Case Study: Driving 637+ Leads for University of Georgia Online Degree Programs

Orange 142 targets high-intent prospective students, driving hundreds of applications for the University of Georgia’s online graduate programs.

About the University of Georgia Online

The University of Georgia (UGA) Online offers a robust portfolio of fully online graduate degrees and certificate programs that are designed to fit the schedules of working professionals and other non‑traditional learners. These programs span multiple disciplines and credential levels, from career‑advancing master’s degrees to short, skills‑focused certificates that can be completed more quickly.

Each program is carefully positioned around a distinct audience segment, with different professional backgrounds, motivations, time frames, and admissions expectations. Adding to the complexity, some are designed for experienced practitioners seeking to build expertise or move into leadership roles. In contrast, others serve people considering a career switch who need foundational training and flexible pacing.

Programs also vary in length, start dates, and prerequisites, so prospective students can choose an option that aligns with their work commitments, prior education, and long‑term goals.

To recruit students for their program, the marketing team at UGA Online asked Orange 142 to run a multichannel online campaign. The team was impressed with Orange 142’s deep experience in higher education enrollment marketing, as well as its breadth of marketing services and media solutions.

The Challenge: Complex, Multi-Program Enrollment Marketing

Higher education enrollment marketing is inherently complex, especially when managing multiple programs at once. Consider the nine distinct online graduate programs promoted by the school:

• Master of Food Technology
• M.S. in Foods and Nutrition (Community Nutrition)
• Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership
• Master of Social Work
• Master of Music Education
• M.S. in Pharmacy (International Biomedical Regulatory Sciences)
• Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Media Writing
• Master of Science in Financial Planning
• Master of Science in Comparative Biomedical Sciences

A single enrollment campaign isn’t feasible. Each program required its own audience strategy, messaging and positioning, channel selection, targeting criteria, and enrollment timing and deadlines.

The marketing team didn’t want this campaign to generate only website traffic. They wanted qualified leads with a higher likelihood of submitting an enrollment application.

"The market for online graduate programs is highly competitive. Orange 142 has helped us reach potential applicants for our unique programs through highly targeted, data-driven digital marketing."

Nancy Byron
Online Learning

The Solution: Higher Education Enrollment Marketing Strategy

Orange 142 developed a coordinated approach designed specifically for higher education enrollment marketing, combining audience strategy, paid social media, PPC/paid search and ongoing optimization.

Program-Specific Audience Strategy

Rather than applying a single approach across all programs, Orange 142 built distinct audience strategies for each degree program.

The team identified prospective students based on behavioral signals, such as search activity, content engagement, and expressed interest in relevant subject areas. Campaigns were continuously refined based on performance data to focus on users most likely to apply.

This ensured that messaging and targeting aligned with the field of interest for each audience, e.g. social work, music education, or narrative media writing.

Paid Social Media and Lead Generation

Social media isn’t where most people start a formal search for a degree, but it is where they discover new possibilities. Orange 142 used paid social media to introduce programs to potential students who weren’t actively searching but were open to exploring new career paths.

Orange 142 used Facebook lead-generation campaigns to capture prospective students' information directly on the platform. This made it easy for users to express interest without leaving the app. By reducing friction, Orange 142 increased lead volume.

Paid Search

Some prospective students were already searching for online degree programs. To capture that demand, Orange 142 built paid search campaigns that matched keywords to specific programs.

Programmatic Display & Remarketing

Many prospective students didn’t apply on their first interaction with a brand or visit to the UGA Online website. Orange 142 leveraged programmatic display and remarketing to bring those users back, showing them the specific programs they had already explored and giving them another chance to take the next step.

This funnel-funnel approach succeeded because it matched the challenge's complexity. For instance, each program had its own audience and strategy, while paid social, search, and retargeting worked together to create multiple opportunities for engagement and conversion.

Results: Strong Multi-Program Lead Generation

Across all nine programs, the campaign delivered a strong performance:

• 637+ leads and conversions generated
• 0.62% CTR, exceeding typical higher education benchmarks
• Top-performing campaigns reached 12.06% CTR

These results demonstrate the effectiveness of a tailored, multi-program approach to higher

education enrollment marketing.

To learn more about the success of the UGA Online degree programs or to see how Orange 142 can assist with your online marketing activations, contact us today.