School Recruitment During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Client:
Granville T. Woods – GTW
At Granville T. Woods Academy of Innovation, the focus is on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum that is integrated with a Project Based Learning (PBL) environment. Their mission is “to create, enhance and sustain opportunities for the children and families of Memphis through the collaborative design, implementation, and integration of quality educational experiences, career awareness and support services that lead to academic success, family preservation, and community prosperity.”
T H E C H A L L E N G E
Being relatively young (founded in 2015) and tucked away in a small section of a church not visible from the main road, GTW is not yet a household name among area parents. Couple this limited awareness with a pre-pandemic strategy that relied on in-person word-of-mouth via educational tables set up at grocery stores, churches and daycares, GTW was in need of a brand new strategy to drive recruitment critical to the school’s funding.
T H E D R E A M
Through digital awareness, engagement and virtual recruitment, GTW sought an aggressive 500 applicants for the 2021 Fall semester.
T H E S T R A T E G Y
Through digital awareness, engagement and virtual recruitment, GTW sought an aggressive 500 applicants for the 2021 Fall semester.
Digital Advertising Via Video Storytelling
To reach the goal of 500 applicants, RedRover embarked upon a video-focused digital advertising strategy, as GTW has an incredible tug-at-your-heartstrings story to tell — one that we could only really do justice with video.
Through a long-form and short-form video, we were able to communicate the benefits of attending GTW through a variety of voices and appeals to children, parents and grandparents. These ads were used on Facebook — with some fairly complex audience targeting based on customer personas we developed — and served on local television stations all with the intention to drive applications or virtual tours.
Lead-Nurturing Campaign
As all good business owners know, once you capture a lead, you must nurture it when conversion isn’t immediate, which is exactly what came next. Four compelling drip campaigns were created to entice interested parents to complete the application.
T H E R E S U L T S
These Facebook video-ads and the supporting drip campaigns generated a lot of buzz for GTW — as well as a Facebook click-through rate that was 23% above industry benchmarks — but the metric that mattered most was applicants. And we exceeded the client’s goal for 500 applicants for the 2021 Fall season, which ensured every available seat was full.
