The Challenge: Breaking Records in Higher Education Enrollment

When National Louis University (NLU) came to Colling Media, their objective was clear and ambitious: surpass their previous winter start enrollment record. This wasn’t just about increasing applications; it was about achieving a significant, measurable leap in actual enrollments. We understood that to deliver at this level, we needed a comprehensive, data-driven enrollment marketing strategy that transcended traditional advertising.

NLU’s situation presented a common scenario in higher education: a desire for growth coupled with the complexities of the student journey and the internal university org chart. We knew that success would hinge on our ability to align diverse stakeholders, optimize every stage of the student funnel, and provide transparent, actionable attribution.

Understanding the University Org Chart

One of the most critical — and often overlooked — aspects of successful enrollment marketing is understanding the education org chart. At a university like NLU, the VP of Enrollment, CMO, Director of Admissions, and President each have distinct priorities and metrics.

• VP of Enrollment: Focused on overall yield, class size, and program-specific enrollment targets
• CMO: Concerned with brand perception, reach, and lead volume across channels
• Director of Admissions: Needs qualified inquiries that convert — quality over quantity
• President: Looks at long-term financial health, institutional reputation, and enrollment sustainability

We don’t just talk to the marketing department; we engage with all key stakeholders to ensure our strategy delivers on every level. This alignment is what separates enrollment marketing that moves numbers from campaigns that generate activity without results.

The All-Digital Strategy: Full-Funnel Architecture

For NLU, we built a comprehensive all-digital, full-funnel enrollment marketing system. Every channel was selected, structured, and measured to contribute to a single outcome: enrolled students.

Search: Capturing High-Intent Prospective Students

Google Search was the foundation — capturing prospective students actively searching for programs NLU offers. We structured campaigns by program type, degree level, and geographic market, ensuring every ad dollar was directed at the highest-intent queries.

Paid Social: Reaching Career Changers and Non-Traditional Students

NLU serves a significant population of non-traditional students — working adults, career changers, and those returning to education. Meta advertising (Facebook and Instagram) was essential for reaching this audience where they spend their time, with creative that spoke directly to their motivations and concerns.

Programmatic: Nurturing the Consideration Phase

The gap between initial inquiry and enrollment decision is where most education advertisers lose students. We deployed programmatic display and CTV retargeting to stay present throughout the consideration phase — reinforcing NLU’s value proposition and guiding prospective students toward the application.

Attribution: Connecting Every Dollar to Every Enrollment

The element that made this strategy truly effective was full attribution. We implemented a cross-channel attribution model that tracked the complete student journey — from first ad impression through enrollment — giving NLU’s team complete visibility into what was working and why.

This attribution capability allowed us to:

• Calculate true CPE (cost per enrollment) by channel and campaign
• Identify which programs had the highest enrollment yield and reallocate budget accordingly
• Optimize creative and messaging based on what actually drove enrollments, not just clicks
• Provide stakeholder-specific reporting that spoke to each team’s priorities

The Result: 135% of Winter Start Goal — A Record

The outcome: NLU achieved 135% of their winter start enrollment goal — a record for the university. This wasn’t a single-channel win; it was the result of every element of the full-funnel strategy working in concert, measured and optimized through comprehensive attribution.

135% of winter start enrollment goal. A record for the university. Built on full-funnel digital strategy and the attribution to prove every dollar’s contribution.

What This Means for Your Institution

The NLU story illustrates what’s possible when enrollment marketing is treated as a system rather than a collection of campaigns. The key elements — full-funnel architecture, org chart alignment, and attribution that connects ad spend to actual enrollments — are replicable for any higher education institution with ambitious enrollment goals.

At Colling Media, we bring this same approach to every education partner. As a Google Premier Partner (top 3%), we combine media buying expertise, creative strategy, and attribution capability to build enrollment engines that deliver measurable, sustainable growth.

Learn more about our education advertising approach and how we can help your institution achieve its enrollment goals.