Building Visibility and Market Momentum for Kentucky State University

CLIENT

Kentucky State University

OUR EXPERTISE

Digital Advertising

Audience Strategy and Targeting

Creative Development

Marketing Performance Analysis

GOAL/OBJECTIVES

Strengthen institutional visibility, elevate priority academic programs, and build long term enrollment consideration through a focused digital awareness strategy.

679,365

Impressions Delivered

RESULTS

Market Visibility and Engagement Gains at Scale

The team approached Kentucky State University’s awareness initiative in phases to establish a strong foundation for long term enrollment consideration. Phase 1 launched a multi channel, digital first campaign across programmatic display, Meta platforms, LinkedIn, and Snapchat, with tailored messaging aligned to KSU’s institutional brand and priority program focus areas, including general awareness, the MBA program, and Nursing pathways. Early results validated audience alignment and channel strategy, delivering strong engagement at scale and indicating that prospective students were not only clicking through but spending meaningful time with KSU content.

As Phase 2 begins, the work shifts toward creative refresh, performance audit and optimization, and enriched first party data collection that supports scholarship focused messaging, improved attribution, and stronger conversion pathways.

Phase 2 included a centralized Graduate Admissions Portal to improve visibility and completion rates, which built the foundation for Graduate Studies process automation, reducing staff time spent on manual follow-up. 

5,700

Website Visits

Generated through awareness campaigns

3

Minutes

Average time on page, signaling high quality engagement

75,920

New Website Visitors

Representing an approximately 80% year-on-year increase

Kentucky State University partnered with Stratagon to elevate institutional visibility and awareness of priority academic programs through a digital first marketing strategy. Leadership identified the need to strengthen brand presence, increase engagement with prospective students, and build long term consideration in a competitive higher education landscape. Stratagon worked closely with KSU marketing and leadership stakeholders to develop and execute a phased awareness strategy designed to drive measurable engagement while laying the groundwork for future enrollment focused initiatives.

THE CHALLENGE

Kentucky State University sought to increase awareness across multiple academic programs while balancing short term visibility needs with long term enrollment goals. As an awareness focused initiative, immediate application attribution was not the primary objective. Instead, the university aimed to build sustained interest, recognition, and engagement among prospective students while preparing systems and data pathways for future conversion and enrollment tracking.

Snapchat was the best performing channel and a key awareness driver, with programmatic display as the second strongest channel. KSU General Awareness generated the highest session volume, while the MBA program led in page impressions, indicating strong visibility and interest within graduate and professional audiences. The BSN program followed closely as a high performing campaign by sessions, reinforcing sustained engagement among prospective nursing students.

STRATEGIC ACTIONS

Engage Students Across Channels for Effective Outreach

Navigating the college decision process can be complex. That's why automation and personalization play a crucial role in reminding students about critical dates and financial aid opportunities. We tailored communications based on students' decision stages and kept parents informed, expediting the process. Our multi-channel approach included email, paid and organic social media (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat), display ads, SMS texts, and targeted landing pages.