eLEARNERS.COM
Case Study
Content Marketing and Public Relations Inspire Mothers to Seek College Degrees
eLearners.com is a leading higher education marketing website that provides information about colleges and degree programs to people considering going back to school. The team engaged Communications Strategy Group (CSG®) to generate leads for its partner colleges and universities through powerful public relations and content marketing campaigns.
Drawing upon its deep expertise in the education industry and supplemented by analysis of current trends in the workforce, CSG identified single working moms as a group of people who could greatly benefit from higher education — only 16% of single working moms have a college degree. In our research, CSG also identified three main obstacles that often prevent mothers from earning a degree: time, money and confidence.
unique scholarship inquiries
in full-ride scholarships granted
new students enrolled in college
in earned media value
Making it Easier to Start College
CSG started by developing strategies that addressed the primary blockers for single working moms to earn a degree. The three-pronged campaign called Project Working Mom layered tactics that addressed time, money and confidence.
Confidence
CSG created the websites projectworkingmom.com and careerstimulus.com that hosted pertinent content such as tips, advice and strategies for how adults could juggle commitments and succeed as online students. Additionally, CSG designed an experiential marketing event called the Empowerment Tour, a 42-city bus tour where certified career coaches provided free one-on-one coaching to adults who wanted to advance their careers.
Money
CSG supported the development of a robust scholarship program for moms and other adults. To make college affordable for more people, eLearners.com partnered with eight online colleges and raised approximately $10 million in full-ride scholarships aimed specifically at older adults.
Time
eLearners.com exclusively worked with schools that provided online education, which afforded moms educational opportunities at their own time, pace and location to overcome the greatest obstacles of going back to school. CSG amplified these benefits in all content and promotion initiatives.
Multi-Channel Media Relations Strategy to Drive Leads
To generate greater awareness and help drive applications for the scholarships, CSG launched a robust media relations strategy that leveraged stories of moms seeking their education in national, regional and local media outlets. As a result, Project Working Mom received multi-channel brand exposure through television, radio, online outlets, print and mobile media.
Throughout the two years of the program, Project Working Mom garnered 500 million media impressions, including placements on CNN.com, U.S. News & World Report, Woman’s World, Redbook,
and Oprah & Friends Radio.
Project Working Mom didn’t just earn attention, it changed lives.
With thousands of new students enrolled and millions of dollars made available to support them, a whole host of young families were able to experience the benefits of higher education.