CPS Marketing Strategy

Infusing Strategy in the Marketing Approach

An initial review and recommendation

Marketing & Communications Strategy

An assessment and recommendation to improve the marketing and communications program.

Situation

Northeastern University's largest college with 12,000+ students from 85 countries, the College of Professional Studies was on a growth trajectory, having experienced 300% growth in 5 years. The CPS strategic plan outlined ambitious goals to expand products and grow enrollment in its 75+ degree programs, including the Graduate School of Education within CPS. CPS was known for quickly responding to market demands with innovative education programs. It was well poised to expand with new products and to new markets.

Directives

Integrate and develop the marketing and communications teams.
Create a strategic approach to acquisition marketing to support rapid growth goals.

Below is an abridged version of my initial assessment and plan, developed with input from team directors, that set the direction for the department.

Overview

Enhancements at the College of Professional Studies and the evolving professional education industry will continuously influence how we deliver communications and how prospective students make decisions. These changes challenge us to review our outlook regarding our role in the success.

Shaping Our Priorities

Marketing and communications disciplines are changing rapidly, and we need to move to digital marketing and communications approaches, including content marketing, social media, and paid search.

We need to persuade through digital content. Prospective students can make decisions without being known to the College until they apply -- 60% of applicants fall into this category.

Acceptance of online course delivery removes the commuting distance as a barrier. It increases our competition while expanding our market potential.

Our Current State

We must answer ‘Why Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies?’
We are data-rich and information-poor. We need to create appropriate metrics and modes to track progress.
We are using outmoded processes.
Marketing processes need structure and standardization using best practices.
The staffing and vendor model no longer supports the work at hand.

Overarching Objectives

Grow the Business.
Enhance Reputation.

Broaden the Department's Role

The marketing and communications role will expand beyond the Acquisition focus, and we will hire the right talent and vendors to fill in skill and experience gaps.

I created a director-led team for Digital Strategy responsible for the college and lead generation websites, content, and social media.

Our Priorities - The 4 R’s

Reputation is a foundation of trust in quality that enables potential students to leapfrog over decision-making stages with greater confidence.

Reach. CPS marketing will expand its reach to a more national audience, using targeted population centers. We will also lead the marketing for programs based in the graduate campuses in Charlotte, Seattle, and possibly Toronto.

Real. We will be dedicated to “Making it real.” This means using video, direct quotations and testimonials, and highlighting faculty in authentic language and imagery.

Results. We will enhance measurement capability to monitor progress and outcomes using a quarterly report to the executive team.

Key Projects

Prioritize degree programs with leadership to balance resources with expected outcomes. Using a matrix model will remove bias and uncover potential.

Employ Portfolio Marketing for a more efficient approach to reaching the target audiences, builds recognition for our areas of expertise, and gives the power to the consumer to identify what programs they are interested in.

Develop positioning and proof points for each degree program and portfolio category, using language familiar to professionals to the field.

Re-engage inactive leads regularly. There has not been a recapture campaign for years.

Explore the issues with undergraduate degree completion enrollments. Can the enrollment process be improved?

Create new lead nurturing email content and cadence tailored to the chosen field of study and provide support for decision-making challenges.

REPUTATION: Enhance reputation

Enhancing the reputation of the College of Professional Studies impacts an audience beyond the prospective student. Reputation accounts for faster decision cycles, faculty recruitment, and deeper connections with students and prospects.

Select Tactics:

Align marketing with the Northeastern brand related to usable knowledge for the job market.
Complete a message exploration that leads to a formal message strategy, including differentiating and supporting proof points.
Employ qualitative and quantitative research to establish a baseline for the reputation score and identify influencing characteristics for prospect decision-making.

RESULTS: Measure, quantify progress & outcomes

To inform our work and understand results, we must become more data-driven.

Establish a Marketing Dashboard of both progress and outcome measures.
Complete an analytics assessment to ensure that we are capturing data accurately.
Collaborate with Finance to create a Return on Marketing Expense model.

Standardize the marketing process and create quality standards for running programs and reporting results.

REACH: Support expansion efforts, create efficiencies

Use Portfolio Marketing to Create Efficiency, Scale

Implement portfolio marketing – marketing multiple degrees to similar audiences. This provides more choices for the prospect, who may look at one degree.
Target regions in the US that are most open to online learning - LA, Chicago, Maryland, etc.

Marketing automation software has enabled the team to improve messaging and targeting to nurture leads.

Improve email messages and cadence by adding trigger events and logic. Ensure we engage prospects with content they will find interesting.

Enhance the Website – It’s the #1 Marketing and Communications Tool

We must consider our website visitors as valuable and as interested as the leads we nurture.

Select Tactics:

Assess in finding degree programs and information on site through usability testing, reconfiguring how we list and showcase degrees, etc.
Create a user experience that supports the Silent Prospect who does not want to provide their information until they apply.

Northeastern Graduate Campus Expansions

Create that consider using both portfolio marketing (cross-selling all programs to individuals) and degree-specific marketing in the industry

REAL: Making it Real to connect, influence

Our work is very good factually and now is ready to be brought to life by real stories – the emotional. Emotions make landing impressions for both communication and marketing work.

Select Tactics:

Make online education real for the prospect. Create an area of the website that provides videos and demos on what it’s like to be an online student. Augment with stories from past students using video and infographics.
Help people visualize the value. The Internet world is becoming more visual, as are media users. Consider using imagery, video, charts, and real syllabi to bring the information to life.
Create a library of photographs of real students and avoid stock photography.