1. GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MARKETING PLAN
WORKING VERSION 3.0

2. 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%

3. 2019 GOALS PRIMARY SECONDARY
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

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

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

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

7. Paid Media Performance by School to date (4/10)
Rationale
The shift from program ads to brand ads comes from a careful analysis of media performance to date
The chart to the right shows the percentage of total inquiries by school generated by each type of ad
Across all schools and colleges, brand ads outperformed program ads and drove more inquiries at a lower cost
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
Brand
Program
Brennan School of Business
69.35%
30.65%
College of Applied Arts and Sciences
100.00%
0.00%
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%

8. 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

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

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

11. ANTICIPATED RESULTS

12. 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.