Nationally-Recognized Graduate School’s Website was Absent from the Top 30 Search Results for Topic-Relevant Keyword Searches
The Client:
A nationally-recognized Chiropractic College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as the Doctor of Chiropractic degree, and attracts students from all states.
In 2008, the College was undergoing a rebranding effort and noticed that, despite their premier reputation, they were not displayed in search engine results for relevant key terms.
The Chiropractic College’s rebranding agency recommended digital marketing firm tSunela to improve search engine visibility.
The Challenges:
When the client came to tSunela in 2008, their website was absent from the top 30 search results for topic-relevant keyword searches. As a result, they were losing potential applicants and tuition fees.
Compounding the problem was the fact that competitor institutions had a successful digital marketing strategy in place—and were showing up in search results. Would a well-executed organic search campaign be enough for the College to catch its competitors?
What other strategies might need to be implemented in order for the institution to see a return on their investment?
How would the client define the success of a campaign in an arena with which they were unfamiliar?
The Solution:
tSunela comprehensively researched the online presence of the College’s top competitors. Then, they strategically determined a list of keywords to be used for the organic search optimization process and implemented their SEO strategy.
Because the College’s competitors had been optimized for a longer period of time, tSunela suggested the client also invest in a paid search campaign and an online media buy to recapture—and grow— market share. Results were carefully tracked and utilized to tweak and fuel the direction of the campaign.
The Results:
From October 2008 to October 2009, the Chiropractic College experienced a tremendous increase in organic search rankings.
They went from not displaying within relevant keyword search results at all to acquiring an average search result listing position of top 10 (first page) for 65 popular and unique keyword searches on the three major search engines: Google, MSN/Bing, and Yahoo!
To augment this success, the client invested in a paid search and an online media campaign bringing their total digital marketing spend in 2009 to $131,889.
Using 2009 applicant and enrollment numbers for the College’s three degree programs (undergraduate, graduate, and Doctor of Chiropractic) as a metric for success, tSunela analysts, together with the client’s IT staff, were able to determine which prospective students applied online—and enrolled— as a direct result of organic and paid search efforts. They were then able to monetize this data to calculate a return on the client’s investment.
In 2009, as a direct result of tSunela’s paid and organic search marketing strategy, 62 people applied to the Doctor of Chiropractic program and 49 enrolled; four people applied to the graduate program and three enrolled; and 36 people applied to the undergraduate program and 23 enrolled. Total revenue from application fees and tuition totaled $331,530.
After subtracting their digital marketing spend, their profit was almost $200,000. Not only is that a 151% return on their investment, but it is also a testament to the power of digital marketing in today’s online environment. More importantly, however, the nationally-recognized Chiropractic College now has an online presence to match their premium offline reputation.
Contact tSunela today for more information on our internet marketing services.