CASE STUDY: University of Georgia Visitors Center

CASE Circle of Excellence Award
Strategic Communications / Communications Program Improvements

BACKGROUND:
In 2017, with over 30,000 campus tour requests each year and an aging visitors center, I led the creative team in partnering with the staff of the visitors center and the admissions staff to overhaul the campus visit experience. In order to continue to inspire high-achieving students to apply to the University of Georgia and to communicate the distinct opportunities and value a University of Georgia education offers, my team set out to create a more optimized and immersive visitor experience for prospective students and their families. 

OPPORTUNITY:

  • The visitors center, long overdue for a refresh, would be renovated to make room for twice the number of tour participants and the addition of an office for the admission counselor. 

  • Streamline the campus tour experience for each audience.

  • Create an easy-to-navigate and welcoming online experience for all guests that integrates key brand and key admissions marketing messages as well as local information essential to travel planning.

  • Share key brand messages of the University of Georgia with campus visitors.

SOLUTION: 

Physical Space: In redesigning the campus visit experience my team provided opportunities to create new avenues of communication, align our messages and transform a built environment into an immersive journey for the prospective student and their family. 

We knew from surveys that prospective students and their families wanted more information about life on campus. We were able to provide more in-depth information using iPads set in kiosk mode pointing to our housing, dining, health, recreation and student affairs sites. 

We wanted prospective students to emotionally connect with the university and easily see themselves here and come away excited about what this university has to offer. We hoped the displays would begin conversations of possibilities. 

Digital Space: We completely redesigned the website to make it easy to navigate and welcoming. If visitors couldn’t come to campus in person we wanted the online experience to be just as dynamic. What we did:

  • Segmented audiences and partnered with specific groups on campus to create custom experiences for each audience.

  • Partnered with admissions staff to improve registration process and streamline the path from the visitors center site to the registration form.

  • Created new integrated collateral materials for download.

  • Used copy, images and design elements reflecting the master brand.

  • Created an engaging student hosted digital video tour.

RESULTS:

  • 44,000 guests for the student-led tour experience, a 30% growth from the previous year. 

  • 35% increase in registration clicks to schedule a tour.

  • 3.3% increase in page sessions.

  • 18% decrease in bounce rates.

TODAY