Located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, NC State University Poole College of Management is a leading and innovative business school but faced enrollment challenges and competed against nationally recognized business schools in a highly competitive regional market. From 2007-2014, VisionPoint served as the college’s brand and enrollment marketing partner, supporting strategic positioning, campaign development, creative strategy, digital marketing, and enrollment growth initiatives to establish a more differentiated and strategically ownable position rooted in NC State’s strengths in technology, innovation, and analytics.
Following additional project work with other university units over the years, VisionPoint re-engaged with Poole in 2023 to strengthen the visibility, positioning, and enrollment performance of its graduate business programs, including the MBA, Master of Accounting (MAC), Master of Management, Marketing Analytics (MMA), and Master of Risk and Analytics (MRA).
Our Approach
VisionPoint implemented an integrated digital enrollment marketing strategy spanning portfolio-level awareness campaigns and program-specific lead generation initiatives across Poole’s graduate business programs. While we kept in mind the college’s strengths and differentiators, it was key to develop separate strategies for each individual program we were promoting. Our work included enrollment marketing strategy, paid media planning and management, creative development, audience targeting, reporting, and ongoing optimization for each of those program campaigns.
A key focus throughout the engagement was balancing upper-funnel brand awareness with performance-oriented lead generation efforts. Campaigns across LinkedIn, Search, Meta, streaming video, and display advertising were designed to both strengthen Poole’s reputation among professional audiences and drive prospective students further down the enrollment funnel.
Creative messaging emphasized professional advancement, career outcomes, and program ROI while reinforcing Poole’s differentiated position within the marketplace. Over time, VisionPoint continuously refined media mix, targeting strategies, bidding approaches, retargeting pathways, and creative variations to improve performance and respond to shifting audience behavior.
The Results
VisionPoint’s work has helped Poole achieve sustained enrollment marketing growth and increased efficiency across its graduate business portfolio. In a six-month span, VisionPoint-managed campaigns delivered more than 7 million impressions, 79,000 clicks, and 2,766 conversions while reducing cost per acquisition to approximately $75.
Year over year, conversions increased by 27% while cost per lead declined by 22% despite relatively flat media investment. Program-level improvements included a 19% increase in MBA conversions, a 32% increase for MAC, a 44% increase for MRA, and a 40% increase for MMA – all accompanied by significant CPA improvements. Together, these results reflect a long-term strategic partnership focused on continuous optimization, differentiated positioning, and sustainable enrollment growth.