Inside JU’s campaign that drove record-high applications
5mm+
Targeted impressions delivered
Record-high
New student applications
Graduate campaigns
Exceeded enrollment goals
Challenge
Jacksonville University (JU) needed to set themselves apart on the highly competitive landscape of higher education marketing. We worked hand-in-hand with their team to drive new student leads and shatter enrollment records.
As a private university, JU can face an uphill battle when competing with other in-state schools that have lower tuition rates. Many prospective students, especially those out-of-state, weren’t as aware of JU as they were of some of the larger universities in the state. Also, JU was faced with a “melt” issue, which is a challenge that most high-ed organizations encounter when accepted students don’t complete the enrollment process.
Solution
We helped JU’s team craft messages around key differentiators like their waterfront campus and best-in-class graduate salaries. Then, we promoted these messages across the platforms that attract prospective students. These included external social media apps like Facebook and Instagram, and internal resources that their team managed.
Some of our other tactics included direct mail pieces that targeted the parents of interested students, helping their team get the most of their marketing automation tool so they can nurture new students to decrease melt, and designing microsites to capture traffic from our digital campaigns.
Results
- Record highs in new student applications
- More than 5 million impressions delivered to prospective students
- Launched several graduate program marketing campaigns that exceeded enrollment goals
Key Insights
- Nurturing is key for decisions involving major life events like picking a college or graduate program. There needs to be a marketing strategy in place for each phase of the post-conversion funnel.
- Messaging needs to be consistent when your marketing strategy is entirely across online and offline platforms. If your audience senses a disconnect and loses their personal attachment to your brand, they’ll head straight to your competition.
- Your marketing team needs to be fully aligned with your agency to get the best results. They should be flexible to your in-house skillset, and add value as a strategic partner with new ideas and implementation plans.