Portland State University’s Center for Executive & Professional Education (CEPE) had a unique offering. They pioneered a diverse portfolio of certificate programs – ranging from Process Improvement to the Business of Craft Brewing – designed for the city’s working professionals. Now, CEPE needed to capture this audience’s attention and convince them to try a new mode of education.
As higher ed veterans, VisionPoint recognized the value unlocked by offering high-quality, industry-relevant curriculum in short-term programs. We were eager to leverage our experience and media savvy to achieve CEPE’s goals of increased interest and inquiries. We also knew that success required a long-lasting and innovative partnership.
Bold, Decisive Strategies
VisionPoint’s approach was characterized by both bold, decisive moves and nimble adaptation to market changes. We invested in messages and tactics that made CEPE stand out. At the same time, we optimized relentlessly, and we were always ready to tweak our plans to slot in a new program or test a compelling hypothesis.
Our strategies included:
- Campaign Architecture Innovation: We streamlined PSU CEPE’s marketing structure by clustering programs by discipline. This created economies of scale in marketing spend while allowing us to build a stronger presence in key industries.
- Strategic Resource Allocation: During the first year of our partnership, we made the bold choice to invest 60% of advertising dollars into brand campaigns. This decision might seem counterintuitive when plenty of programs were already competing for a share of the budget. However, it proved transformative in establishing a market presence and program credibility. Ultimately, this push for awareness helped every program flourish.
- Media Mix Adaptation: We developed a robust media mix, including tried-and-true channels like paid social and paid search, as well as discipline-specific tactics, like LinkedIn Conversation Ads for business programs and event geofencing for Business of Craft Brewing.
- Community-Centric Positioning: While other professional education programs marketed their flexibility above all else, we envisioned a different approach for PSU CEPE. We developed the “Don’t Go It Alone” campaign to highlight the unique value of collaborative learning environments. Our objective was to show the emotional and educational benefits of learning amidst a cohort of committed peers.
It turns out, the “Don’t Go It Alone” tagline could double as a mantra for the VisionPoint-PSU CEPE partnership. After all, marketing an innovative offering can feel lonely. There are no peers or set paths to benchmark yourself against. You need to take creative risks without knowing if they’ll pay off. The VisionPoint and PSU CEPE teams became close throughout our collaboration. Our belief in the value of their certificates, willingness to jump in wherever and however we were needed, and commitment to strong results forged a lasting trust.
Fast, High-Engagement Results
VisionPoint delivered more than 400 conversions a year throughout our entire three-year partnership, with cost per conversion as low as $36. Our paid search campaigns helped increase site visitors by 90% year over year. Our consultation on organic social media resulted in improved engagement and consistency across all channels. When entrusted to market a high-profile program that needed fast results, we built a campaign with a 9.86% conversion rate – 191% higher than the industry benchmarks. The “Don’t Go It Alone” concept effectively captured the interest of our target audience, producing a 100% increase in click-through rate once in market.
We are immensely proud to have led Portland’s professionals to programs that will challenge them, energize them, and get them their next big promotion. We’re excited for the opportunity to build similar excitement in your audiences.
