An academic pursuit.
Client
/
Western Michigan University
Situation
College rivalries run deep in Michigan. And not just when it comes to football.
Each year, the state’s 15 public universities compete for incoming students. The competition gets fiercer every year. To increase applications, Western Michigan needed a plan to stand out.
A way to reach prospective students—and parents—then stay top of mind. And they needed to do it with a budget smaller than the previous year’s.
Metrics
Approach
With a shrinking budget,
ROI was the name of the game.
We couldn’t waste a penny of ad spend. As always, data led the way. Our team drilled down, analyzing application rates by zip code. We were able to see exactly where applications and future students come from.
The results were telling. WMU had been spending 75% of their budget on out-of-state targets. But in-state students were far more likely to apply and enroll. So we flipped the spend, allocating 75% to in-state placements. Then we targeted out-of-state zip codes with surgical precision, reaching only the most likely students.
Data showed South Bend, Indiana, was fertile ground. So we invested heavily—using top and mid-funnel tactics to increase visits and applications by 3.6%.
Results
In short, we did more with less.
Applications grew by eight percent year-over-year, hitting an all-time high for WMU. Campaign frequency nearly doubled from 5.2x to 9.7x, an 86% increase. And what’s even more impressive? We did it all with a budget nine percent lower than the previous year’s.