Bradley University
With the abundance of collegiate education options available today, reaching prospective students requires innovative strategies that resonate with tech-savvy audiences. Bradley University, nestled in Peoria, Illinois, recognized this and embarked on a Snapchat advertising campaign that scored big.
“We’ve been delighted with the results of Snapchat’s in-platform lead gen, which has been an effective part of our enrollment marketing strategy to connect with prospective undergraduate students.”
- Ben Jedd, Assistant Vice President Marketing and Communications
How Bradley University Boosted Undergraduate Leads
With approximately 5,200 students enrolled across over 100 undergraduate programs, Bradley University sought to enhance its recruitment efforts ahead of the application season. In partnership with Carnegie, a leader in higher-education marketing, they aimed to engage 16- to 18-year-old prospective undergraduate students in priority designated market areas, resulting in an audience pool of about 855,000 users— a task that required precision and creativity to succeed.
To get the job done right, Carnegie recommended leveraging Snapchat's native lead-form feature within Ads Manager. The tool enables advertisers to create seamless, fast-loading forms that auto-fill user information directly from Snapchat profiles, minimizing friction and boosting conversion rates. Here’s the stepwork, in case you choose at some point to go this route with a campaign of your own:
Campaign creation: Set the objective to 'Lead Generation' in Snapchat's Ads Manager.
Ad-set configuration: Choose the 'Lead Form' as the conversion location to ensure leads are captured directly within Snapchat.
Ad design and form setup: Craft visually engaging ads and design user-friendly lead forms with clear calls to action.
Targeting: Utilize Snapchat's advanced targeting capabilities to reach your desired demographic within your specified geolocation.
Intended to resonate with prospective students' aspirations and individuality, Bradley University’s campaign featured two variations of compelling ad copy:
“Unlock your full potential: Whatever you do, Be You.”
“Discover your next adventure: Whatever you do, Be You.”
How’d it play out? The approach seemed to make the grade. Over a three-month period, Snapchat's native lead-gen forms accounted for 81% of all undergraduate conversions across social media platforms during that time frame.
The effectiveness of Snapchat's native lead forms in engaging prospective students and streamlining the conversion process proves that this combination of fundamentals counts:
Embrace platform-specific features: Utilizing native tools like Snapchat's lead forms can enhance the user experience and improve conversion rates.
Craft resonant messaging: Tailoring your ad copy to align with your audience's values and aspirations fosters a deeper connection with them.
Leverage advanced targeting: Precise audience targeting ensures your message reaches those most likely to engage, maximizing campaign efficiency.