Background

Virginia Tech approached RHB in early 2022 seeking counsel on their existing Slate instance. In addition to a Slate diagnostic, RHB concurrently launched senior search and an applicant experience portal.

Challenge

Through their senior search campaign, Virginia Tech sought to attract a more diverse student population, and to expand enrollment in their Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, a population with a long history at the institution.

Solution

To begin, RHB’s Enrollment Management team did a comprehensive review of historical funnel data and, combined with the institutional goals and priorities, took a nuanced and more granular approach to name licensing. By identifying appropriate markets and segments, RHB could give appropriate counsel for both name licensing and campaign buildout.

As the campaign buildout occurred, RHB consulted with the team at Virginia Tech to create tailored messages in an authentic voice using current brand language and assets to drive seniors to apply. Instead of driving students to a multi-view portal to cultivate interest, RHB created a series of emails that drove students to apply.

Senior Search Emails

Results

In the course of this search campaign, Virginia Tech received over 6,500 inquiries and almost 500 applications. Diving into the data more closely, it was found that over 1,700 of those inquiries and more than 350 applications were submitted by underrepresented students.

RHB worked simultaneously to create a series of reports for Virginia Tech to evaluate the campaign in real time. Additionally, because this project targeted seniors, they experienced the immediate impact of their investment through applications and ultimately, deposits.