Lead Generation for a niche Course

Leads for a niche course

How we both generated awareness and leads using SEM, facebook & Linkedin

OBJECTIVE

• A leading University of India launched a degree course in GIS (Geographical Information Systems) as a postgraduate degree. The marketing objectives were two-fold:
  1. To get enrolment into the course by reaching out the right candidates
  2. To create an interest-based community of GIS specialists in India on social platforms to spread awareness about the subject, its applications and share information

CHALLENGE

• GIS is a very niche course and a negligible percentage of eligible candidates are aware of this specialization. Therefore the obvious challenges were:
  1. Minimal search volume for GIS related keywords, since nobody was aware of this option. This made SEM campaigns more challenging
  2. Previous campaigns had seen no effect, therefore, no established methods or track record to rely on
  3. Difficult to narrow down the audience given the niche nature of the category

OUR SOLUTION: BETTER TARGETING & COMMUNICATION

• Our solution to address the two objectives comprised: a) Using our SegmentPro technology combined with a very refined SEM strategy to be able to reach out to the exact audience to get the right leads

  b) Working towards creating an interest based community on facebook & linkedin. Linkedin was identified as an important medium given the professional linkage of the product being promoted

  For a), the challenges were tackled using 3 simple steps

  • Step 1: Identify the people who were eligible for the course: We identified different streams of education (computer science students, geology students, etc.) who were eligible for the course. SegmentPro and interest-based targeting on Facebook helped reach out to these candidates
  • Step 2: Separate marketing communication of the proposition to different segments: Created separate ad-copies and landing pages for each of the streams. For example, for those in computer science, the ad-copy talked about “building the next Google maps”, while for those in civil engineering the ad-copy talked about “planning a new city”. The aim was to make people aware of this post-graduation option and to make it aspirational. This was a departure from the regular, placement potential focused communication. Targeted communication to these separate groups helped us reach It helped us increase the overall sales funnel.
  • Step 3: Rigorous follow up to nurture the leads and applications: Once leads were received, a follow-up process was followed, separately for each consumer segment. Emailers, Google Hangouts and FB ads using power editor were used. All the leads were classified into degrees of interest. Those most interested were pursued more than the others.

• For b), an interest-based communities were created on facebook and LinkedIn, to serve as a long-term brand asset. A Facebook app was deployed to engage with the audience who had a stated interest in GIS or allied fields. Linkedin group discussions were forged to become a thought leading contributor

RESULTS: 2000+ LEADS. APPLICATIONS GREW 4X

1. More than 2000 leads from various sources. A good % was relevant. 4x increase in the number of applications versus the previous year.
2. A 20,000 community of GIS enthusiasts was created on Facebook with a high degree of engagement. Questions related to the subject, informational comments were received frequently
3. The brand became a top contributor is different GIS groups by initiating discussion, responding to questions, therefore reaching the most relevant audience.