Leaning into Location

Based on key findings and research, we detected a post-COVID shift in high school students opting to stay in-state for their college education. Leveraging these findings, we crafted a strategy that targeted students and families within a 50-mile radius of Maryville and also pulled in nearby regions that showed searches for the programs the College was promoting.

Support for Staying in State

Numbers don’t lie: Nationwide, 86% of full-time equivalent (FTE) students attended college near their high school and 81% of those in Tennessee chose to stay in-state. With that information, we built a strategy that supported this trend and spoke directly to students who preferred staying closer to home.

Setting Parameters

That’s not to say that we were thinking small. We set parameters for the digital campaign at a 50-mile radius to incorporate out-of-state as well as local interest. We also pulled in Hoover and Birmingham as additional markets and extended our search efforts into most of Tennessee. As we evaluated results, we had the ability to extend or restrict targeting based on the ad response. 

Setting Up for Reporting Success

An additional goal of Maryville was to ensure that the data from its marketing efforts dropped into its tracking program correctly and that the analytics were set up for peak performance. We worked closely with the Maryville team to ensure proper set up and attribution for accurate results, reporting, and analysis for future evaluation.

For those affecting real change

The IIRP is a pioneer in its space, built for curious minds who want to engage and elevate their community through relationship building, conflict resolution, and education. In our research, we recognized a desire to learn more about restorative practices with the core audiences; however, they lacked the terminology to search for it. 

The first step of our campaign was to build a connection between what restorative practices is and what it does, linking the two with a common message that our audience could relate to: Affecting Real Change.

Bridging the messaging gap to think different

Early on in our insights gathering, it became clear that the term “restorative” had become diluted and difficult to define in the marketplace. To reduce confusion and clarify The IIRP’s mission, we crafted messaging that focuses on the benefits of restorative practices and how it can be used to affect real change, restore the future, and heal communities.

Expanding markets

Once the messaging was established, it was time to get it in front of the people who needed to hear it. So, we got to work expanding our reach. Working with The IIRP marketing team, we expanded the digital campaign into Michigan and Texas while continuing to strengthen The IIRP’s brand recognition in its current Northeast markets.