Objective
Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business chose 5 Horizons to drive inquiries for their Executive MBA program and improve return on digital media spend. In addition to very high cost per lead, their campaigns, while receiving plenty of clicks, were not leading to conversions.
Our objective with this project was to drive inquiries for the Executive MBA program, implement a measurement structure to demonstrate ROI and allow campaign optimization, and convert clicks into inquiries and applications–in just five months.
Action
The main challenges of this project stemmed from previous campaigns with low conversion, no historical data or measurement structures to build on, and a limited timeline and budget. Our first step included setting up goals and analytics for real time measurement. By researching and identifying the audience for MSU’s Executive MBA program, our team focused efforts on the following:
- Narrow Adwords keywords used to create a more efficient spending
- Design and implement programmatic advertising and Adwords to improve conversions
- Optimize campaign efforts with weekly adjustments to maximize ROI
Outcome
In five months, our team implemented a measurement structure, identified best prospects, improved efficiency through narrowed keyword use, and drove more qualified traffic to the Executive MBA site, keeping the program successful and positioning it to achieve long-term goals. We provided MSU with:
- A sustainable measurement structure in place for future campaigns
- Campaigns that reached a more qualified audience, with more engagement, lower bounce rates, and more time spent on site
- A solution for overcoming inquiry deficit with five months of traffic outperforming the previous seven, during a typically lower performing time period
- A marketing approach for their Executive MBA program that positioning it for success going forward
