Client: University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education (UCI DCE)
Project Summary: JumpStartNOW to create a social media advertising and Google Ad strategy and consequent implementation and tactical management of such for nine extension programs plus UCI DCE’s institution efforts.
Background: Transforming the Learning Experience. UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education was established in 1962 and has served the lifelong learning and career development needs of individuals, organizations, and the community on a local, regional, and global scale. Through a wide range of educational opportunities including certificate and specialized studies programs, short courses, and strategic partnerships, we provide learning pathways for those seeking career advancement or personal enrichment. UCI DCE offers more than 80 industry-relevant certificates and specialized studies programs on campus, online, and at corporate sites. We also serve as a gateway for our students to reach other UC Extensions and campus amenities such as the UCI Alumni Association and the Chancellor’s Club.
Challenges: UCI DCE is competing against various universities throughout the country that offer similar programs. Most classes are conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UCI DCE wants to benefit from the stellar reputation of the University of California. The continuing education division wants to be known beyond its alumni and current student base. UCI DCE specifically wants to focus on increasing the number of sign-ups for nine of its extension programs. They also want to improve their brand awareness and reach through their institutional efforts. The various programs range from best in class to highly competitive and newly launched programs.
Solutions: The goals were to meet and exceed the benchmark across all social media and Google Ad platforms and achieve a lead conversion of 10% or higher. JSN created a strategic approach to each program and institutional efforts by identifying buyer personas, strengths, and uniqueness of these programs. The strategic marketing at JSN identified the ad platforms with the highest engagement and lead generation potential. JSN focused on sending quality traffic and leads to the UCI DCE landing pages. The team continued analyzing, optimizing, and realigning strategies for the highest output. Services provided: strategic marketing planning, social listening, buyer persona development, strategic ad placement, look-alike audience development, ad copy and creative development, monitoring and optimization, data analysis, and reporting with the next steps. The JSN team also explored several social listening topics to better understand the competitive environment.
Results: UCI DCE reported a significant increase in overall traffic to their website in addition to a substantial increase in lead creation through landing page lead form submissions. JSN also successfully implemented an ad campaign via a platform used for the first time by UCI DCE. JSN’s strategic approach met the benchmark and lead conversion goals in the majority of campaigns. The social listening results were used to inform brand strategy by the program marketing team leaders.
