GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MARKETING PLAN WORKING VERSION 3 0

GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MARKETING PLAN WORKING VERSION 3. 0

RECENT IMPLEMENTATION & ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Conducted a brand perception and program analysis study • Assessed market position in terms of marketing spend • Connected our systems for better data and tracking throughout student journey • Refreshed lead nurturing campaigns for all graduate programs • Engaged new 24 hour outreach strategy • Added new communication channels • Launched a streamlined graduate application • Developed more robust yield communication strategy • Exceeded spring graduate goals by 61%

2019 GOALS PRIMARY • Arrest the decline of graduate enrollment trend by increasing enrollment by 39. 5% or 311 students over Fall 2018 baseline SECONDARY • Enhance Dominican’s reputation with prospective students by 2% as measured by brand perception survey • Activate brand ambassadors to expand Dominican’s reach in key geographic and influencer markets

OVERVIEW Promotion Tactic Spend by tactic Total spend Brand advertising Digital advertising (PPC, display, and social) Online radio Billboard/out-of-home $230, 200 $390, 200 Program advertising Digital advertising (PPC only) $145, 800 Event support Promotional products $5, 000 Print ads $4, 000 Direct mail and collateral $5, 000 Total $60, 000 $100, 000 $145, 800 $14, 000 550 k

Media Strategy Goal: increase prospective student inquiry volumes Ø Cross-funnel approach Ø Bid on branded graduate keywords as well as programmatic keywords to capture a student no matter their stage. Ø Largest investment in the middle of the funnel to generate inquiries from students actively researching through paid search. Ø These prospects are typically deeper in their searches and have higher intent.

Media Strategy Ø Multi-layered approach • Paid Search (PPC) • Social Media Ads • Display/Retargeting Ø Support how people search for information online Ø Test, test Ø Use analytics to inform next steps

Rationale Ø The shift from program ads to brand ads comes from a careful analysis of media performance to date Ø The chart to the right shows the percentage of total inquiries by school generated by each type of ad Ø Across all schools and colleges, brand ads outperformed program ads and drove more inquiries at a lower cost Ø In order to reach our aggressive Fall goals, it’s important to shift strategy based on performance Paid Media Performance by School to date (4/10) School Brennan School of Business College of Applied Arts and Sciences Brand Program 69. 35% 30. 65% 100. 00% College of Health Science 96. 77% 3. 23% School of Education 94. 87% 5. 13% School of Information Studies 77. 61% 22. 39% School of Social Work 96. 23% 3. 77% Grand Total 85. 34% 14. 66%

BRAND ADVERTISING • Diversify media mix to maximize visibility with prospects and influencers at the top of the funnel. – Paid search, paid social, display, remarketing – Billboards along major arteries – Bus wraps and transit ads to reach commuter population – Highly-targeted audio and banner ads on Pandora and Spotify. – High visibility print placements • Elevate brand perception with promotion of recent U. S. News rankings and career-focused graduate degrees Sample bus back ad

PROGRAM ADVERTISING • Optimize for inquiries through paid search • Leverage alumnae/i discount through direct mail, email, SMS • Convey value through print ads in select industry publications • Expand pipeline with purchased email databases

OTHER KEY OBJECTIVES • Grow the pipeline with strategic outreach to niche audiences • Promote pathways to increase undergraduate to graduate conversion • Enhance web content and email outreach for improved inquiryto-application conversion • Activate friends of the University to serve as brand ambassadors

ANTICIPATED RESULTS

Learn More The full graduate marketing plan is available in the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing’s office. Please contact Genaro Balcazar to arrange picking up a copy.