Higher ed marketing that speaks human.

Square One Consulting is a higher education marketing and communications consultancy that helps colleges and universities build enrollment communication strategies that are audience-first, empathy-based and student-centered.

About Square One

With nearly two decades in higher education enrollment, marketing and communications, Laura helps offices become more self-sufficient and sustainable — one partnership at a time.

Meet Laura Rudolph, M.S.

About Laura

WHO I WORK WITH

Sound familiar?

The work is real, the pressure is constant, and the resources never quite match the ask. I've spent nearly two decades inside higher education enrollment and marketing — which means I've probably seen exactly what you're dealing with right now.

You're new to your leadership role and discovering what you inherited.

You stepped into your VP of enrollment or marketing role ready to move. Then you started pulling back the curtain. There's no yield campaign. The student communication strategy is held together with duct tape. The templates are dated and there's no intentional recruitment marketing to speak of. You're not behind — you just inherited a starting point that was further back than anyone told you.

Your budget doesn't have room for a big agency, but you still need real support.

You've probably already done the math. An agency retainer isn't realistic. But that doesn't mean you don't need someone who can actually think through the strategy with you and then execute it — without layers of account managers, six-week onboarding timelines, or a scope of work built for an institution three times your size. You need a partner who shows up, does the work, and doesn't make you feel small for not having a bigger budget.

You know what needs to change. You just don't have the time, people or bandwidth to change it.

You're not in the dark. You can see the gaps clearly: the campaigns that need rebuilding, the communications that aren't landing, the strategy that exists only in someone's head. The problem isn't awareness. It's capacity. And the longer it sits on the list, the further behind you feel. That's where I come in — not to consult from a distance, but to do the work alongside you so it stops being the thing you never get to.

Recruitment landed on your plate and nobody handed you a playbook.

Maybe you lead an academic program, graduate program, or health professions department. Somewhere along the way, finding and enrolling students became your responsibility on top of everything else you do. You're not sure who your best-fit student is. You're not sure what you should be saying to them or where. And you're definitely not sure where to start.

If you read any of that and thought 'that's me' — let's talk.

SCHEDULE A CONVERSATION

HOW WE PARTNER

Here's where we start

No matter where you're starting from, there's a path forward. Whether you need someone to build from scratch, untangle what exists, or simply think alongside you — here's how I typically show up for the teams I work with.

Student Communication Strategy & Campaigns

Your students are hearing from a lot of institutions right now. The ones that cut through aren't necessarily the biggest, they're the ones that sound human, show up consistently, and say the right thing at the right moment. I help colleges and universities build enrollment communication strategies that do exactly that, from first inquiry through deposit.

Family & Counselor Communication

Parents and families aren't just along for the ride, they're driving the car (literally and figuratively). They're up at night Googling you, forwarding your emails, and forming opinions long before their student makes a decision. I help you build communication that meets them where they are, answers what they're actually worried about, and makes them feel like partners.

Visit Experience & Event Auditing

Your campus visit is the most important enrollment marketing tool you have. The experience your students and families have on campus has to match what you've been promising them all along. I assess your visit from the outside in, from the invitation through the follow-up, and help you close the gap between what you're delivering and what they are expecting.

Slate Campaign Creation & Deployment

Slate can do extraordinary things for your enrollment communications, but only if someone actually knows how to build inside it. A lot of institutions have the platform and not the bandwidth or the expertise to make it work the way it should. I build and launch complete enrollment campaigns inside Slate — emails, rules, segmented flows, content blocks and more — so your team isn't leaving capability on the table.

Strategic Recruitment for Academic Programs

Most academic programs and departments don't have a dedicated enrollment or recruitment team. They have faculty, a coordinator who's already stretched thin, and a genuine desire to grow — but no clear picture of who their best-fit student is or how to reach them. I help programs build a recruitment strategy that fits how they're actually structured, from audience clarity and messaging to outreach and funnel design.

Team Workshops

Your admissions and marketing team is working hard. But working hard and working strategically aren't always the same thing. Higher ed is flooded with data, platforms and competing priorities — what teams actually need is the ability to slow down, think clearly and build habits that hold up when things get busy. My workshops are hands-on, practical and built specifically for professionals who need more than another slide deck.

Fractional Leadership & Hourly Consulting

Sometimes you don't need a full project. You need someone to think alongside you, review what you're building, or step in and lead for a season while your team finds its footing. I embed with colleges and universities as a fractional enrollment marketing consultant, bringing strategy, structure and hands-on support without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

THE BLOG

Notes from the field

If you've ever sat in a meeting and thought "am I the only one who sees this?" — you're not. This is where I write about what's really happening in higher ed enrollment and marketing, for the people living it every day.

Most Recent Posts

What the Hotel Industry Knows About Yield That We Don't

Hotels solved the 'almost booked' problem years ago. Here's what enrollment teams can steal from hospitality to move students toward “yes”.

Yield

Laura Rudolph

5 min read

A group of teens walk by lockers in a high school

Cognitive Dissonance in Higher Ed Marketing: Why Students Don’t Believe What You Say

You can say you’re affordable, inclusive and supportive. But if what students see doesn’t match, they won’t believe you. That disconnect is cognitive dissonance—and it’s quietly driving students away. Here’s how enrollment marketers can align messaging, experience, and behavior to build trust and keep students engaged.

Campus Visit

Laura Rudolph

6 min read

An infographic of the Notre Dame fire in Paris

What is Visual Information Design and Why Does it Matter in Higher Ed?

We talk about “clarity” all the time in higher ed. But clarity isn’t bold text or better branding. It’s design. It’s structure. It’s how information meets someone else’s brain. Newspaper infographics have mastered this for decades. Here’s what enrollment marketers can learn about reducing friction, guiding attention, and helping students actually understand what to do next.

Enrollment Marketing

Laura Rudolph

5 min read

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READ THE BLOG

TESTIMONIALS

In their own words

Laura has integrated herself into our team as we build our communication flows from the ground up, making the process seamless. Her ability to strategize from 60,000 feet and then immediately operationalize and implement the most granular details was exactly what we needed. We feel confident in our enrollment communication strategy because of the knowledge and support Laura has given us.

Kelsey Meyer,
Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer,

University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis

💡 Result: Largest incoming undergraduate and pharmacy classes in 10 years.

INSTITUTIONS & NON-PROFITS I'VE SERVED & SUPPORTED

All trademarks belong to their respective institutions. Logos used for identification only.

Get in Touch

Corbin, Kentucky

laura@squareoneky.com

Let's Chat

Higher ed marketing that speaks human.

About Square One

Sound familiar?

You're new to your leadership role and discovering what you inherited.

Your budget doesn't have room for a big agency, but you still need real support.

You know what needs to change. You just don't have the time, people or bandwidth to change it.

Recruitment landed on your plate and nobody handed you a playbook.

If you read any of that and thought 'that's me' — let's talk.

Here's where we start

Notes from the field

What the Hotel Industry Knows About Yield That We Don't

Cognitive Dissonance in Higher Ed Marketing: Why Students Don’t Believe What You Say

What is Visual Information Design and Why Does it Matter in Higher Ed?

In their own words

INSTITUTIONS & NON-PROFITS I'VE SERVED & SUPPORTED

All trademarks belong to their respective institutions. Logos used for identification only.

Get in Touch

How can I help?