The TCU Neeley EMBA program used being ‘personal, connected, and real’ to leap forward in the global rankings

Challenge

The TCU Neeley EMBA Program was on the rise in the global and national rankings. Alumni engagement was at an all-time high and students enjoyed learning from the globally recognized faculty. Yet, the program experienced a dip in enrollment. Competition in the Texas market and among more recognized top-ranked programs proved to be fierce. Other programs had more staff resources and invested more in marketing. The program needed a cost-effective solution to maintain momentum and its personalized approach to recruiting EMBA candidates.

Solution

TCU Neeley leveraged persona development work to improve the admissions process and the student academic experience.

GPRS first completed an audit of the program, interviewing alumni and students, analyzing the pre-existing audience targeting, and reviewing the marketing strategy and digital tools the program was utilizing. GPRS applied the research results to form five personas, or profiles of different student types that represent the best fit for the TCU Neeley EMBA program.

With the personas in place, GPRS developed a segmented remarketing strategy across all paid media and social platforms to move leads into the inquiry phase of the funnel. Drip/nurture email campaigns were also employed and added to the touchpoint data captured in their Salesforce CRM platform. Multivariate tested ads addressed the themes that resonated best with each persona.

TCU was our first client to take the personas and incorporate them into their curriculum. Their objective was to ensure students received their expected ROI. To meet this objective, the program created different learning tracks for each persona in their leadership development course. Executive coaches were assigned that specialized in working with leaders in each persona to position the program to deliver the expected outcomes for its students.

Results

TCU Neeley Executive MBA Program increased the number of leads by 300% after three months of working with GPRS. In the second year, the EMBA program surpassed its diversity goals by enrolling a cohort with 31% female students and 50% of the class being from ethnically diverse backgrounds. In addition, the EMBA program ascended to #13 in The Economist global rankings and was rated #5 in program quality.

The Harbert College of Business at Auburn University scratched its way to steady enrollment during the pandemic

Challenge

Like many graduate business programs. the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University was faced with the daunting task of maintaining enrollment during the pandemic. To make the task even more challenging, Auburn had 3 graduate business programs — Real Estate Development, Executive MBA, and Physicians Executive MBA — that needed to sustain enrollment.

Solution

We have enjoyed a strong and long-standing partnership with the Harbert College of Business. Our history together positioned us well to tackle the challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. We leveraged the following advantages:

• We leveraged data collected over the first 5 years of our partnership to determine how we could adapt our marketing strategy in response to the changing marketplace
• We understood the program and student needs well and thus empowered us to market the program as if we are part of the team
• We helped Auburn improve the recruitment experience for prospective students and staff

Results

With these advantages and our experience in lead generation, we increased the number of leads for the three programs by 8%. These leads resulted in enrolled students that yielded $5.3M in revenue for the Harbert College of Business.

To maintain these outstanding results, Auburn has decided to use our curated library of Nurture Campaigns to engage leads generated by our digital marketing campaigns. The objective is to maintain contact with prospective students throughout the application process. In doing so, the prospective students are more informed and encouraged to continue the application process. Furthermore, the admissions team increases their reach and connections with prospective students without investing more time and resources.

The Zicklin School of Business Restores its Confidence in the Path Forward

Challenge

Baruch Zicklin School of Management faced declining enrollment in their graduate business programs, exacerbated by market forces and rising operational costs, which transformed their programs into a “luxury good” in the competitive New York metropolitan area. Profitability became increasingly elusive, necessitating critical decisions about the future.

Solution

Baruch engaged GPRS to conduct an unbiased Enrollment Growth Assessment to diagnose the root causes of their enrollment challenges. This involved in-depth interviews with key internal stakeholders—faculty and staff—and a collaborative session to prioritize objectives based on the assessment’s insights.

GPRS delivered a comprehensive report outlining key findings and actionable recommendations tailored to address their enrollment issues. This resulted in a strategic action plan that revitalized confidence within the Baruch Zicklin team.

Baruch and GPRS established a lasting partnership post-assessment, leveraging various GPRS services, including our Call Center solution. This service bolstered Baruch’s admissions capabilities by deploying GPRS’s expertise to engage new leads, active applicants, and dormant prospects identified in the assessment.

“The Enrollment Growth Assessment helped us refine our marketing and recruiting efforts,” said Tricillia Jacob, Director of Administration & Operations of Executive Programs at Baruch Zicklin. “It revived lead generation and re-engaged stalled leads, effectively guiding us towards enrollment.

“GPRS’s strategies solidified our confidence in our path forward.”

Results

Implementing GPRS’s recommendations addressed critical blind spots identified in the Enrollment Growth Assessment. It enabled Baruch’s admissions team to focus more efficiently on meeting their enrollment objectives despite challenging market dynamics. Within just four weeks of the campaign, the Call Center Solution facilitated 162 appointments for the admissions team, demonstrating significant progress in engagement and conversion of leads identified through the assessment.

In conclusion, the Enrollment Growth Assessment not only pinpointed immediate areas for improvement but also provided a roadmap for sustainable enrollment success.

“I might want to keep GPRS to myself to boost my own image, but I highly recommend their services,” said Jacob. “Our continued collaboration promises a bright future for Baruch Zicklin.”