"After a few years of advocating for the use of a CRM and marketing automation, the University of Guam (UOG) Marketing & Communications, in partnership with admissions, partnered in a seven-week digital advertising campaign focused on student retention and new student recruitment for fall 2021. The campaign, which ran from Jul. 1-Aug. 20, 2021, would serve as a pilot and proof of concept for future investment in digital marketing tools.
With a budget of $6,500 for paid ads on Google and Facebook, organic social media posts, and email marketing, the campaign aimed to keep the University of Guam top of mind for potential and existing students over the summer and ultimately, maintain enrollment numbers from the previous semester. The ads, posts, and emails led to a landing page that served as an easy-to-navigate portal directing students to the resources they need to register or enroll.
As a result, 755 students registered after directly engaging with our content. The campaign also garnered over 46,000 page views on the UOG website, contributing to a 20% increase in traffic to the university's main website and a 25% increase in new website users.
Ultimately, the overall marketing initiative played a key role in not only maintaining the previous semester's enrollment, but increasing it by 50 students. A $6,500 advertising budget brought in a return of $1.5 million in tuition revenue and student fees, and it provided proof of the value of digital marketing with increased resources for the marketing & communications office."
From the Judges
The entry showed a deliberate connection with the university's CRM, and a good return for the low dollar amount that was invested. It was clear that this was an innovative concept for University of Guam.
