One of the best ways for higher education institutions to secure enrollments is through the internet. With seamless communication over any distance, it’s easier than ever to set up a website that tells people about who you are as an institution, what you stand for, and what you have to offer to those who enroll. 

The problem? Every other institution is doing the exact same thing, and you need to find ways to stand out. The best way to do that is by auditing your website for conversion rate optimization, paying particular attention to main pages like your home page and program pages since these are often what prospects see early on in their journey towards enrollment. 

Watch this video to get insights into what elements your program pages need in order to “pull their weight” and convert more of your online audience into enrolled students. Continue reading for more tips on how to create a program page that converts, tell if your existing program page is properly optimized, and what to do if you want to optimize it further.

What Does an Optimized Program Page Look Like?

To better understand the importance of these optimizations and the impact they make, you can compare the unoptimized example in the video with a program page we recently created for one of our clients: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and their Surveying and Geomatics program. Note that it has all the elements of a high-converting program page, giving readers a very clear picture of what the program entails, how it benefits students who complete the program, and how they can get involved. 

Watch the video for more details on what elements we included and why.

Of course, the makings of an effective program page run much deeper than just these elements. Let’s take a look at some of the most important things to have on your program page for higher conversion rates. As you read, keep your program pages in mind. This will help give you a better idea of what’s already working well, and what could be optimized to make it more effective..

Prominently State Program Names

Though this likely goes without saying, students shouldn’t have to guess if they’re in the right place. It’s surprising how often we see landing pages that don’t included the name of the program “above the fold” (at the top of the page, before the user scrolls down). The program name should be stated prominently alongside the name of your institution, so that when leads land on the page, they immediately know whether they are in the right place or not.

Include a Strong Call to Action

The best way to increase conversions is by guiding your readers to the desired outcome. Rather than simply giving them information, tell them what to do with that information, and do it in a way that grabs their attention. If you take a look at SIUE’s website, you’ll notice that there’s a large red button at the top of the screen that urges readers to “apply now.” 

This button appears again at the end of each section of the page, reminding interested users of what they need to do to get involved in the program. Replicating this with your program page will encourage students to apply, rather than mulling over it and potentially moving on or forgetting to do so.

Focus on First Impressions

Your reader will start forming opinions about your institution and its programs as soon as they click on the program page. As such, the first part of your page is one of the most important. If what they initially see doesn’t grab their attention, they may click off before seeing everything your program offers. To prevent this, we recommend including several key elements in your program page’s header.

• The name of your school: Making the name of your school immediately visible creates a strong sense of identity. This will help readers remember your institution and make it stand out in their minds.
• The name of the program: For the same reason, it’s important to include the name of the program you’re advertising. If it’s not immediately visible, readers may be confused as to what they’re reading about, leading to misunderstandings and lost conversions.

• The “why” of the program: Be sure to immediately tell students the reasons they should be interested in your program. What sets you apart from the rest? Job security after graduation? Low tuition and robust financial aid? Flexible schedule options for students with obligations outside the classroom? Whatever your program’s unique traits may be, make sure that students can easily find out what they are.

• Your ultimate goal/their next steps: Whether securing an application or getting readers to sign up for an orientation, your program page was built with a purpose. Be sure that your purpose is clearly stated, and that students can easily proceed to the next steps you’ve prepared for them through a call-to-action button. In SIUE’s case, the “apply now” button filled this niche, though it may differ for you. Regardless, be sure that it’s visible from the start.

Break Up Text For Readability

Your program page should be easily digestible, which is best achieved by breaking up dense paragraphs into smaller chunks of text. If a prospective student clicks on your program page and sees nothing but a wall of text, they’ll likely feel overwhelmed, having neither the time nor the patience to sort through it all. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to reduce the amount of information on your page, though– sometimes, a little reformatting is all you need.

Let’s examine SIUE’s program page again. First of all, notice that every chunk of text on the page is less than 100 words long. Each small chunk of text conveys an important idea, which allows them to stand out as individual pieces of information rather than a jumbled mess of facts, statistics, and self-promotion. Headers and bullet points are used throughout the page to further distinguish ideas from each other, and the red-on-white color scheme creates contrast and grabs the reader’s attention.

Add Images to Your Page

Images also serve several purposes on SIUE’s page. First, the banner image shows a surveyor at work, helping readers to visualize their future careers if they choose this program. Next, the alumni testimonials section uses pictures of each alum to help humanize their testimonials. When the reader sees the faces paired with text, they understand that it’s not just some faceless entity praising the program– it’s an actual person who has attained success because of your program, and that same success could be theirs if they choose to study with you.

In the following section, images are used to further divide pieces of information, and are paired with text to create a concrete image in the reader’s mind. An image of a surveyor at work is paired with the “scholarships and hiring” subheader, showing that SIUE will connect its students to opportunities for hands-on experience and future careers. The image for “industry support” shows a real example of one of SIUE’s partners, providing evidence to their claim that students will be able to form industry connections while studying.

Using images this way on your program page will make it much more memorable, grab your reader’s attention, and turn your institution into a front-runner for the reader’s educational future, rather than just another bullet point on a long list of options.

Provide a Low-Commitment Option

Not everyone who lands on your program will be ready to apply, at least not right away. It’s important to provide at least 1 alternative next step for leads who are still interested, but need a bit more information as they mull over their decision. Whether that’s providing them with an option to “Schedule a Virtual Tour” or “Join A Virtual Info Session”, or offering a free guide to download, these secondary calls-to-action provide your prospects with more helpful information while also giving you the opportunity to capture their contact details so you can continiue nurturing them towards conversion.

We Can Help!

Still unsure of how to approach your next program page audit? You can count on our team at Greenstone Media. Visit our site today to schedule a free consultation to sort out your 2025 marketing strategy. Plus, don’t forget to download our free ebook which will walk you through the steps to keep your website up to date for maximum effectiveness. 

As we’re approaching the end of this semester, it’s time for higher education institutions to start gearing up for the next semester. Naturally, this means securing more enrollments and getting as many students signed up for classes as possible. The problem? Doing so seems to become more difficult with each passing year. The higher education industry is already a densely populated market, and with the added competition of more budget-friendly e-learning platforms popping up seemingly every day, it can be difficult to set your institution apart from the rest. 

So, how can you cut through the noise and engage your ideal audience? By showing prospective students what makes your institution unique, why it matters, and why they should attend. 

One of the best ways to do this is by using a proven marketing framework to help you clarify your message so your target audience listens and to help you use your messaging consistently and effectively throughout all of your marketing efforts – from admissions calls and emails to paid ads, social media, and your website. 

So, what exactly is this framework, and why does it matter? Here’s everything you need to know.

What Is the StoryBrand Framework?

The effective messaging and marketing framework we recommend (and utilize with all of our clients) is called the StoryBrand framework. It was created by American author and entrepreneur Donald Miller in 2017 with the release of his book Building a StoryBrand. The book details methods for any company or institution to clarify their marketing strategies and better hone in on their target audience, with a focus primarily on the words they use. 

Rather than talking about your college’s history, milestones, and prestigious awards, colleges using the StoryBrand framework will instead seek to tell the story of their audience, making their students (and prospective students) the story’s main character. Centering your marketing message around your target audience helps you to show empathy and authority, and connect with your audience without making it a bragging session all about you. 

After all, everyone wants to be the hero in their own story. So if you can show your audience that you’re here to help them become the best they can be, they’re more likely to engage with your message to see how your programs can help them succeed.

So, how does this play out in your marketing? Miller suggests that every great story– and thus, every great marketing strategy– contains seven components:

• The hero- As we mentioned earlier, this is your target audience (not your institution). 

• A problem or desire- While your target audience will come from all backgrounds, statuses, and walks of life, one thing unites them– they’re looking to solve a problem they face. Whether they want to start, advance, or entirely change their career, they’re interested in your school because of the potential for change that it offers.

• The guiding figure- In most stories, the protagonist meets a wise guiding figure who mentors them and gives them wisdom. Here, that guiding figure is your college or university. Think: you’re Gandalf, your students are Frodo. This where you can talk a bit about yourself to show authority.

• A plan- As the guide, you have a plan for your students to follow in order to succeed. In this case, this “plan” is the education that will allow them to make the changes and advancements they’re pursuing.

• A call to action- With a plan in mind, the hero sets off towards their goal. Here, you should make a clear call to action to encourage your customers to enroll and start on their journey, following your plan for success.

• Failure to avoid- The plan helps your audience to avoid the risks and pitfalls they may encounter. For example, if you want to market your institution’s affordable tuition and robust financial aid programs, you would help your hero avoid the pitfall of an expensive education (especially for a degree they don’t end up using to meet their goal) and mounting student debt (that leaves makes it harder to reach their goal or makes it less satisfying when they do).
• Achieving success- Of course, it isn’t good enough to simply avoid failure– your protagonist must also achieve success. Make a list of what your students will gain from your programs that will help them succeed in life and their future careers, and back your claims up using evidence from successful alumni.

When followed appropriately, the StoryBrand framework can help you create advertisements and other marketing collateral that speak to your target audience on a highly personal level, using the power of storytelling. Rather than just another brand that’s trying to sell a service, your institution takes on the image of a wise mentor who can help students achieve their dreams. You’re no longer just a part of the crowd; you stand out to your audience and make yourself an extremely appealing option for their higher education needs. 

Having covered the general concepts of the framework and why they matter, let’s get into some of the more specific strategies we use with our higher education clients, applying elements of this effective framework for the best results.

Targeting Your Audience More Effectively

Many conventional advertising strategies rely solely on getting the same message out to as many people as possible. While this does put a lot of eyes on your institution, it doesn’t give them much reason to care. Using a framework, like the one from StoryBrand for higher ed solves this problem. As we mentioned above, it makes your institution seem much more relatable and able to accommodate your student’s needs. 

Start with your primary audience and create content that utilizes all or a combination of the seven elements above. Then, consider how you can target groups and subgroups more specifically – it could be different audiences for different programs, or multiple audiences for one program. After you’ve identified a few other audiences to target, create content (again, using the seven elements above) to speak more specifically to each group. This process may require more time and effort but you’ll end up with fine-tuned messages that speak to each audience where they are in life, in progress to their goals, and along the consideration journey. 

This means that more prospects who come into contact with any of your marketing assets will be immediately interested and engrossed by the possibilities your organization could open up for them.

Maximizing ROI of Your Marketing Efforts

When it comes to determining whether or not a marketing campaign is effective, there’s one measure that’s king– return on investment. A high ROI indicates a highly successful campaign, while a low ROI indicates the opposite. 

Let’s return to the example of non-StoryBrand vs. StoryBrand marketing. With non-StoryBrand marketing, your message is far less personal and likely more focused on your organization than placing the student at the center, meaning the audience who sees your ads or social posts, is less likely to relate to what you have to say and therefore less likely to click and visit your program pages. And those that do get to you program pages are likely struggling to understand whether you get them and can really help them. 

However, utilizign the elements of story (while placing your audience in the role of the hero) in your marketing makes the audience care… because now it’s about them. So, no matter how big your ad spend budget it is, how many followers you have on Meta, or even how great your website looks, you’ll get more bang for your buck because the words are engaging more of your audience and leading more qualified prospects through your enrollment funnel.

Social Media Outreach

One of the most important parts of effective marketing is learning to meet your target audience where they are. You’re supposed to be the wise mentor helping the protagonist along their challenging journey, so finding you shouldn’t be a challenging journey in and of itself. That’s why it’s important to know your target audience, know who and what they listen to, and know where to find them.

Fortunately, life in the digital age has made doing this easier than ever before. As an institution of higher education, your primary target audience is most likely fresh or recent high school graduates who were born and have grown up in the era of social media, influencers, and short-form content. Thus, one of the best ways to reach them is through popular social media platforms like Instagram, Meta, and TikTok using popular figures and cultural phenomena that will appeal to a young adult audience. You can supplement this digital content with personalized nurture emails sent to interested students.

Of course, this can be tweaked if, for example, you’re promoting a continuing education program aimed at older adults, but the core principle remains the same– reach out to your audience in the places they frequent, and make sure they feel seen and heard through your marketing campaigns by implementing a marketing message that speaks to their goals and interests.

Helping Prospective Students Envision Their Future

One of the elements that makes using the StoryBrand framework so effective for higher education is that it helps your prospective students to envision a future at your institution. By helping them see themselves as a student at your institution, you allow them to imagine all the opportunities that will come during and after their time with you. Once they’ve seen all of the possibilities you have to offer, they’re much more likely to register with you, giving you the enrollment numbers you need going into the next semester. 

Using words (and even imagery) in your marketing materials to help students have a clearer vision of achieving their goals at your institution allows them to have effective conversations with counselors and academic advisors to create a plan that encompasses all of their needs and wants for their academic careers. Not only that, but the goals they have for life beyond the degree begin to feel more achievable, further encouraging them to enroll with your institution to achieve their dreams.

If you’d like to learn more about marketing frameworks, strategies, and tools that you can use to attract more students to your institution, we at Greenstone Media can help! You can visit our blog today to learn more about higher education marketing as a whole, or download our ebook that walks you through, in more detail, how to craft a story that engages and enrolls more students.