Reimagining Academic Program Marketing

Creating student-centered web experiences that drive prospective students into and through the enrollment funnel faster.

95%

Students influenced by site

49%

Want personalized content

200+

Programs in scope

illustration of gears
illustration of gears

Project Overview

In 2021, Madison College split its web ecosystem into two: madisoncollege.edu for prospective students and students.madisoncollege.edu for onboarding and current student resources.

I led the vision to reimagine 200+ academic program pages on the marketing site, aligning content, design and CTAs to drive more prospective students into and through the enrollment funnel faster.

MY ROLE

Digital marketing strategist and content lead: vision framing, stakeholder alignment, pilot roadmap, content and UX strategy.

SCOPE

200+ academic programs, scalable content frameworks, template evolution.

FOCUS

Prospective student journey from exploration → inquiry → application.

ORGANIZATION

Madison Area Technical College (Madison College)

The Challenge

Students increasingly research independently, relying on program pages to decide fit. One template made certificates, diplomas and associate degrees look identical, and pages lacked storytelling, emotion and clear outcomes.

One‑Size‑Fits‑All

Same look for 3‑credit certificates and 65‑credit degrees.

Low Clarity

Credentials and program relationships weren’t clear to students.

Thin Storytelling

Pages were factual but not persuasive or student‑centered.

The Vision

  • Clarity — simplify credentials and relationships
  • Emotion — connect with hopes and aspirations
  • Scalability — support 200+ unique programs
  • Conversion — move students from exploration to application

Core Initiatives

Bring Programs to Market

  • Clarify offerings and credentials
  • Group related programs for faster decisions
  • Messaging frameworks focused on outcomes

Boost the Enrollment Funnel

  • Define clear pathways by funnel stage
  • Nurture inquiries to applications
  • Consistent CTAs from “Learn More” → “Apply”

Content-Driven Design

  • Templates informed by student‑first content
  • Visuals that depict hands-con, real‑world learning
  • Reusable components for 200+ programs

Phased Approach

PHASE 1

Pilot Launch

Prototype 2–4 programs areas, test messaging, measure learnings.

PHASE 2

Expand Pilot

Apply insights, optimize pages, design scalable templates.

PHASE 3

Full Rollout

Deploy across 200+ programs and integrate with campaigns.

Collaboration Highlights

Partnered across academic affairs, enrollment services and recruitment to align goals and resources. Established processes that scaled content creation and ensured consistent messaging across channels.

  • Academic Affairs (provost, strategic enrollment, deans)
  • Enrollment and Recruiting
  • Marketing and Comms
  • Program directors and faculty SMEs

Turning Program Pages into Student‑Focused Experiences

This initiative established a scalable, student‑first framework for academic program marketing at Madison College.

Pilot Programs and Results

The program marketing overhaul pilot was successful because each program has unique challenges and goals. This diversity shaped the vision for overhauling all program content. Check out these summaries of some of the piloted programs: