- Our Client: A Large Metro Detroit Public School District
- Strategic Focus: Integrated Enrollment Strategy, Channel Selection, & Operational Alignment
- Goal: 100 new enrollments
- Result: 135 new enrollments from 500+ total leads
The Challenge: Hyper-Local Relevance on a Budget
When we stepped in to direct the district’s enrollment marketing, we took full accountability for their goal of 100 new enrollments. We built a comprehensive strategic plan focused strictly on localized marketing and operational integration. As stewards of public resources, school leaders know that every dollar must be spent intentionally. Broad geographic targeting misses the community, so we directed marketing efforts precisely where they mattered most.
To make this strategy work, the targeting had to be hyper-local — drilling down to the exact zip codes and attendance areas where families were actively looking for options. We made the strategic decision to use clear, high-quality static image creative, proving we could drive real enrollment and maximize the budget without the slow turnaround and high cost of producing a library of video assets.
The Solution: Integrating the Pipeline
We designed and launched the targeted lead-generation strategy on Meta and Instagram using high-performing static image creative. We bypassed lengthy video production cycles to focus entirely on what would drive immediate, measurable outcomes for the district.
The engine of this campaign was our integration of the marketing function directly with the district’s registration desk. We served as the strategic connective tissue between digital outreach and physical enrollment:
Zip-code-level precision
We directed the targeting strategy, using real-time feedback from the enrollment desk to continually adjust which neighborhoods and attendance areas we prioritized.
Complete operational transparency
We established a shared tracking system to manage the pipeline daily. This ensured the district’s enrollment staff had real-time data to work with, keeping our marketing adjustments perfectly aligned with what the enrollment team was seeing on the ground, day by day.
The Results: Smashed Goals and Frictionless Enrollments
500+ total leads generated over the course of the campaign
135 new student enrollments — exceeding the goal by 35%
20 enrollments came entirely from text and email follow-up — families who preferred to enroll digitally and completed the process after receiving a direct link
Why It Worked: Speed and Persistence
Let’s be honest: enrollment is built on prompt, human follow-up.
While our channel strategy generated the lead volume, the enrollment desk converted those leads into registered students. Because we own the entire marketing-to-enrollment journey, we designed the follow-up process to ensure no lead was dropped. We structured the workflow for the district’s team, advising on how to approach busy parents thoughtfully.
“Generating over 500 leads gave us a strong foundation, and we built on that momentum by partnering directly with the district’s enrollment team to manage the entire family journey. By integrating automated email and text follow-ups with the team’s personal outreach, we gave busy parents clear, immediate paths to register, which directly secured 20 of our 135 total enrollments. When marketing and school leadership work hand-in-hand to support families from their first click to their first day of class, we create the kind of reliable experience that turns parent interest into actual enrollment.”
— Shelby Nork, Fractional CMO, Plum Good Marketing
We worked with the district to dedicate a team member to be the direct bridge. We mapped out her follow-up path: calling every lead quickly, and if they didn’t pick up, leaving a voicemail followed immediately by both a text and an email containing a direct link to enroll. This was designed to be highly respectful of parents’ busy schedules.
By respecting how parents prefer to communicate, this approach captured about 20 families who preferred to enroll on their own time, directly from their phones.
The takeaway: True marketing leadership owns the entire path to enrollment. When marketing, registration, and operations are fully integrated, the results speak for themselves.
If you’re ready to bring reliable, strategic marketing leadership to your organization, let’s talk.
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