Saving a Master’s Program With a Simple Paid Keyword Change

Shane Baglini, Senior Director of Marketing and Recruitment for the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education at Muhlenberg College joins the show to share how a simple paid keyword change saved a master’s degree from almost being discontinued. He and his team boosted lead-to-inquiry conversions by 241% and took the program from zero enrolled students to blowing almost 50% past their break-even enrollment target.

Key Takeaways

• Align Keywords with Audience Search Behavior: Matching program language with commonly searched terms can vastly increase visibility and engagement, even with minimal adjustments.
• Leverage Low-Cost Keyword Research Tools: Basic tools, such as Google Search Tools, can reveal effective keywords quickly, saving time and budget.
• Collaborate with Academic Stakeholders: Gaining buy-in from faculty for SEO-informed changes can be crucial when adjusting program language for search purposes.
• Track and Measure Impact: A small tweak, such as adjusting a keyword, can lead to significant increases in conversions. Regularly track data to pinpoint what changes yield results.

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Episode Summary

Identifying the Keyword Mismatch

Shane explains how Muhlenberg College struggled with low interest in their Master’s in Applied Analytics program despite the high demand for analytics degrees. When he joined the team in 2022, Shane and his digital marketing specialist noticed a problem—“applied analytics” wasn’t the term prospective students were searching for. Through quick keyword research using Google Search Tools and data from their digital marketing agency, they found that "data analytics" was the term students used most often. The issue wasn’t the program itself; it was the name, which didn’t match audience expectations.

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The Simple Solution: Adjusting Keywords and SEO

After confirming the keyword mismatch, Shane’s team shifted their digital strategy. They stopped bidding on "applied analytics" in paid search and redirected efforts toward "data analytics," rewriting SEO elements on program pages to incorporate the more popular term. This involved close collaboration with a freelance SEO writer to creatively integrate “data analytics” while preserving the program’s original title, preventing any confusion. They also reallocated portions of their budget from other campaigns to give this new keyword strategy a boost, showing how a team of two with minimal resources can make a substantial impact.

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Impressive Results and Institutional Recognition

The results were transformative. Following the keyword adjustments, form submissions increased by 241%, and the applied analytics program surpassed its enrollment goal by 50%, achieving an 11-student cohort, well above their initial target. The visibility of Shane’s success prompted other departments to approach his team for keyword optimization, making marketing input a standard part of program development at Muhlenberg College.

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Lessons Learned and Future Strategies

Shane emphasizes that marketers shouldn’t hesitate to voice insights about program language and positioning, as these insights can influence program success. His advice for other marketers is straightforward: regularly review and adjust keywords to stay relevant. He suggests using simple, accessible keyword tools, and for institutions working with agencies, leveraging their expertise to conduct quick keyword research. Finally, Shane’s success has positioned marketing as a strategic partner in future program development at Muhlenberg, underlining the importance of aligning program language with the terms prospective students actually search for.

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This Episode is Sponsored by our friends at Element451: 

Element451 is an advanced student engagement CRM, providing higher ed institutions with a competitive admissions advantage from recruitment to enrollment through the use of AI, student behavior data, and modern marketing automation.

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