the UK, Higher Education is front page news for a few weeks. I wish it were this big a priority for more of the year as perhaps the single biggest challenge (of many) faced by universities in the UK…

Read more
Students-hanging-out-on-campus.jpg

SMRS & Student Minds

Jon Kirk, Lead Client Partner (Education), SMRS 

Discover the pressing concerns faced by today’s students as evidenced by recent research. Financial instability, mental health, and making friends are among the top worries for prospective university students. Learn how SMRS supports Student Minds, the UK’s mental health charity for students…

Read more
Woman-learning-on-laptop.jpg

What does the future online MBA look like? Reflections from GMAC’s Annual Conference

Tim Landucci, Business School Marketing consultant, SMRS

I was primarily at GMAC to deliver a session on the future of the online MBA. This is our latest syndicated research study looking at 18 global business schools, and I presented some of the initial findings. I was delighted to be joined by my colleague Aimee Kleinman, Jason Lawrence…

Read more

Events

Man.jpg

HashtagHigherEd UK

20-21st April, 2023

HashtagHigherEd UK is a dedicated forum for higher education marketing and communications professionals to come together, be inspired and share best practice for communication strategies in the current changing landscape.

Find out more
Group-of-young-people.jpg

YMS23 LDN

7-8th June, 2023

A must-attend event for anyone looking to understand and reach the ever changing youth demographic. We are excited to once again be the event’s Higher Education partner.

Find out more
Team-meeting.jpg

AMBA & BGA Global Conference 2023

14 - 17th May, 2023

AMBA & BGA has chosen the magnificent city of Seville as the venue for the AMBA & BGA Global Conference for Deans and Directors, which will take place from Sunday afternoon on 14 May to Wednesday 17 May 2023.

Find out more
Woman-smilling.jpg

GMAC Annual Conference

28-30th June, 2022

The 2023 Annual Conference is designed to address challenges and to provide the highest quality programming on a variety of topics, such as digital marketing, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, data analytics, navigating the new recruiting and admissions landscape and more.

Find out more

Our experts

Knowledgeable and not happy until they’ve made a difference, our people make us who we are. They’re great to work with, too.

Dan-Beynon.jpg

Dan Beynon

Head of Education

Dan provides insight and sector expertise to our University clients, as well as the wider sector, and has been working in Higher Education for 20 years.…

View Profile
Dan-Kevin.jpg

Dan Kevin

Brand & Content Strategist

Loves creating impactful ideas that tell stories, push boundaries and make an emotional connection.

Aimee.jpg

Aimee Kleinman

Education Marketing Consultant

With more than a decade of marketing, comms, and student recruitment experience in higher education, Aimee has a wealth of knowledge of the sector and…

View Profile
Jon-Kirk.jpg

Jon Kirk

Lead Client Partner

Jon’s been with us for 18 years now. During this time, he’s worked with clients ranging from Russell Group institutions with aspirational competitor…

View Profile
Jon-Windeatt.jpg

Jon Windeatt

Lead Creative Partner

Loves uncovering the story at the heart of a university, and finding the perfect way to shape and tell it.

Charlotte-Rock.jpg

Charlotte Rock

Client Partner

With over a decade’s experience working with Universities, supporting them with all recruitment and marketing challenges, Charlotte has a passion…

View Profile
Chris-Woodhouse.jpg

Chris Woodhouse

Client Partner

Chris has been with us for 11 years. With a drive for excellent client service he has extensive experience of partnering with his clients across the…

View Profile
John-Burke.jpg

John Burke

Digital Insight

John builds things that really allow clients to analyse their performance and identify what they can do to improve it.

Vicky-Green.jpg

Vicky Green

Client Marketing Consultant

Vicky loves a problem. In fact, the bigger the challenge, the higher Vicky’s satisfaction levels are, when she solves it.

Golnaz-Sadoughi.jpg

Golnaz Sadoughi

Data Scientist Lead

Golnaz analyses past data, to identify patterns and trends that will help predict the future and deliver data-driven, actionable solutions.

Tom-J-new.jpg

Tom Johnson

Digital Strategy

Tom is focused on the future. He looks at the possibilities of driving more strategic efficiencies through Machine Learning and the opportunities that…

View Profile
Matt-John.png

Matt John

Social Media Lead

Having worked in social media since its inception, Matt has a broad knowledge of the power of the social world and the impact it can have for clients…

View Profile

What’s it like working with us?

We’re constantly learning, exploring and collaborating with all manner of institutions to help them tackle uniquely individual challenges. Here’s what some of our clients think about the work we do.

Wolves.jpg

Rebecca Hollington – Director of UK Recruitment and Partnerships

University of Wolverhampton  

“The outcomes of our work with SMRS on our student journey has helped us to really understand our prospective students and enhance all elements of our student journey from events and activities as a prospective student, through to progression throughout their degree. It’s helped us to prioritise and focus in on what it is that really matters to our students, and how we can best meet their expectations.”

Glasgow.jpg

Rachel Sandison - Vice Principal, External Relations

University of Glasgow 

Having engaged with a number of different agencies over the years, I can honestly say that they are by far the best agency I have worked with.

London.jpg

Dominic Davies - Head of Marketing and Recruitment

City University of London

“We’re delighted. The persona work we partnered with SMRS on is already making a huge difference to the way we communicate, and we’re confident of seeing students responding to messages that are much more tailored to them. The project was incredibly complex, but SMRS made the whole process seem simple and clear.” 

Solent-University-Building.jpg

Leonora Clement - Head, Marketing and Communications

Solent University

“Our brand project was a key element of our growth strategy, so we really had to get it right. SMRS have given us a professional brand that not only contains all the necessary foundations and building blocks, but also captures our spirit. It feels absolutely right for who we are and where we’re heading, and it’s giving us the confidence to achieve our goals in a competitive marketplace. Working with SMRS has been, and continues to be, a very positive experience.”

Oxford-Brookes-University-Building.jpg

Suzy Jenner - Director of Marketing & Communications

Oxford Brookes University

“Delivering an excellent customer experience really matters. And we needed a partner to help ensure customers were the central focus of every individual across the University. SMRS took this critical and comprehensive brief and implemented a clear and methodical approach to help us understand our audience, our current position and what we needed to do to make it better for our customers. The team at SMRS have been a pleasure to work with and their leadership, creativity and approach has been invaluable. The findings have already started to make a difference and we’re continuing to work with SMRS to keep advancing our position.”

Contact us

Anything you’re thinking about? Anything you want to do? We’re here to help. 

Laptop-in-yellow-background.jpg