The Challenge
Although the university offered strong online programs, many prospective students didn’t realize they could enroll from anywhere. Competition from online-first institutions added additional pressure, making it difficult to differentiate in new geographic markets.
Solution
Stream Companies activated the Integrated Marketing Cloud (IMC) to solve these challenges.
The Goal:
- Identify the real households behind anonymous website traffic.
- Understand behaviors throughout the enrollment journey.
- Increase meaningful actions across “Get Started,” “Register,” and “Apply” moments.
- Scale reach without sacrificing relevance, compliance, or efficiency.
Tactics Used:
Stream used the Integrated Marketing Cloud to transform anonymous digital behavior into verified household insights. By emphasizing the flexibility of the university’s online programs, the campaign eliminated assumptions about geographic limitations and created a wider, more action-ready enrollment audience.
ShopperSuite: First-Party Website Audience Generation
ShopperSuite identified unconverted website visitors and matched them to verified, geo-addressable households. This revealed high-intent prospects outside the university’s traditional DMA and created a compliant, scalable first-party database. It also made it possible to scale reach without sacrificing relevance or compliance.
Journey Segments: Household-Level Behavioral Intelligence
Journey Segments provided visibility into how verified households engaged across stages, such as:
- “Get Started”
- “Register”
- “Explore Programs”
- “Apply”
By connecting household-level signals to real-time performance, the university could measure return on ad spend (ROAS), prioritize next-step audiences, and optimize its media mix throughout the campaign.
Smart Mail: Triggered, Personalized Direct Mail
When a household demonstrated interest in a specific program area, Smart Mail delivered a personalized piece directly to their home. Each mailer reflected current digital behavior, keeping the university top-of-mind for adult learners evaluating remote degree options.
Display Advertising: Reinforcing Messaging Across Devices
Geo-addressable display campaigns extended the university’s reach beyond its DMA and kept messaging aligned with each prospect’s stage and intent. Real-time signals from the IMC ensured ads remained relevant and consistent throughout the enrollment journey.
The Impact
By combining Stream Companies’ strategic approach with the identity resolution and behavioral intelligence of the Integrated Marketing Cloud, powered by fullthrottle.ai™, the university overcame geographic barriers and activated entirely new pockets of enrollment opportunity.
The result: more verified households, more meaningful engagement, and stronger application momentum, all driven by first-party data and a fully connected activation platform.
Results
In the first quarter of activation, the IMC generated measurable, sustained lift:
Additionally, returning website traffic tripled. This rise in verified engagement directly supported application growth and long-term enrollment momentum.