350% paid media Application growth
The Challenge
A leading public university came to me with a critical goal: increase undergraduate applications by 5% for the 2024–2025 academic year. Their internal team had limited paid media infrastructure and was struggling to reach prospective students across the increasingly fragmented digital landscape. Without a full-funnel strategy or clear attribution framework, they needed support in building a scalable approach to drive meaningful conversions and measurable growth.
The Strategy
We crafted a full-funnel, multi-platform media strategy that met students where they were—on social, search, and streaming—while carefully aligning with each stage of the application journey:
Top Funnel
Ran high-impact campaigns across Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and MNTN to build brand awareness and drive early interest.
Focused on impression volume and video engagement to warm audiences before critical deadlines.
Mid Funnel
Launched targeted search and display campaigns to drive form fills and lead submissions on the university’s site.
Created platform-specific landing pages for frictionless conversion, using clear CTAs like “Visit Campus” and “Talk to an Admissions Counselor.”
Bottom Funnel
Focused on high-intent CTAs for applications.
Used retargeting across Google, Meta, and Snapchat to re-engage students who had visited the site or started applications
The Results
14-17%
Increase in Undergraduate Applications
93%
Increase in CPC Sessions
350%
Increase in Paid Media Applications
