EDUCATION MARKETING
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
Background
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) sought to increase enrollment across various degree and certificate programs, including Accounting, Culinary, Business, Emergency Management, and Cybersecurity. Facing declining enrollment trends statewide, UAF partnered with our marketing team to implement a targeted digital media campaign focused on specific career paths to attract prospective students.
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Strategy
Hyper-Targeted Campaigns
Rather than promoting the university as a whole, we focused on individual program offerings, leveraging hyper-targeted campaigns tailored to specific career paths.
Multi-Channel Approach
Utilizing social media, search marketing, programmatic advertising, and customized landing pages to maximize reach and engagement.
Custom Audience Modeling
Employing sophisticated audience modeling techniques to target users based on demographics, location, education level, career background, and interests.
Tailored Messaging
Crafting messaging that resonated with prospective students' career aspirations and interests, emphasizing the practical benefits of UAF's programs.
Program-Specific Landing Pages
We developed 22 program-specific landing pages to accompany digital campaigns, featuring tailored language, imagery, and clear calls-to-action to convert ad clicks into form submissions.
Results
Enrollment Increase
UAF experienced a notable year-over-year increase of 15% in enrollment across targeted programs, bucking the trend of declining enrollment seen across the state.
Conversion Success
The tailored digital campaigns, coupled with program-specific landing pages, successfully converted career interests into form submissions, driving tangible leads for enrollment. This resulted in over 800 additional enrollment inquiries per year.
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Effective Budget Allocation
Continuous monitoring and optimization of campaigns allowed for efficient budget allocation, maximizing ROI and driving meaningful results for UAF.
NEXT STEPS IDAHO
Background
Next Steps Idaho, a collaboration between the Idaho State Board of Education (OSBE) and Strategies 360 (S360), aimed to increase postsecondary education enrollment by providing a comprehensive resource for Idahoans. The initiative sought to address the unique needs of Idahoans and evolve with education and workforce development programs over time. S360's marketing team was tasked with developing a digital media campaign to encourage Idahoans to consider and enroll in postsecondary education while maintaining a consistent and flexible strategy to grow with the program.
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​Strategy
Research and Brand Development
Conducting initial research to understand the needs and preferences of Idahoans regarding postsecondary education and developing a unique brand identity for Next Steps Idaho.
Integrated Campaign Approach
Implementing an integrated campaign approach that leverages digital media channels to reach diverse target audiences, including students, parents, educators, and career advisors.
Creative Concept - "What If" Campaign
Crafting a creative concept centered around the theme "What If," encouraging Idahoans to imagine the possibilities available to them through postsecondary education.
Flexible Content Production
Creating flexible and adaptable content that can resonate with different audience segments and evolve with changing educational and workforce trends.
Engagement Initiatives
Implementing engagement initiatives such as webinars, workshops, and informational events to provide personalized guidance and support to potential students, parents, and educators.
Continuous Monitoring and Optimization
Monitoring campaign performance metrics in real-time and optimizing strategies based on data insights to maximize reach, engagement, and conversion rates.
Results
Increased Awareness and Consideration
The "What If" campaign successfully increased awareness of postsecondary education options among Idahoans and encouraged consideration of enrollment reaching 72% of college aged individuals in Idaho.
Growing Enrollment
Next Steps Idaho contributed to an increase in postsecondary education enrollment rates across the state with 51% of the Idaho population completing a post secondary education accounting for a 7% increase since the launch of the campaign.
Positive Engagement
The campaign received positive feedback from students, parents, educators, and career advisors for its informative and empowering approach to postsecondary education planning leading to increased perception.
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Scalability and Adaptability
The flexible campaign strategy and brand development approach allowed Next Steps Idaho to evolve and grow with changing educational and workforce development programs over the years.
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Background
Seattle Public Schools faced a significant challenge in recruiting minority educators in one of the least diverse cities in America. Recognizing the importance of diversity in education, our marketing team was tasked with developing a sustainable recruitment program to attract minority educators to the school district and the city of Seattle.
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Strategy
Research and Listening
Conducting in-depth interviews with current educators in Seattle Public Schools to understand their experiences and challenges. Additionally, analyzing national demographics to identify potential marketing regions to target minority educators.
Creative Concept - "Seattle Rising"
Developing a campaign theme that portrayed Seattle as a city on the rise, offering opportunities for personal and professional growth to minority educators.
Innovative Outreach
Implementing creative and innovative solutions to reach a younger generation of future teachers.
Community Collaboration
Collaborating with community leaders to ensure the campaign message resonated with and reflected the aspirations of minority educators.
Tailored Creative Materials
Developing customizable creative materials that recruiters could use to engage with potential candidates based on recruitment needs.
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Media Planning and Buying
Strategically placing digital ads across various platforms, including social media, education websites, and job boards, to reach minority educators nationwide.
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Results
Increased Awareness
The "Seattle Rising" campaign successfully raised awareness of Seattle Public Schools and the city of Seattle as attractive destinations for minority educators.
Improved Recruitment
The campaign contributed to a substantial increase in the number of minority educators applying for positions within Seattle Public Schools and relocating to the city with over 200 applicants directly attributed to the campaign in the first year.
Positive Feedback
Recruiters reported positive feedback from candidates who were impressed by the campaign's messaging and representation of Seattle as a welcoming and inclusive community.
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Cost-Effective Campaign
Despite the conservative budget, the integrated campaign proved to be efficient and impactful, delivering a strong return on investment in terms of candidate engagement and recruitment outcomes.
