Client List & Portfolio
The Art Institutes
Student Recruitment Strategy, Online Marketing & Promotions
In Summary
- search engine marketing and pay per click advertising campaigns
- search engine optimization
- application cancellation analysis research and recommendations
- prospective student communication analysis and recommendations report
- web analytics, KPI analysis and A / B and multivariate testing for ongoing landing page optimization
- lead generation analysis and microsite redevelopment
- display advertising campaign
- social media promotion
- survey-driven widget
- multilingual collateral for influencer audience available for printing online
- eLeads inquiry form integration
- Facebook advertising campaign
- digital PR
The Outcomes
Client Background & Needs
A subsidiary of the Education Management Corporation (EDMC), The Art Institutes (AI) is a collection of private, for-profit educational institutions that provide visual, creative and applied arts programs toward diplomas, associate's and bachelor's degrees. There are 41 Art Institutes located throughout North America from which more than 125,000 students have graduated in the fields of design, media arts, culinary arts and fashion. Requiring a fresh way to infuse its admissions and recruitment process, The Art Institutes sought to improve its online marketing and communications initiatives for its Western region campuses in Oregon, Nevada and California. Each campus was overburdened with financial constraints and lacked the necessary resources to effectively execute and expand their student recruitment and outreach strategies. Upon addressing these marketing challenges, the AI Western region campuses identified their business goals which encompassed strengthening brand awareness and visibility, enforcing brand standards, increasing traffic and ultimately attracting qualified student leads in the most cost-efficient way possible.
EMG Approach & Solution
Through a full-scale, cohesive online marketing strategy comprised of search engine marketing, social media and viral marketing campaigns managed and produced by EMG, the AI Western region’s campuses in California ,Oregon and Nevada were able to support their admissions and recruitment efforts, and ultimately, bolster their prospective student inquiries. With lead generation as a top priority among the Western region schools, EMG devised a strategy to reach a targeted audience of prospective students interested in AI’s program offerings through search engine marketing (SEM). A carefully orchestrated SEM-driven strategy drove student traffic to the lead generation microsites for each respective campus.
Keeping the Western region’s needs in mind, EMG developed a common template that was repurposed across all campus microsites to uphold AI parent company EDMC’s corporate guidelines while maintaining low costs and faster turnaround times. EMG took a user-centric approach to develop flash-integrated landing pages with basic functionality. Featuring a visually refreshing interface, interactive design and intuitive site architecture, the resulting landing pages allow prospective students to easily navigate through and instantly attain a high-level overview of AI’s extensive range of degree offerings. In turn, students would be compelled to request more information via an online sign-up form, and once converted, an AI admissions counselor would contact them directly to build rapport and a long-lasting in order to significantly impact retention and increase the likelihood of enrollment. Overall, the simplicity of the lead conversion process outlined by EMG made certain that acquiring information for prospective students was more streamlined and accessible.
In supporting the launch of the lead generation microsites, EMG coordinated its SEM efforts with EDMC to ensure a non-conflicting strategy that complemented with the AIs concurrent offline and online advertising campaigns. A regional marketing strategy was also taken into consideration in order to overcome the hurdle posed by the close proximity of several Western region schools. By carefully managing AI’s multifaceted online marketing strategy, EMG has generated significant outcomes for the AI Western region in terms of boosting brand awareness, driving web traffic and generating valuable leads for each AI campus more than ever before.
