UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE
Robust Marketing Strategies
As the Marketing, Communications, and Advancement Director, I developed integrated marketing plans for student recruitment while also managing alumni outreach and fundraising efforts. My role demanded involvement in every aspect of marketing to effectively convey the School of Social Welfare’s story to all our audiences. This included crafting detailed strategies for student recruitment, creating targeted plans for alumni engagement and fundraising, and ensuring that our research promotion was seamlessly woven throughout all these initiatives. Additionally, I collaborated closely with the Associate Director of Research to design marketing strategies for the Research Office and its Centers, emphasizing the impact of our research and services on the community.
Background Reseach
I begin all integrated marketing recruitment plans by gathering information through meetings with employees involved in the recruitment cycle. I then develop a background document that outlines the School of Social Welfare’s Vision, Mission, Guiding Principles, Promise, and the Strategic Priorities relevant to education. This ensures our strategies align with the school’s mission and initiatives.
Next, I conduct a competitive analysis to identify our competitors and understand what we know about each of them. Following that, I complete a SWOT analysis to evaluate our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This helps us capitalize on strengths, improve weaknesses, leverage opportunities, and mitigate potential risks.
I also identify key stakeholders to ensure we understand the diverse audiences we need to reach. Then, I analyze the demographics and psychographics of our target student markets. Finally, I determine the metrics we’ll use to measure success.
VIEW FULL BACKGROUND DOCUMENT →
VIEW ANALYSIS OF 2020-21 RECRUITMENT AND HOW IT INFORMED 2021-22 PLAN →
Undergrad
A major challenge in recruiting undergraduates was the widespread misunderstanding or lack of awareness about the social work profession. Since most undergraduate communication was handled by the Undergraduate Admissions Office, it was crucial for us to capitalize on every opportunity they offered to integrate our specific school messages into their communications and participate in their events.
While students could declare social work as their major as early as freshman year, they still needed to complete general education courses before diving into their major-specific classes. Therefore, I made sure our recruitment plan built in opportunities to educate our Admissions Officers, so they clearly understood the unique value of a social work degree compared to fields like psychology. I also prioritized reaching students early to educate them about the profession, helping them make informed decisions sooner. Even after they declared the major, I found it extremely important to continued to engage and support these students to ensure they stayed on the social work path throughout their two years of general education.
I focused on events, emails, and direct mail campaigns, and spreading the message about the social work profession.
Master’s
At KU, Graduate Admissions plays a supportive role for graduate programs, allowing professional schools like the School of Social Welfare to create their own robust recruitment marketing plans. When developing these plans, I focused on increasing the number of students at each stage of the funnel to ultimately boost enrollment. I began by working backward, determining how many students would need to accept our offer, while accounting for deferrals, to meet our enrollment goals.
Since admissions decisions were managed by the faculty, I used an average admission rate to estimate how many applications would typically result in accepted students. From there, I calculated how many inquiries were needed to achieve the target number of applications.
To meet these targets, I employed a range of tactics, including paid and unpaid digital and social media campaigns, as well as events. I designed a communications plan that maintained contact with inquiries throughout the funnel via emails, texts, phone calls, event, and direct mail campaigns. I also identified the required conversion rates and utilized our CRM, Slate and Hubspot, to track and analyze student progression at each stage of the recruitment funnel. This tracking allowed me to make adjustments as needed in the moment and refine my approach year after year.
Doctoral
Recruiting for PhD programs is vastly different from undergraduate and master’s recruitment. While some techniques overlap, PhD candidates are primarily focused on finding a place within the school where they can align with ongoing research and collaborate with faculty. Understanding the research opportunities and potential faculty mentors is crucial for them, which is why the PhD Program Director plays a much larger role in the communication process.
The primary goal of the recruitment plan is to attract qualified PhD candidates whose interests align with faculty research areas. Once identified, we connect them with the director or faculty members who can guide them and offer insights into life as a doctoral student from someone who has firsthand experience. Additionally, it is vital to ensure that funding is available in the candidate’s research area, requiring constant collaboration with the PhD Program Director, the Associate Dean for Research, and the Budget Officer.
Tracking and analyzing the effectiveness of recruitment tactics and understanding the prospective student profile is always essential. I provide this data and work closely with the program director to continuously refine our approach.
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Bachelor of
Social Work
It was crucial to educate students about the social work profession and its opportunities, so we used targeted messaging and imagery to convey the full range of careers available with a social work degree. Our goal was to dispel the common myth that social work is solely about removing children from families.
Apply & Yield
Breakout Room
Experience
One effective marketing tactic that helped generate interest in the School of Social Welfare during on-campus recruitment events was the creation of an interactive Breakout Room experience focused on the social work profession. After developing the concept, I led the design of the breakout room from the ground up. Students had to solve clues hidden around the room and within documents to unlock a box. As they uncovered clues and eventually “broke out” of Twente Hall, they learned about social work in an engaging and hands-on way. This fun, interactive experience was enjoyed by both students and their families.
Videos
I created an outline of topics, wrote prompt questions for the students, and coordinated with them on scheduling and locations for filming. I wanted to focus on key aspects such as why KU is an ideal choice, the campus experience, financial aid, and the practicum experience. I worked closely with the videographer, who provided a template for video editing, and I used the raw footage to produce short recruitment videos using Final Cut.
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Master of
Social Work
Effective communication and guiding inquiries through each stage of the funnel, from inquiry to enrollment, were the foundation of my master’s recruitment campaign. To ensure strong brand recognition, I prioritized consistent visuals throughout the campaign so inquiries could instantly recognize our communications and remember our message. We also aimed to add a personal touch to make each interaction more meaningful.
Inquiry & Meeting
Apply & Enroll
Video
I created an outline of topics, wrote prompt questions for the students, and coordinated scheduling and locations for filming. I focused on key topics such as faculty support, program options, convenience, location, and the practicum experience. Working closely with the videographer, who provided an editing template, I used Final Cut to turn the raw footage into short recruitment videos.
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS
PhD Program
Since PhD candidates prioritize programs with strong faculty research that aligns with their interests, available research funding to support their work, and the potential to stand out for future teaching or research positions, I emphasize these program aspects throughout our recruitment plan—from initial inquiry to enrollment.
Highlights
