Agile Marketing Drives Enrollment Success

+36%

growth in freshman enrollment over two years

2

consecutive record-breaking freshman enrollment years

The University of Idaho embraced a flexible, data-driven approach to enrollment marketing—turning collaboration and adaptability into record-setting growth.

An agile, data-focused recruitment marketing plan set the stage for long-term growth.

The University of Idaho had ambitious goals and an appetite for pushing beyond expectations. To stand out in a crowded market, they sought a higher ed-focused partner who understood the unique challenges and opportunities of higher education and could offer innovative solutions. Leveraging cutting-edge technology and analytics, we developed a full lifecycle digital strategy that resulted in big enrollment gains.

The Challenge

The University of Idaho, a public, top-tier research university and the state’s land-grant institution, sought a partner to help it generate prospective student leads and increase enrollment. With a strong brand already in place, they were looking for data-focused solutions that could help them scale enrollment. They wanted to stand out and capture student attention in the digital space and needed a strategic partner with higher education expertise to get them there.

Our Approach

We built a full lifecycle digital recruitment strategy that integrated multiple channels. We conducted a digital perception study to inform digital campaigns, ensuring we were targeting and reaching the prospective students most likely to apply and enroll. For lead generation, we built a diversified strategy that targeted well-matched students across digital outlets and a college search engine, resulting in a healthy and informed student pipeline. The digital advertising strategy included display retargeting, paid search, social media, and streaming media to reach and engage at every phase of enrollment. We implemented our on-site personalization and attribution tool, Clarity™, to deliver a personalized website experience and measure campaign performance. Idaho used this technology to its full potential, driving conversions across multiple audiences at every stage of the enrollment journey.

To maximize ROI, we optimized their Slate instance to give them enhanced analytics and the ability to not only drive conversions but track prospective student behavior. We met regularly to review results, adjust messaging, and refine strategies—a partnership that led to efficient use of resources and better outcomes.

What Worked

A diversified lead generation strategy targeted well-matched students across digital outlets and collegexpress.com academic segments, resulting in a healthy and informed student pipeline.
A comprehensive digital advertising strategy increased awareness and drove application conversions.
A robust Clarity™ personalization strategy became a full funnel approach, promoting everything from visit registrations to anti-melt.
Slate optimization delivered actionable analytics, optimized landing pages, and portals to maximize the university’s ability to generate leads and track user behavior.
A Student Search Slate instance was implemented to unify their tech stack and streamline their student lifecycle data.
Ongoing enrollment strategy anchored the partnership, with our teams meeting regularly to review results, adjust messaging, and refine campaign strategies.

The Results

Carnegie’s work helped the University of Idaho achieve record-breaking enrollment growth over the past several years. The university saw an increase in graduate and overall enrollment, with marketing leadership consistently recognizing Carnegie as a trusted partner in driving this growth. Our shared willingness to use data to refine strategies and optimize processes set the stage for data-informed campaigns and enrollment health for years to come.

+36%

growth in freshman enrollment over two years

2

consecutive record-breaking freshman enrollment years

+22%

increase in graduate enrollments

What makes the Carnegie team unique (and the reason we appreciate them so much) is that they approach our partnership with their brains and their heart. They have the expertise to position us to succeed AND it is obvious that they truly care about us as people. It is rare to find a team as intelligent, committed, and caring as the team we work with at Carnegie.

John Barnhart Co-CMO University of Idaho

Partnering with Carnegie has been the best way to maximize our internal resources and equip us for growth. I attribute much of our success to Carnegie’s model—we have real-time feedback, direct access to the team’s expertise, spot-on recommendations, and ongoing adjustments. The team is always one step ahead of us, which is crucial in a marketing environment that demands agility and flexibility.

John Barnhart Co-CMO University of Idaho