As the need to prove that you are “spending members’ money wisely” continues to be a real focus, you need to ensure that your membership communications deliver genuine value for money. Arguably your biggest single expenditure item is your membership magazine or journal so this is where you have the best opportunity to make some savings.

Not so long ago, the concept of ‘students as customers’ was met with some derision or even horror by many in Higher Education and the idea is still alien to some, but at its most stark the point is that many young people are now being asked to make a lengthy commitment to a hefty investment and a long-term debt position on the back of numerous promises and a multitude of opportunities but with no guarantees.

We are now living in a high definition world. Our TV, phone and tablet screens present us with sharper images with every evolution while colours and contrasts seem to become more and more life-like every day.

However, to the vast majority of readers print has remained relatively static. Indeed, on the whole, we have come to accept that after around 650 years of printing, it has come about as far as it can and it all looks pretty much the same….doesn’t it?

In today’s increasingly heated marketplace, universities are constantly seeking that advantage that will provide them with an edge over their competitors; that difference that may well be the key reason why a student chooses to study with them. What’s more, those students are becoming far more discerning in their choices and critical in their comparisons as the prospect of the investment they are making becomes more real.

Higher Education is rarely far from the news these days whether it be in the context of high-level discussions as to the value of universities and their contribution to the nation, as a political football in debates over fees and debt or the standing of British universities in the light of Brexit and increasing global competition, to name but a few.