Amplifying the Illinois Story
StratCom partners with colleges and units across campus to develop strategic, integrated communications and marketing plans that support Illinois’ initiatives and mission. The Marketing and Media Management team leads best practices to help you amplify your goals across platforms and provide you resources that can help you connect with the Illinois community, no matter where they are.
What We Do
- Enhance the Illinois brand reputation through cohesive, integrated campaigns.
- Formulate actionable marketing and messaging strategies grounded in research findings.
- Collaborate with campus partners to understand unit needs and devise and implement strategic plans to achieve objectives.
- Create and implement enrollment marketing strategies and tactics to drive admissions.
Services and Consultation
Marketing Strategy Consultation
Our team offers marketing strategy and consultation services to the campus community. From planning advertising mixes to advising on email campaigns, social media strategies and web content plans, we address all facets of marketing. Our team provides guidance, constructive feedback and valuable connections.
Our Expertise
- Develop a strategic marketing plan
- Provide brand and marketing consultation
- Advise on advertising mix planning
- Provide strategies on email campaigns
- Advise on content marketing
- Connect creative and web strategies to campus-wide and industry best practices
Resources
Paid Marketing, Media Buying and Analytics
Our team spearheads the university’s utilization of paid media, email marketing and marketing analytics. By leveraging technologies like CRM/Slate software, we gain real-time insights into trends and the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns.
Our Expertise
- Media Planning and Buying: Strategically plan, secure and oversee paid media to drive marketing objectives and support the university’s marketing goals.
- Marketing Insights and Analytics: Offer data-driven insights from digital marketing efforts, spanning web, email, paid media and other marketing data sources, facilitating informed decisions for marketing investments.
- CRM/Slate Consulting: Using the university’s customer relationship management (CRM) system, our team consults on the strategy to create cohesive, tailored constituent experiences. We equip units with templates, training and guidance to nurture prospects, manage events and enhance communications across email journeys and SMS.
Media Planning and Buying
The StratCom marketing and media management team is your partner in bringing the Illinois story to life on a variety of platforms. From modest budgets to grand endeavors, we’re here to empower your unit’s paid marketing campaigns.
Our expertise spans across a wide array of platforms, including Google Search, Google Display, Google Performance Max, YouTube, Facebook/Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Demand-Side Platform,which encompasses display, streaming audio, streaming video and Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising.
Work With Us
To start your digital campaign journey, we simply need you complete our Intake Form.
Things you should consider before completing the form:
- Budget: Let us know your resources, and we’ll craft a strategy that maximizes your ROI.
- Timeline: Share your deadlines, and we’ll ensure everything runs on time. Once we have the required details and materials finalized, there will be a two-week turnaround to build or make edits to your campaign.
- Target Audience: Who are you looking to reach? We can help identify your audience.
- Creative Components: Depending on your chosen tactics, we’ll need text, static images, videos or audio that resonate with your audience.
- Landing Page: A well-crafted landing page is important for guiding your audience.
Resources
- FPD list format recommendations
- Example value based audience file
- Geotargeting Template
- Landing Page Best Practices
Marketing Insights and Analytics
With a keen focus on harnessing data from an array of marketing sources – spanning web analytics, email campaigns, digital marketing endeavors and various advertising platforms – we are committed to guiding informed decision-making across every facet of our marketing landscape.
Our Expertise
- Digital marketing performance evaluation
- Email campaign analysis
- Web analytics and reporting
- Audience segmentation and targeting strategies
- A/B testing and experimentation
- Data visualization and dashboard development
- Audience research and competitive analysis consulting
Resources
- Introduction to Website Tags and GTM Implementation Guide
- Meta Pixel Creation and Installation
- Adding UTM codes to your URL
- Sample campaign recap report
CRM Consulting
Illinois employs the Slate customer relationship management (CRM) platform for recruitment and enrollment management purposes. Our team offers consultation services to academic units interested in utilizing the platform and provides guidance on best practices for student journey prospect nurturing, offering templates and delivering training sessions.
To start using Slate as your CRM platform, complete our Slate Setup Requirement Form.
Our Expertise
- Engage More Students: Start building your first-party data lists by using Slate to capture prospective student interest.
- Personalized Communication: Nurture prospective students at every step of their journey with customized, automated messaging at scale.
- Marketing ROI: CRM analytics and source attribution enable you to track students across their journey to the point of enrollment.
Resources
- Drip Campaign Email Best Practices
- Drip and Ad Hoc Email Templates
- Copying an email in Slate to create a new email
- Sending an email in Slate
- Emojis in Emails and Text (SMS) Messages
- Text Messaging (SMS)
- Mobile SMS Inbox
- Assign Person record to inbox messages
- Using the Slate program inbox
- Event Communication Templates
- Event Creation Instructions
Slate Emails
Slate Text Messaging
Slate Inbox
Slate Events and Event Communications
Program, Brand, Marketing and Audience Research
We conduct in-depth research to stay abreast of higher education trends and innovations. This includes proactive market analysis of student demographics, recruitment strategies and emerging trends. We also collaborate closely with units to assess program viability and labor market demand, informing our educational portfolio.
Our Expertise
- Quick Access to Data: We can provide access to labor market stats, demographic profiles, competitive landscape data and more through tools such as Lightcast.
- Market Research: Partner with us to evaluate academic programs for potential launch or expansion, analyze non-degree markets, shape online strategies and more.
- Advising: We offer a consultative approach to understanding today’s students and families to develop your most effective enrollment and marketing plans.
Resources
- Audience Insights: Explore reports from our research partners that provide insights into the decision-making process across audiences.
- Admitted Student 2025 Trend Report
- Online Market Sizing and Forecasting Master’s Programs
- Prospective Parent Research 2025 Insights Report
- 2025 Bachelor’s Market Update: A Focus on Outcomes
- Online Market Sizing and Forecasting Doctoral Programs
- CHLOE 10 — Navigating Growth, Competition and AI in Online Higher Education 2025
- Engaging the Modern Learner
- 2025 Landscape of Higher Education
- Marketing and Enrollment Management Benchmarks 2025
- UPCEA+Education Dynamics Marketing and Enrollment Management AI Readiness Report 2025
- Enrollment Management Maturity Model 2.0: A Framework for the Future
- Custom Research: Illinois marketers and communicators can check out some of the tailored research that is guiding our strategies at Illinois.
Work With Us
To work with the Marketing and Media Management team, please fill out the intake form. Tell us as much as possible about your request, and someone will be in touch to discuss your needs.