Our Services
We are a full-service marketing agency for colleges and universities.
Our research-driven approach increases leads, applications, enrollments, and retention.
Lay the groundwork for data-driven messaging that is rooted in meaningful differentiators
Competitor Research
Competition in the higher education space is intense — we develop strategies on how you can stand out in even the most crowded field.
We can help identify your program's or institution's key competitors, understand how they are positioning and marketing their offerings, and define key differentiators to weave into your messaging.
Audience Segmentation + Analysis
Gone are the days of a homogenous student body — each prospect has unique qualities and needs that can be addressed in your strategy.
We have deep expertise on key higher education audiences, including but not limited to undergraduates, graduates, adult learners, 1st gen students, military, B2B, and students of diverse background in the U.S. and abroad. Our approach to developing marketing personas is rooted in empathy and our ability to craft messaging and offers that remove obstacles for prospects.
Recruitment Pipeline Audit
When is the last time you audited your prospective student experience?
It is critical to analyze where prospects and applicants are getting stuck in the funnel and map journeys from awareness to lead generation, to lead nurture and enrollment. We work with clients to identify pain points, and then build strategies to create a smooth recruitment experience.
Brand Awareness Studies
Do you know what prospective students think of your institution?
Higher education marketing campaigns have the highest likelihood of success when they are designed around existing and emerging awareness of your institution and brand. We have worked with clients to conduct focus groups, surveys, and research to uncover hidden perceptions and biases about their brand. We partner with you to review all available data and plan your campaigns around geographic and demograpic awareness.
Program Strategy
It’s becoming increasingly important to differentiate programs and curriculum from the competition. Price point, program duration, faculty, and specializations can all be reasons students do or do not convert.
We can help you build a data-driven case for faculty and administrators on why a program may have to pivot its structure or positioning to grow enrollments.
International Market Assessments
Institutions looking to expand their programs internationally often have limited or incomplete data about what markets are most ripe for testing.
We rely on extensive international strategy expertise for in-person and online higher education offerings to assist your team in identifying geos and crafting offers that will resonate locally.
Primary Market Research
Primary research around your institution and program offerings can save you money and time.
We can assist you with desk research, expert interviews, on-ground and online focus groups, surveys, and quantitative message testing.
UX Consulting + User Testing
You may think your website is easy to navigate — but is it simple and accessible for all audiences?
We can recruit representatives of your target audience to test and evaluate current user experiences on the web, and then help you improve user journeys for better lead generation and conversion.
Develop impactful touchpoints with prospective students based on a speed-to-lead mindset
CRM + Marketing Automation
Once you capture lead information for prospective students, their parents, or other target audiences, how do you engage with them in a meaningful way?
We can help you develop automated email journeys that provide prospects with personalized and well-timed messages and calls-to-action, giving them what they need to take the next step in their enrollment journey. We have worked with clients to develop nurture streams rooted in key program- or course-specific information as well as written and video stories highlighting student experiences.
Speed-to-Lead Strategy
Higher ed enrollment experts are increasingly turning to speed-to-lead to make connections within minutes of a lead submitting information on their site. Teams that use this tactic offer leads multiple touchpoints, some automated and some not, to engage with their admissions and enrollment teams over a sustained period of time.
We can help you craft an effective speed-to-lead strategy that takes into account the needs of your specific target audience — and then implement it with your team. We have helped our clients implement speed-to-lead using a wide range of tactics including email, SMS, live chat, phone or video calls, and events.
Live Chat
How can you make connections and offer support to prospective students when they haven't provided you with any information?
Having a live chat functionality on your website and resourcing the chat with either AI or synchronous agent support (or a combination of both) can help remove barriers for prospects and increase conversion by up to 12%. We can help you develop chat scripts and implement Live Chat on your website and program pages so you don't miss out on opportunities to interact with your prospects.
Analytics + Dashboard Design + Implementation
Unable to connect where leads are coming from, to applicants, and then to enrollments? Tying all of these stages together helps higher education marketers make data-informed decisions about where to spend their time and budgets.
We can work with you to design dashboards that connect in-platform paid and organic data with Google Analytics and Tableau, then create easy-to-digest visual dashboards that aid with decision making and create more efficient and effective marketing spends. Outside of those platforms, we can also help you leverage your student applicant or enrollment management systems to create visual dashboards and reports that help you learn from your data.
SMS + Phone Outreach
Are you reaching prospects by phone? You don't need to build in-house resourcing to leverage SMS and phone conversations for faster and more meaningful lead nurture.
We collaborate with external partners that specialize in doing this work for various colleges and universities. We can help you build these capabilities with lean budgets and advise on the most effective approaches to building a robust enrollment management strategy.
Event Strategy + Consulting
In-person and virtual events like webinars, recruitment fairs, open houses, student panels, or faculty information sessions are the types of touch points prospects are looking for.
We can work with you to develop a plan for the most effective approach to adding events to your enrollment management strategy and help you promote them to your prospects and leads.
Tell powerful stories about your faculty, students, and institutional impact to generate leads and nurture relationships
Long-Form Lead Generation Pieces
With the increasing cost of paid search and paid media efforts, earned tactics, like one-pagers and toolkits, are a strategic way to get your prospects' attention.
We can work with your marketing team, faculty, and subject matter experts to build long-form content pieces that position your institution as a cutting-edge industry leader.
Website + Landing Page Copy
As one of the first touchpoints for your programs, it is essential to have clear, compelling websites and landing pages that make your programs stand out.
We can work with your marketing and web teams to refine or overhaul your website's information architecture and content. Our expert team will build sketches that clearly communicate your institution's or program's differenitators while taking your web platform's specifics and limitations into account.
Nurture + Broadcast Emails
A well-executed email nurture campaign can be the deciding factor in getting your leads to apply and eventually enroll.
We can help you build campaigns that provide the right content to diverse audiences at different stages of the funnel. Our team has helped clients implement engaging nurture streams, customized smart content, and strategic workflows in Slate, HubSpot, Constant Contact, Sendinblue, and MailChimp.
Video Strategy + Scripts
As more brands are turning to video to share information, how can your institution stand out?
We can work with whatever resources you have to develop concepts, scripts, and robust videos that keep you at the top of the class.
Blog Strategy + Writing
Blog posts are an important tactic for helping your audience get to know you — and staying on top of SEO in the process.
Our expert copywriters have decades of experience in writing for a wide variety of audiences in the higher education space.
Plan and optimize data-driven campaigns to build awareness and solid prospect pipelines
Media Planning + Execution
In a landscape where students increasingly expect high-touch experiences with brands, a robust media campaign is key. It is important to connect with your target audiences on the platforms and in the locations where they are most likely to engage with your content.
We can keep you connected with your audiences through SEO + SEM, retargeting, out-of-home advertising, and more. Our team of paid media strategists has experience targeting US and international audiences on platforms including Google, Microsoft, Naver, Baidu, Yahoo, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, KakaoTalk, and Spotify. We also have the capabilities to facilitiate the launch of billboards and posters through our out-of-home contacts.
Search Engine Marketing
Search campaigns target prospects in the mid to lower part of the sales funnel, meaning they reach audiences who are already actively searching for a product or service. In Higher Ed, search is a critical tactic that tends to convert better than top-of-the-funnel marketing.
We can help your team set up search campaigns that target your audiences based on demographic metrics derived from your lead and enrollment data. We can also help you plan strategic tests of new audiences or geographic locations to best decide where to allocate your budget and see where your brand awareness is growing. Our team has experience running search campaigns across Google and Microsoft, as well as international platforms like Naver, Baidu, and Yahoo Japan.
Search Engine Optimization
Today's higher education audiences want instant answers. They want to clearly understand the costs, benefits, timing, format, and faculty experience for all of the programs or courses they are looking at before they take their next step.
Our team has extensive experience in SEO research and optimization across numerous higher education programs and portfolios. We can help you implement SEO tactics that keep you at top of mind (and search results!) for those interested in your offerings
Paid Social Media
A robust media strategy requires meeting prospects where they are — and you might have prospective students waiting on social.
We can help you determine the best paid social strategy and tactics for your audience and budget. Our media team is well versed in utilizing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and internation platforms like Kakao Talk and others to make connections and remarket to prospects that are a fit for your programs.
Programmatic Display
Successful paid media campaigns balance traditional lead generation tactics with brand awareness strategy. Programmatic display advertising targets prospects based on distinct personas and serves them ads across the web through connected networks.
We can help your team build personas to target, and provide a results analysis of your campaign that includes meaningful insights for your audiences. Our team is well-versed in running these campaigns for domestic and international prospects.
Bring your institution’s visual identity to life through engaging designs based on best practices in UX
Web Design + Development
Websites are the main source of information for students when they are gathering information about schools and programs. We can help you make a lasting first impression.
Since 2012, Viv Web Solutions has been building complex custom websites with organizations throughout the nonprofit sector and beyond. We can help you navigate through discovery, design, build, maintenance, and optimization of your new website.
Digital + Print Advertising
In the crowded higher ed space, brand awareness is key. There's no "one size fits all" approach to advertising — do you know what the most successful ways of reaching your audiences are?
We have experience in developing advertising for a myriad of print and digital channels, including Spotify, radio, billboards, magazines, and more. We pair your campaign goals with your institution's brand and message guidelines to develop pieces that you're proud to show off.
Email Templates
Prospective students receive hundreds of emails from schools — how can yours stand out?
Our email templates keep your messaging looking collegiate and professional, while adhering to your university's brand guidelines.
Landing Page Optimization
If you aren't currently leveraging landing pages to capture information on prospective students, you could be losing out on crucial connections with those most interested in your programs.
We can help you build and refine ad landing pages, open house landing pages, and event landing pages with custom designs and carefully selected imagery — because every part of a page can impact conversion rates.
Postcards, Flyers + Brochures
Whether you're promoting a new program or introducing people to your brand, we can help you create an eye-catching piece.
A well-designed asset can be the difference between a new lead and a missed opportunity. Our design portfolio spans catalogs, flyers, direct mail, stickers, and more.
Branding
Branding is a key component of establishing what makes your institute or program different. A clear brand speaks for itself — and we can help you find your voice.
Our team works as brand anthropologists to understand your “why” and then discover how to bring it to life for your customer. As veteran logo and graphic designers and copywriters, we execute to perfection.
Prospects' research processes extend beyond search: your institution's social presence can speak volumes about your programs, student body, and overall student experience.
To build an effective social media presence, it is key to have a thorough strategy that takes your audiences, content capabilities, and organizational goals into consideration. We can help develop this strategy and run effective social campaigns to build your brand and grab the attention of your future students at the right time.