Digital Engagement and Video Power Graduate Enrollment at Lincoln University

CLIENT

Lincoln University of Missouri

OUR EXPERTISE

HubSpot CRM

Digital Advertising

Marketing Campaign

Video Production

GOAL/OBJECTIVES

Generate awareness for LU Graduate Studies programs and drive traffic to inquiry/application pathways.

14,438

Total Clicks

Overview

Lincoln University, a public HBCU in Jefferson City, Missouri, partnered with Stratagon to increase awareness, demand, and enrollment for key graduate growth initiatives, including its Graduate Studies and Certificates programs and the newly launched Security Science Institute (SSI).

Facing fragmented outreach, limited brand visibility, and low application conversion, the university needed a digital-first marketing infrastructure that could attract qualified prospects, reduce manual administrative follow-up, and guide students from initial interest through application completion. Stratagon delivered targeted, multi-channel campaigns supported by automated HubSpot nurturing and performance tracking, complemented by broadcast and streaming video to strengthen brand recall and expand regional reach.

THE CHALLENGE

Limited Brand Awareness and Inefficient Operations

Lincoln University faced significant obstacles across its graduate recruitment funnel, including limited awareness, low application completion, and little visibility into how marketing efforts translated into enrollment. With a small team and manual processes creating operational strain, LU needed a scalable, end-to-end campaign strategy to drive awareness, improve conversion rates, and reduce administrative follow-up.

Specifically, their newly launched Security Science Institute (SSI) faced unique challenges due to limited market awareness and a lack of clarity about the program’s value to prospective students.

Key challenges included:

Limited awareness of graduate and certificate offerings across priority audiences
Inconsistent conversion after prospects expressed initial interest
No clear attribution between marketing channels, messaging, and applications
Heavy manual follow-up burden on staff, causing delays
Applicants stalling mid-funnel without automated reminders or guidance

OUR SOLUTION

Strategic Approach: Two Phases, One Scalable System

To drive immediate enrollment impact while building long-term efficiency, Stratagon implemented a two-phase strategy designed to deliver quick wins and establish a scalable digital foundation. By pairing automation and personalization with a phased rollout, the approach reduced friction in the decision-making process, improved conversion rates, and created a repeatable infrastructure to support future graduate growth.

TOOLS USED

HubSpot CRM
Email and SMS automation
Social advertising (Meta, Snapchat)
Google Ads
Video production and distribution

PHASE 1

Awareness, Segmentation, and Early-Stage Engagement

Phase 1 focused on building awareness and capturing demand by meeting prospective students where they were in their decision journey. Communications were personalized by audience type and decision stage, with creative tailored to career accelerators, degree enhancers, adult learners, and work-life balancers. The goal was to generate interest, reduce early drop-off, and lay the groundwork for automation.

STEPS TO SUCCESS

Segment and personalize messaging by audience and intent
Deploy eye-catching creative across high-traffic digital channels
Build student lists and automated nurture paths in HubSpot
Drive traffic to program-specific landing pages and interest forms

KEY DELIVERABLES

Three dedicated landing pages for certificate programs
HubSpot nurture workflows for early-stage leads
Commercial-grade institutional brand video (script to production)
Multi-channel execution across email, paid and organic social, display, and landing pages

PHASE 2

Conversion Optimization and Infrastructure Build

With the newly developed Graduate Admission System (GAS) portal live, Phase 2 shifted to high-intent conversion and operational efficiency. Campaigns were optimized to capture and route inquiries directly into HubSpot, automate follow-up, and move prospects through application completion. Awareness efforts were extended through connected TV and local broadcast to reinforce messaging at scale.

STEPS TO SUCCESS

Launch conversion-optimized campaigns by program
Integrate forms and workflows directly into HubSpot CRM
Automate post-inquiry follow-ups and deadline reminders
Expand reach with repurposed video across CTV and local TV

KEY DELIVERABLES

Conversion-focused RFI campaigns for Graduate Studies and SSI
Program- and audience-specific ad creative across Meta, Google, and Snapchat
Migration of graduate admissions workflows into HubSpot (forms, reminders, automation)
Full CTV and local TV awareness campaign to reinforce brand and recall

Together, these two phases delivered immediate enrollment momentum while establishing a sustainable, automated admissions engine for long-term growth.

RESULTS: PHASE 1

Clear Outcomes Backed by Data and Effective Processes

Through a phased, data-driven approach, Lincoln University modernized its graduate recruitment funnel — driving awareness, improving conversion, and establishing measurable, automated systems to support long-term enrollment growth. Each phase delivered distinct outcomes, together creating a clear line of sight from marketing activity to student action.

Phase 1 Results: Awareness and Audience Validation

Phase 1 launched a comprehensive, multi-channel awareness initiative supported by newly developed creative and a commercial-grade brand video. The focus was on introducing Graduate Studies and Certificate Programs to priority audiences, generating early engagement, and establishing baseline funnel metrics. These insights validated which channels, messages, and audience segments performed best, informing optimization in later phases.

In parallel, the institutional video strengthened storytelling and emotional connection, improving performance across paid social, programmatic display, and digital placements.

Phase 1 Highlights

Cross-platform campaign engine active across Meta, Google, Open Web, LinkedIn, and Snapchat
Full institutional video production delivered and deployed
Strong awareness lift and validated audience behavior across channels

1,605,289

Impressions

Generated across channels

14,438

Total clicks

Attributed to digital ads

7

Audience segments

Identified based on student needs and intent

Lincoln University partnered with Stratagon to revitalize awareness and conversion for its Graduate Studies and Certificates programs. The university needed to increase the number of qualified applications while reducing administrative follow-up. They sought a marketing partner capable of creating targeted marketing campaign, alongside with automated communication nurturing sequences in HubSpot that would nurture prospects through completion.

RESULTS: PHASE 2

Conversion, Automation, and Enrollment Impact

With the GAS portal live, Phase 2 shifted to high-intent conversion and operational efficiency. Campaigns were fully integrated, with ads, landing pages, and HubSpot automation working together to drive form submissions and applications and maintain consistent follow-up without increasing staff workload.

Both Graduate Studies and SSI benefited from conversion-optimized campaigns, automated nurture flows, and segmented messaging by program and audience. Video assets were also repurposed into CTV and local TV placements to reinforce awareness and credibility at scale.

Phase 2 Highlights

Conversion-focused campaigns across Meta, Google, and Snapchat
HubSpot CRM integrations enabling automated follow-up and deadline nudges
Reduced manual staff effort with consistent, timely lead engagement
Expanded reach through CTV and local TV video activation

2,817

Landing Page

Views

%

Landing Page

Conversion Rate

63

Total Interest

Form Submissions

Overall Impact

Together, the campaigns achieved increased awareness, higher conversion rates, and a more modern, automated recruitment system. By incorporating HubSpot performance tracking, multi-channel activation, and scalable workflows, Lincoln University set up its Graduate Studies and Security Science Institute programs for ongoing growth with clear, efficient processes and tangible results.