Higher Learning: Energizing Recruitment for an Education Powerhouse
FIU ONLINE is the digital arm of Florida International University, a prominent public research university and one of the top 10 largest academic institutions in the nation. FIU Online offers a wide range of fully remote programs and courses, providing flexible access to high-quality education and enabling students to pursue academic and professional goals from anywhere in the world. Through state-of-the-art online tools, students enjoy interactive and collaborative learning experiences, guided by dedicated faculty members who bring real-world expertise to the virtual classroom. FIU Online’s engaged community of learners and faculty — including distinguished scholars, industry leaders, and experts — attracts high-achieving students from around the world.
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Services
Provided
Google Ads
Facebook Ads
Digital Analytics
Organic Social Media
Call Tracking
Landing Page Development
The
Objective
Increase FIU Online’s lead generation and enrollment
The
Challenge
FIU Online was a well-established innovator in the remote-learning space, but a change in leadership challenged the marketing team to deliver stronger recruitment results.
They needed to: accelerate lead generation; improve message-to-medium alignment and brand communication; unlock new efficiencies with paid and organic strategies; and implement stronger tracking analytics.
Tactics
Rebuild paid advertising channels
Launch organic marketing channels with social-media programming and SEO
Custom-build high-impact creative assets optimized by program and by school
Collaborate with internal teams to align messaging across media channels
Deploy analytics and tracking technologies to measure lead quality
Retool lead nurturing and sales enablement processes for higher conversion
Consult with recruitment teams to share learnings for on-going optimization
The
Approach
In our initial audits, we learned that leads for F.I.U. Online students were converting at a rate of less than 2%. We identified several quick-win avenues for elevating the digital marketing program, including more active management of Google Ads, implementation of tracking and analytics systems, and making creative and communication choices aligned to media channels and audiences.
We approached these opportunities systematically by working closely with the in-house team and using agency resources to overhaul most digital and creative strategies. By working consultatively with the client’s teams, we could support systemic buy-in and a lasting business impact.
The
Result
Over several years of partnership, Lineout’s strategies for paid advertising, S.E.O., web design, and lead nurturing produced markedly higher interest in FIU Online enrollment.
Online leads jumped 23% annually and fall program enrollments soared 32% in 2019-2020 compared to the prior academic year. Importantly, 65% of enrollments were new learners joining the school, proving a high level of incremental effectiveness to Lineout’s strategies.
- 23%Online Leads
- 32%Program Enrollment Increase
- 65%New Enrollments