2018-2019 Marketing Campaign for Limestone College
ONE FUTURE - ONE CHOICE - ONE LIMESTONE Today’s higher education landscape is more competitve than ever before, and Limestone College is dedicated to attracting and engaging potential students and their families - with an end goal to convert prospects into students.
2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
For Limestone College, a greater emphasis on enrollment marketing is a large piece of our student recruitment efforts and it is shaping our marketing strategy from top to bottom. Today’s higher education landscape is more competitive than ever before, and Limestone College is dedicated to attracting and engaging potential students and their families – with an end goal to convert prospects into students. At the same time, Limestone’s marketing efforts are also focused on increasing net tuition revenue and not exclusively increasing the overall student headcount. Limestone’s marketing, admissions, financial aid, and student success departments are working together to drive lead generation, conversions, and return on investment for the College. We are enhancing our enrollment marketing efforts, to help our teams accomplish their enrollment goals, with a multi-pronged approach.
DIGITAL MARKETING To accommodate the preferences of the traditional college-age demographic along with the non-traditional working adult demographic, Limestone is improving its digital touchpoints to increase enrollment. In July of 2018, Limestone contracted with Clark Communications as its digital marketing partner to collaborate on a marketing campaign to target prospective students in our geo-markets to build brand awareness and generate highly qualified leads and increased enrollment for the College’s Day Campus, Online & Evening Programs, and MBA Program. The digital strategies are working in tandem with the Limestone Admissions Department’s student search campaign for the traditional market. Also, Limestone recently develop a new Department of Communications & Marketing in an effort over oversee and implement best practices in growing enrollment and increasing brand awareness for the College.
DIGITAL MARKETING GOALS With our new digital marketing campaign, our goal is to:
Grow enrollment for Limestone College’s Day Campus, Online & Evening Programs, and MBA Program.
Attract new traditional and non-traditional students at a regional scale.
Optimize advertising platforms to elevate brand awareness and course offerings.
Develop marketing strategies that will continue to produce new students year after year.
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2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
DIGITAL MARKETING PROCESS Limestone’s digital marketing partner has three distinct divisions to help the College reach its enrollment goals:
Audits & Planning – Conducting strategic audits that allow for successful planning. They work with our marketing team to create effective strategies for branding, communication flow, call center plans and training, text messaging plans, social media strategy, and integrated communications.
Strategic Campaigns – Developing interactive campaigns and cross-media strategies to drive new enrollments and improve student engagement. They provide expertise in targeting brand message and integrating communication with each campaign.
Data Management – With a cross-media plan in place, Limestone’s brand and campaign success is being enhanced through extensive data research and analysis. These metrics assist Limestone in effectively engaging with its target audiences.
Our digital marketing partner conducts a hyper-targeted digital campaign utilizing programmatic buying and real-time bidding strategies to place Limestone’s digital ads in front of qualified prospective students one impression at a time. The strategy includes:
Digital Marketing
Database Research
Google Adwords
Display Ads
Landing Pages
Email Marketing
Social Media Advertising
Facebook Content Marketing
Enhanced Lead Generation
Our digital marketing partner has worked with Limestone staff to develop a SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and SMM (Social Media Marketing) program that drives enrollment through the Limestone College website. These two programs create long-term online marketing success and a lower cost per acquisition throughout the marketing campaign.
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2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES Limestone is taking steps to increase qualified student leads, increase website visits, and optimize multiple lead channels. By elevating conversions, Limestone College will generate more applicants and rank higher in relevant searches. To maximize Limestone’s digital marketing efforts, we have implemented the following digital marketing strategies:
Optimized Landing Pages – We have designed and developed landing pages with a specific conversion objective in mind. This allows our team to effectively and efficiently collect traffic and prompt visitors to take specific action. In order to generate leads, we have created the landing pages with user experience in mind. Our team creates efficient entry forms, Call To Action, and engaging imagery that guides the user to complete the form. Our team creates landing pages with a logical flow of information that starts with a compelling, benefit-focused headline and continues to the lead collecting form.
Social Media Ad Campaigns – We have focused our social media campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube because those platforms provide the necessary tools to implement highly targeted campaigns to key customer demographics. They are also ranked in the top advertisin outlets for higher education.
Enhanced Lead Generation – Working with our digital marketing partner, we have developed a Drip Campaign that will follow up our digital marketing efforts through follow-up email campaigns and personalized direct mail over a repeating schedule. As new batches of leads are received daily, we enter the lead’s full contact information in a master document, segmenting the leads by date entered. Every week we print and mail personalized follow-up postcards to the new batch of leads. We upload those leads to a Marketing Automation platform and generate personalized follow- up emails on a repeating schedule.
Email Marketing – By re-marketing to individuals who have already connected with online ads, potential students are able to receive a more personalized message catered to their degree specifications. The students are loaded into a new marketing list and we reach out to them for the possibility of applying to one of Limestone College’s programs.
High-Quality Content – Limestone’s Department of Communications & Marketing is assisting our digital marketing partner with better marketing campaigns by providing excellent, high-quality imagery and written content.
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2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
STUDENT SEARCH MARKETING Limestone’s Department of Admissions uses many tools to generate leads to make the College attractive to new students. In addition to visiting high schools and college fairs, the Department of Admissions also implements a Student Search Program and an Admissions Communication Fulfillment Plan. The Department of Admissions goes beyond the traditional route of finding potential students by buying their names. Working with an admissions marketing partner, Limestone develops original, targeted marketing collateral and messaging aimed at engaging the prospective students. The College’s student search campaign consists of personalized microsites, direct mail, and email components.
Personalized Search Campaigns – Limestone utilizes technologies that execute one-to-one marketing, personalized variable data communications, including print media, personalized landing pages, QR codes, email marketing, and campaign measurement and metrics.
Inquiry and Responder Communication Flow – It is vitally important for Limestone to continue the communication to prospective students who have responded to search or entered the inquiry pool through various channels. Because of that, the College uses strategically placed personalization to provide a strong call-to-action. The communication flow is designed to build recognizable Limestone branding to clearly and effectively communicate our advantages and to encourage student participation and action. That flow includes handouts and mailings encourage students to visit campus and apply for admission, to apply for scholarships and fill out their FASFA paperwork.
Visits/Events Program – Because students who visit our campus enroll at a much higher rate than those students who do not, it is important that Limestone assist prospective students with establishing an emotional connection to the College.
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2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
Prospective students are directed to a registration form to visit Limestone. This is done by a series of communications, including Open House postcards and emails.
Junior, Sophomore, Freshman Nurturing – In addition to communicating with high school seniors, Limestone also reaches out to juniors, sophomores, and freshmen with marketing pieces that focus on student life, the Limestone experience, faith and service opportunities, and academics. This is being achieved through various marketing pieces that include information on financial aid, scholarships and FASFA, benefits to Limestone, academics, student life, counselor introduction, campus life, invitations to visit the campus, and more.
Acceptance Communication – Limestone provides an acceptance package that is customized to congratulate accepted students, welcome them to the College, and communicate their next steps. In doing so, Limestone encourages the students to socially share their excitement, which brings more attention to the College. The acceptance communication includes marketing pieces that guide the new students to secure their space, pay their deposits, apply for housing, begin the registration process, and more.
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING DEPARTMENT The recently established Department of Communications & Marketing creates and implements a strategic, multi-faceted communications, public relations, and marketing program designed to build and strengthen Limestone College’s role and reputation. The department devises program guidelines and policies, oversees the implementation process, and provides quality control for communications and marketing programs. The Department of Communications & Marketing brings Limestone’s story to life through excellent storytelling, brilliant design, and unique marketing. The department develops and maintains a strong brand for Limestone by relying on consistent messaging and set standards for Limestone communications and marketing. The department works with Admissions and marketing partners to develop marketing themes, oversee all marketing campaigns, provide content, advance and strengthen the College’s brand, encourage engagement, and reinforce Limestone’s relevance in the lives of key target audiences, including prospective and current students, alumni, donors, friends, and faculty and staff.
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2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING DEPARTMENT GOALS
Support and promote Limestone College goals and strategic plan through effective communications and marketing.
Enhance the reputation of Limestone College.
Optimize Limestone’s institutional brand equity as a leader in higher education.
AUDIENCES
Targeted prospective students and their families
Alumni
Philanthropy and donor communities
Current faculty and staff
Citizens of the Cherokee County community, surrounding areas, state, and nation
Governmental and public policy leaders
Business leaders
Earned media: print, broadcast, digital
Paid media: print, broadcast, digital
Owned media channels: website, publications, social media, and other emerging platforms
IN-HOUSE CREATION OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING COLLATERAL The department creates in-house concept generation, graphic content, video content, written text, photography, and design for marketing campaigns and promotional pieces. It also works with the news media to market the College and promote special events. The department also develops in-house publications and fundraising appeals that market the College.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT STRATEGY/SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT Online and social media content has become an integral resource for prospective students researching colleges, and it plays an important role in helping them decide where to apply. In addition to the efforts of Limestone’s 6 | 2018-2019 Marketing Campaign for Limestone College
2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
digital marketing partner, the Department of Communications & Marketing develops, executes, and assess Limestone’s social media content strategy and social media engagement. The goal of the social media efforts is to recruit students by highlighting Limestone’s student life and by producing engaging content about the College. The department ensures Limestone has a robust, engaging, substantive, and entertaining presence on all important social media platforms – using graphic design, video content, photography, and more. Daily efforts are made on social media to showcase the College to To view commentary from Dr. Parker, please select the image above. prospective students to share student academic achievement, faculty accomplishments, Limestone contributions to the community and to society, and other information of interest to the College community.
INTEGRATED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING PROGRAMS The department develops, executes, and assesses integrated strategic communications programs, both internal and external, that strengthen, promote and protect Limestone’s brand identity, relevance, accomplishments, and excellence – all of which is vital to attracting and retaining students. A collaborative process is used to maintain and advance the College’s brand identity through messaging identity, and communication design and execution. The department manages all of the College’s media relations efforts in order to communicate key messages, increase Limestone’s visibility, and enhance the appreciation of the College to prospective students and the campus community. News promotions, publications, communications and advertising programs, and web and other electronic communications are used to brand and differentiate Limestone and to illustrate the contributions of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Those same channels are used to encourage participation in College celebrations, and educational, cultural, and intercollegiate athletic events by students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. 2018-2019 Marketing Campaign for Limestone College | 7
2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
DEVELOPMENT OF GRAPHIC DESIGNS & CONTENT Limestone’s Department of Communications & Marketing develops and oversees graphic designs and marketing content as part of strategic marketing planning, publicity, media placement, design, and print production services. It manages the messaging and creative direction of all print, web, media, and social media communications.
STUDENT BODY & STUDENT SUCCESS MARKETING The department develops and executes integrated communications and marketing programs that support the College’s overall goal for a diverse, high-quality student body, and student success. That is accomplished by providing marketing content, news promotions, publications, web content and other electronic communications to enhance the visibility of the College.
STUDENT RETENTION ENHANCEMENT Limestone is now working with EAB, an industry leader in college and university enrollment services, to enhance the College’s retention efforts for its currently enrolled students. Limestone is using EAB’s combination of technology, research, and consulting to help identify our most at-risk students when it comes to retention, and is coordinating cross-campus resources so students can find the help they need. EAB is also providing us with the opportunity to analyze the data that informs our decision making when it comes to student retention. One aspect of our marketing efforts is to focus on retention and academic customer service. Our academic customer service starts with as strong a focus and effort on retaining students as expended enrolling them in the first place. The cost of retaining a student is far less than the costs to attract a new student to replace them. Limestone’s goal is to let students know they are valued and important. Students and their families want a fair return on their significant investments of money, time, emotion, and association with the College. Our focus is on helping students stay and graduate, which will have a significant impact on our enrollment efforts. To assist in those efforts, the Division of Student Success was recently created. It is comprised of a number of offices, staff, and programs working together to foster a well-rounded collegiate experience at Limestone. Each unit in the division 8 | 2018-2019 Marketing Campaign for Limestone College
2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
supports students in their academic goals and personal journeys while they work toward completing their degree. At the core of the Division’s approach is the development of programs, policies, and practices designed to improve student outcomes through indicators that measure engagement, retention, persistence, graduation, and post-graduate employment rates. Another new program aimed at attracting new students and retaining current students is the “Global Experience.� Limestone officials unveiled the plans earlier this year to send undergraduate Day Campus students to some of the most iconic locations in the world, starting with the 2019-2020 academic year. Although exact destinations have yet to be finalized, students will likely travel to such cities as Paris, Rome, London, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, and Jerusalem, just to name a few. Trips are also expected to be taken inside the continental United States. The new program is being funded through a one percent increase in tuition and fees.
In another step to increase retention, Limestone is developing a full academic year scheduling program that will allow students to sign up for classes at one time for both the fall and spring semesters each year. The College will also assist students in building a four-year plan that maps out all standard curriculum, major and minor requirements, as well as co-curricular activities.
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2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
FINANCIAL AID OPTIMIZATION Limestone College is in the process of reevaluating its financial aid optimization – particularly in the area of proper tuition discounting. Limestone is working with a consulting group to determine the appropriate discount matrix to attract more freshman and transfer students. The College uses tuition discounting in an effort to meet enrollment goals and increase net tuition revenue. The appropriate amount of grant aid will entice students to enroll who would not have attended if Limestone were charging more for tuition. In addition to appraising the discount rate, Limestone is also putting a premium on raising money for scholarships to assist students with their financial obligations and to allow Limestone to compete against other institutions for new and transfer students. By adjusting its discount rate, Limestone will be able to attract more students, a more diverse student population, and maximize tuition revenue by filling seats that are available in classrooms. More than one-third of college students in the U.S. transfer colleges at some point. Many attend community college for two years then transfer to a four-year institution to complete a bachelor’s degree. The pool of potential transfer students is almost twice as large as that of first-time, first-year students. Limestone’s efforts in include creating a set course of study that allows for a smooth college credit transfer. The College is developing dedicated marketing materials, travel to community colleges and open houses for students, along with online and social media outreach, scholarship funds, and dedicated orientation events and processes.
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2018-2019 Marketing Campaign
Steps are also being taken to allow Limestone to accelerate its packaging of financial aid for prospective students. The personalized packages will provide prospective students more quickly with the types and amounts of financial aid they may receive from federal, state, private, and school sources.
INCREASING NET TUITION REVENUE As noted earlier, Limestone’s marketing efforts are also focused on increasing net tuition revenue and not exclusively increasing the overall student headcount. For example, earlier this year Limestone made the decision to eliminate its men’s and women’s swimming teams. Those were the only squads in the Department of Athletics that were not contributing to the overall bottom line budget. The resources previously committed to the swim program were redirected to the new sports of Acrobatics & Tumbling and Women’s Wrestling. Adding those two new sports will provide 13 female-sponsored sports for Limestone, not including competitive cheer and dance, and will considerably increase the total number of female student-athletes enrolled. As part of a campus-wide assessment and evaluation process, a review of the swimming program discovered a need for a strategic redistribution of resources. The lack of proper facilities and historically low student-athlete participation contributed heavily in the decision to eliminate swimming as a varsity sport. Limestone will continue to identify net tuition strategies to best serve the College and the majority of its current and future students for the long term.
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