From Many Houses to One

Driven by the recent economic downturn, colleges are seeking new ways to increase enrollment and enhance revenue streams. As professionals seek a safe haven in which to weather the downturn or new vehicles to increase their value to employers, master’s programs are at or near the top of their list. Cornell University’s College of Engineering recognized this opportunity with regard to its Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) programs, a roster of 15 degrees offering broad appeal and a clear return on investment – backed by the prestigious Cornell name.

However, the college’s previous marketing of these programs had been limited and fractured. Media Logic developed a conversation-centric marketing solution, which could – for the first time – leverage the collective strength of Cornell’s M.Eng. programs while establishing a framework for capturing and nurturing qualified leads. This approach is efficient and takes full advantage of the college’s diversity of degrees… as some M.Eng. candidates are uncertain which specialty they want to pursue (and the lines between specialties are becoming increasingly opaque).

Media Logic developed a microsite that could simultaneously promote the range of M.Eng. degrees and describe the unique value of these degrees as a whole. The site offered several ways for prospects to engage, such as registering for e-news on the specialties of their choice, and aggregated content which had previously been scattered across the college’s main site.

Key to the success of the effort has been the use of web analytics to measure results on a quarterly basis and refine the approach based on actionable data. For example, we learned that a “bug” placed strategically on the home page of the College of Engineering website caused a major spike in activity. We also analyzed traffic patterns and were able to track top referring sites. Finally, as a result of our efforts, we saw major improvements in organic search.