University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s division of Online and Continuing Education wanted assistance achieving aggressive enrollment goals while overcoming a market perception of lower quality. 5HD was chosen through a competitive bidding process to assist in marketing online master’s, bachelor’s and certificate programs.
Within six months, year over year online enrollment for existing courses increased by 34%.
Goals
- Achieve exponential online enrollment growth with no new courses
- Reach program-specific niche audience
- Improve brand affinity and recall throughout the Boston media market and New England states
Challenges
- Overcome less than optimal public perception
- Differentiate from other UMass system schools
- Underutilized Google analytics
- Outdated methods
approach
- Began a comprehensive digital campaign within six weeks of signed contract
- Created and developed search engine marketing campaigns
- Improved Google Analytics and account measurement strategy to provide clearer data for improved decision-making
- Coordinated with multiple UMass departments to ensure accurate pixel placement
- Leveraged search engine marketing and programmatic advertising to reach specific niche audiences in New England and key states across the country
- Negotiated direct advertising contracts with Boston.com and Pandora to raise brand awareness and promote quality message
- Integrated TV, print, and radio buys with online advertising all driving traffic to their website
outcomes
- Delivered over 30 million targeted brand impressions across desktop, tablet and mobile while integrating seamlessly with UMass Dartmouth’s traditional media efforts, re-purposing billboard creative and mirroring television advertising online
- Increased Summer online enrollment by 18% and Fall online enrollment by 34% with no new course offerings
- Identified need for dedicated landing pages, which we then designed and implemented