Smart Moves: What Multiple Intelligences Can Teach Us About Enrollment Marketing

If you have ever wondered why one student peppers you with questions during a campus tour while another spends the visit sketching buildings, possibly giving your founder’s statue a comically large nose, you may have met what psychologist Howard Gardner calls multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983, 1999).

Gardner proposed that intelligence is not a single metric but a collection of capabilities: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Each shapes how a student processes the world and how they connect during the college search. If you have ever tried to woo a future engineer with poetic descriptions of ivy-covered halls, you know: some want facts, others want a vibe, and a few want to hear about your beekeeping club.

From theory to practice

In K–12 education, Gardner’s theory inspired teachers to differentiate instruction to meet students where they are (Johnson, 2007). Teachers understand that linguistic learners thrive in storytelling and debate. Kinesthetic learners act out history. Visual-spatial thinkers create models and posters.

Preferences also carry into decision-making. A student with strong interpersonal intelligence may thrive in group discussion, while an intrapersonal learner prefers reflection (Shearer, 2018).

A colleague once hosted two prospective students on the same tour. One chatted nonstop with ambassadors about clubs. The other hung back, took notes, and later emailed questions about academics. Both left a positive impression, but they connected in entirely different ways. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

From classroom to campus tour

This theory has clear enrollment applications (statistics are from the 2025 E-Expectations Report from RNL, Halda, and Modern Campus).

• Bodily-kinesthetic learners may need to walk your campus to “get” it physically. Eighty percent of students visit in person, and 88% find visits helpful.
• Visual-spatial learners may prefer your virtual tour; 77% use it, and 84% find it helpful.
• Musical learners might connect emotionally through audio, pacing, or sound design in videos.
• Interpersonal learners thrive in authentic conversations, one-on-one chats, and social media DMs. Twenty-seven percent follow colleges on social as an early outreach step; 37% do so for student life content.
• Intrapersonal learners might prefer ROI tools, microsites, or downloadable guides.
• Logical-mathematical learners value dashboards, calculators, and evidence-based outcomes. Financial aid calculators are used by 81% and rated helpful by 85%.

When the fit feels off

Each intelligence has a “no-thanks” zone:

• Kinesthetic learners disengage from dense PDFs.
• Visual-spatial thinkers lose interest in text-heavy pages.
• Musical learners notice when tone and pacing are off.
• Interpersonal learners tire of one-way communication.
• Intrapersonal learners feel drained by busy group events.
• Logical-mathematical thinkers want facts, not fluff.
• Linguistic learners need narrative and nuance.
• Naturalistic learners respond to sustainability stories, not generic city skylines.

E-Expectations data confirm this. Sixty-three percent of students use Instagram, but only 53% see college content there, missing visual, musical, and interpersonal opportunities. Nearly half (45%) use AI chatbots, and 27% fill out inquiry forms afterward, showing these tools’ value for personalization (RNL et al., 2025).

AI as a multiple intelligences tool

AI chatbots can adapt content type, video, infographic, or ROI data, to match a student’s preference. After engaging with an AI assistant, 24% of students said they were more likely to apply, and 29% emailed admissions (RNL et al., 2025).

This is not about tech for tech’s sake. It is about designing digital interactions that honor different learning and connecting methods.

Matching intelligences to enrollment touchpoints

Each intelligence represents a unique way of perceiving, processing, and connecting with information. Your emails, tours, and inquiry forms can spark curiosity or shut it down, depending on how well they align.

Ask yourself:

• Are you offering an “entry point” for every kind of learner?
• Where are your blind spots?
• What simple tweaks could widen the invitation?

This is not about building eight separate funnels. It is about creating a flexible ecosystem where every student can find something that feels made for them.

Multiple intelligences and enrollment touchpoints

Intelligence Type	How They Process & Connect	Enrollment Strategies That Click	Common Turnoffs
Linguistic	Love stories, strong narratives, nuanced language	Student blogs, alum success stories, narrative-driven videos, compelling email subject lines	Dry fact sheets with no story
Logical-Mathematical	Seek patterns, data, and ROI	Cost calculators, outcome dashboards, program comparison tools	Emotion-heavy marketing without evidence
Visual-Spatial	Think in images, layouts	Virtual tours, interactive maps, infographics, campus photo galleries	Text-heavy pages without visuals
Musical	Respond to rhythm, tone, sound	Videos with thoughtful sound design, podcasts, and student performances	Flat, monotone content
Bodily-Kinesthetic	Learn by doing, moving	Campus tours, hands-on events, and fairs	Long static presentations or PDFs
Interpersonal	Thrive in connection with others	One-on-one ambassador chats, live Q&A, small group sessions, social DMs	One-way mass communication with no response path
Intrapersonal	Reflective, self-directed	Self-paced microsites, outcome quizzes, downloadable guides	Crowded events, high-pressure group calls
Naturalistic	Connect through nature and real-world context.	Sustainability initiatives, green campus tours, and community-based learning stories	Generic marketing is disconnected from the environment.

(Table adapted from Gardner 1983, 1999; RNL et al, 2025.)

Final thought

You do not need a degree in educational psychology to use multiple intelligences in enrollment strategy. You need to remember that students are cognitively and emotionally diverse (Gardner, 1983, 1999).

The smartest move? Offer multiple ways to connect and then let students choose.

References

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Johnson, K. (2007). The use of multiple intelligences in the classroom. Early Child Development and Care, 177(6-7), 711–723.

Shearer, C. B. (2018). Multiple intelligences in teaching and education: Lessons learned from neuroscience. Journal of Intelligence, 6(3), 38.

RNL, Halda, & Modern Campus. (2025). 2025 E-Expectations trend report. Ruffalo Noel Levitz.