Running head: DIGITAL MKTG RECOMMENDATION: FDU ONLINE MBA PROGRAM 1
Digital MKTG Recommendation: FDU Online MBA Program
Ashley Kiczek
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Author Note
Ashley Kiczek, Marketing Graduate, Fairleigh Dickinson University.
This research was conducted for the MKTG_6111_82D class at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Contact: Kiczek@student.fdu.edu
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this proposal is to provide an overview of FDU’s online MBA program’s
current marketing efforts and recommendations on how they can increase enrollment through
new marketing initiatives and campaigns. FDU wants to increase enrollment by 5% while still
maintaining a flat budget. Therefore, the goal of this campaign is conversion; alongside,
increasing brand awareness and engagement. The FDU online MBA program is unique in that it
is offered 100% online. The central theme of the new marketing campaign is “Preparing
students to succeed in the business world.” The first section of this analysis looks into the
buyer persona of the FDU online MBA. Personal experience and research on the demographic,
geographic, and psychographic factors that make up the buyer persona will be provided. This
buyer persona of the “young professional” will be used as the target market for the campaign.
The second section gives an overview of FDU’s current content strategy regarding its website
and social media platforms. FDU’s website can be improved by continuously updating its
blogging efforts and providing a clear CTA. The proposal looks into the current social platforms
that FDU Silberman graduates employ, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and
gives recommendations on improving them. There are also several new social media platforms
for FDU to have a presence on, such as Pinterest, Quora, and Tik Tok. The proposal provides
insight into why FDU should have a profile on these sites.
Further, the third section conducts a competitive analysis of the search (SEO/SEM)
efforts of Montclair University and contrasts them to FDU. Subsequently, based on research,
experience, and competitive analysis, recommendations are provided on how FDU can update its
efforts on this channel. These recommendations include publishing quality content, increasing
page speed to improve FDU’s google ranking, and creating a search ad for just the Online MBA.
The fourth section conducts a competitive analysis of Montclair’s email strategy. The fifth
section is for a new channel & opportunity for FDU: programmatic. Programmatic advertising is
a technological marketing solution that automates the buying and selling of digital ads. Overall,
there are several opportunities for FDU to achieve its goal of increasing enrollment.
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Digital MKTG Recommendation: FDU Online MBA Program
Fairleigh Dickinson University was founded in 1942 by Dr. Peter Sammartino and his
wife, Sylvia (Sally), and it has grown into one of the top 5 largest private universities in New
Jersey. As emphasized in the mission of the University, “FDU is a center of academic excellence
devoted to the preparation of world citizens through global education” (FDU, n.d.). Today, more
than 11,000 students from over 30 states and more than 70 countries are enrolled on the
University’s two campuses in northern New Jersey and its international campuses in Wroxton,
England, and Vancouver, Canada (FDU, n.d.).
Buyer Persona
Personal Experience
Committing to an MBA program is a big commitment and decision for any student. For
me, it was challenging. I went to school at Fairleigh Dickinson, majoring in marketing and
minoring in finance, and I am 22 years old. I lived in Cliffside Park, NJ, my entire life and came
from a Polish/El Salvadorian background. I decided to go to Fairleigh Dickison because I liked
the program, it was close to home, and I received almost a full-ride scholarship. My parents
graduated from college with many student loans, so when I graduated college, I wanted to do it
as close to debt-free as possible. After my undergraduate studies were completed, I knew I
wanted to pursue an advanced degree, but where was the question?
In my junior year of college, I heard about the 4+1 program and that you could take
several grad courses as a senior. I thought that this was not only cost-effective, but it would also
be convenient if I wanted to work during my MBA time. Having the ability to have an internship
or a job while being in school is crucial because it helps me gain real-life experience in my field.
During my senior year, another school I applied to and got in was the marketing analytic master
program at the University of Rochester. Therefore, I had to decide between the two. The primary
reason I chose FDU instead was that I had already completed many of the grad courses needed,
the schedule was more flexible, allowing me to continue my work, I knew many of the
professors and students in the program, and I liked that I was getting an MBA rather than a
masters. Also, I applied for a graduate assistant position at FDU. The process was
straightforward, and I was recommended by a former professor, allowing me to cover most of
my tuition for grad school and gain more experience. The helpful career service center at FDU
was another benefit I considered. Overall, I am pleased with my decision and glad I chose FDU
as my college.
Buyer Persona of the Online FDU MBA Program
59% of the enrolled exclusively online are Graduate students, and this figure represents
only around ~4% of the total population at FDU (CTC, n.d.). Fairleigh Dickinson prides itself as
a global university, and I can confirm this by the vast number of international students I have met
and became friends with through FDU. Regarding geographic factors, 66.7% of students live in
NJ or near campus like me, 31.6% live in other states, and 1.7% live outside the country (CTC,
n.d.). See Appendix 1 for the full breakdown. Demographics is another crucial indicator of the
type of FDU “consumer.” While the online MBA program data, specifically, was not available,
the demographic information on full-time graduate students at FDU will be a good starting point
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for an estimate. At FDU, there are more women enrolled as full-time graduate students. ~56%
are women, and ~44% are men (College Factual, n.d.). Concerning racial-ethnic background,
there are students from all ethnicities attending a graduate program at FDU. 46% come from a
White background, 21% are International, 13.6% are Hispanic, 7.3% are Black or African
American, and 5% are Asian (College Factual, n.d.). See Appendix 2. The majority of FDU
students are over 30 at ~57% of the graduate student population. 25% are between 25 and 29,
and only ~15% are between 22 and 24 (CTC, n.d.).
In terms of psychographic data, it will be based on personal experience with MBA
students at FDU. For lifestyles, the majority who chose a fully online MBA program are
currently working and are young professionals. Therefore, they are navigating to achieving an
advanced degree, working, and maintaining a social/personal life. For the online program, some
of the students may also be veterans, because FDU is a proud member of the GI Bill® Yellow
Ribbon Program, “which allows a 100 percent eligible veteran to attend an FDU undergraduate,
graduate, or certificate program at no cost” (Online.fdu.edu, n.d.) Motivations for attending FDU
may vary but would largely include the cost, flexibility, convenience, and the program itself in
terms of faculty and curriculum. Utilizing these factors, personal experience, and buyer persona
will aid in providing recommendations for FDU to increase enrollment.
Content
This section will go in-depth on FDU’s current content strategy and provide recommendations.
Website
Current Practice
FDU has its own website Online.fdu.edu that provides prospective students with
information on the different programs and a way to apply. At the top of all the pages, FDU has a
number to call regarding information, a way to go to the main FDU website and webcampus, and
an “apply now” button. The phone number is beneficial for students who would rather call and
learn about the program instead of navigating the website.
The homepage banner’s hero image showcases a female student working online of
similar age to the buyer persona for FDU. See Appendix 3. The banner’s call to action is
“Reserve your place at FDU today,” and the prospect is encouraged to view all start dates. The
homepage also has more information, statistics, accreditations, and FAQs, all educating
prospects on why they should choose FDU. The website has many pages, and the main ones
featured include Admissions, Tuition & Aid, About, Resources, a page for each of the online
programs, a page for military and transfer students, and the Apply now page. The website also
has a “chat now” feature that makes it easier and encourages them to ask questions.
The online MBA page gives an overview of the program in terms of cost, benefits, and
the length of the MBA, 21 months. The page lists in bullets several of the great attributes of the
program, such as “innovation,” “fostering value creation in an organization,” “Globally-minded
business practices,” and “Navigating organizations through times of change.” All of these
attributes are highly beneficial, especially in today’s current work landscape. The resource
section has blog posts, but it has not been frequently updated, with only one in 2021 and 2020.
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Recommendations/Update
There are several ways that FDU can improve its website without increasing the cost. All
of the recommendations that I propose consider FDU’s buyer persona of the young professional
and budget for the online program.
1. To increase enrollment by 5%, FDU needs to have a clear call to action on its page. The
“Get started” banner at the header is very clear and distinguishable. However, the get
started button takes prospects to the “request more info” form instead of the application
like the Apply now button does. I would recommend adding the “Apply now” button
closer to above the fold since it may lead to more conversions based on my experience in
building websites for brands. Alternatively, Online FDU could implement a welcome
gate with an Apply now CTA, potentially leading to a 10 – 25% conversion rate
(Protocol, 2020).
2. Similar to Montclair University, adding social handles to the website footer and header
will help increase FDU’s reach and awareness, gain more traffic to their social platforms,
and improve the UX. See Appendix 4.
3. Another recommendation for FDU would be to expand its blogging efforts. While they
have a blog, since it has generally been inactive, and the content is not always that
relevant. It would be beneficial for FDU in driving traffic and potentially useful for their
SEO efforts. The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy for 2021 video by Brian Dean
provided some valuable tips in creating a blog, such as using examples, ensuring quality
in the images and UX for the post, and posting content that its target market will be
interested in. For FDU, blogs showcasing alumni or current students in the program,
asking them how FDU helped them as professionals or why they chose the program is a
great way to showcase prospects how FDU does help their students “succeed in the
business world.” Also, other blog posts can include infographics, tips, and tricks on
studying, acing an interview, etc. See an example of two blog post titles that I configured
for this proposal.
4. One of the most important things when having a website is measuring its success. FDU
should decide on quantifiable, measurable, and actionable KPIs aligned with the goal of
having the website. For example, if FDU’s primary reasoning for the website is brand
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awareness, a few KPIs that they should keep track of would include Avg. Pages per
session, # of unique visitors, and form submissions.
5. Also, increased visuals of students in the form of Gifs, videos, and images will resonate
with the target audience. Web visitors “only read 20% of the text on the page, and the eye
tends to gaze on images more than text” (Seward, n.d.). Currently, the Online FDU
website has lots of text and would benefit from increasing visual content other than the
hero image.
Online FDU is a strong website, but there are some recommendations that would enhance the
UX.
Content/Social Media
Current Practice
FDU has many social accounts on a variety of topics, such as @FDUWhatsNew or
@fduknightsathletics. However, it does not have any social media handles that strictly relate to
its online programs. For this project, since we are focusing on increasing enrollment to the
Online MBA, we will look and discuss the profiles for the FDU Silberman College of Business
Graduate Programs @fduscbgrad. They have a Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram
account on the handle, and all four platforms post a relatively consistent message and content.
They post mostly professional photos of the students/campus, stock images, and sometimes
videos. The following on these accounts are not as significant as other FDU profiles. On
Facebook, they have 55 likes; they post consistently but get relatively low likes and share rates.
See Appendix 5. On Instagram, see appendix 6; they have over 700 followers and an average of
20 likes per post. On Twitter, they have a more considerable following of over 1000 followers
and post the same content from their other platforms; see Appendix 6. On LinkedIn, see
Appendix 7; they only have 200 followers.
Recommendations/Update
Based on FDU’s current practices, research, and professional experience, there are a few
recommendations and new social/digital channels that FDU can implement. Since FDU has a
fixed budget for this project, I will recommend improving their organic reach and content among
existing social channels with only some paid opportunities. Another recommendation would be
to utilize the platform Social Wall, which was touched on in a previous assignment. Social Wall
could be really beneficial for FDU to gather user-generated content from students and alumni.
Social wall has a free version of the platform that would allow FDU to build one wall that takes
content from one platform, which could be Instagram, in which most students have an account
(Social wall, n.d.).
Facebook and Instagram
Currently, FDU Silberman Grad posts many stock images or professional shots on all
their social platforms FDU. While this is fine, it is also a best practice to utilize user-generated
content, as @FDUWhatsnew does. User-generated content “created by your target audience can
help other potential customers see themselves in those creative assets…and it will help build trust
in your brand, drive more engagement, and ultimately, help your bottom line” (DeFazio, 2020).
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FDU can share blog posts and testimonials/reviews on their platforms that all stress the important
message on how they help students succeed in the business world. I would highlight the students
and alumni of the program and what careers they are working on currently. I would also post
using various features and content formats, such as using Instagram and Facebook Stories and
posting videos and Instagram Reels. Reels would be a great way for FDU to expand its reach,
spread awareness, and potentially increase engagement and followers. I attached here two
examples of creative I would consider for FDU. The first is a static image that can be cross-
promoted on any platform that focuses on utilizing the brand image of FDU with the campaign
