How strategic paid search and niche placements drove a 17% lift in doctoral inquiries and expanded applicant representation
Overview
This initiative focused on driving qualified prospective student inquiries and expanding application volume for the Dean’s PhD Fellowship across high-priority doctoral programs. Between August 1 and December 1, 2019, a targeted multi-channel digital campaign was deployed within a total budget of $21,052.86 to reach high-intent prospective graduate students aged 18 to 54+.
Objectives
- Drive Web Traffic: Increase landing page traffic and engagement for the Dean’s PhD Fellowship program.
- Capture High-Intent Applicants: Generate qualified Ph.D. inquiries and lift application volume across targeted tracks, including EDHS and EDIS.
- Expand Applicant Reach: Broaden the reach of recruitment efforts to significantly increase application volume from underrepresented demographics.
- Optimize Spend Efficiency: Execute an integrated multi-channel paid acquisition strategy while remaining strictly within the allocated campaign budget.
Approach
We audited past recruitment performance and transitioned to an intent-focused paid search and targeted placement strategy. By pairing Search Console, Keyword and Display planner, and user demographic insights with targeted placements across higher education channels, we aligned our messaging with active prospective learners.
To directly connect with high-intent prospects and streamline candidate conversion, we:
- Leveraged Intent-Based Search Terms: Deployed long-tail keywords such as “fully funded phd scholarship” on Google Paid Search to capture active fellowship seekers.
- Targeted Qualified Demographics: Ran demographic-focused campaigns on LinkedIn reaching college-educated adults aged 18–54 and scaled reach via the Google Display Network across outlets like Inside Higher Ed and The Grad Cafe.
- Engaged Networks: Formed strategic partnerships with niche higher education platforms—including ProFellow, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, and Association for the Study of Higher Education — for direct email placements, banner ads, and sponsored articles.
- Optimized Conversion Paths: Updated landing page messaging, integrated automated lead capture mechanisms, and developed outreach toolkits for faculty to convert web traffic into submitted applications.
Results and Impact
- Dramatic Traffic Scaling: Grew landing page visits from 1,381 visits in 2018 to 11,751+ visits during the campaign period.
- Higher Inquiry & Application Volume: Generated a 17% year-over-year increase in prospective student Ph.D. inquiries and a 55% overall lift in Dean’s PhD Fellowship applications, led by gains in priority programs like EDIS (+7%) and EDHS (+3%).
- Measurable Representation Expansion: Expanded the pool of applicants, driving a 24% year-over-year increase in African American applicants and an 11% increase in Hispanic applicants.
- Cost-Effective Channel Performance: Delivered high conversion efficiency across paid search (131,662 impressions; 3,455 clicks; top long-tail CTR of 17.5%), LinkedIn (118,557 impressions; 1,457 clicks), and display networks (3.52M+ impressions) within the $21,052.86 campaign spend.