Landmark College has become a “first choice” for more and more students as well as parents.
Landmark College
Scope of Services:
Landmark College is the nation’s premier two-year college for students with learning disabilities and AD/HD, and eight out of every 10 of its graduates go on to successfully earn their bachelor’s degrees at top institutions nationwide. With a current tuition, room and board fee of nearly $52,000, it is also one of America’s most expensive schools to attend — a barrier further heightened by its remote location in Putney, Vermont, and a tuition-discount rate of less than 10 percent.
A to Z Communications and our strategic partner, Kukovich & Associates, were brought to Vermont by the former dean of enrollment at The Catholic University of America. Her confidence in our work at CUA led her to believe we could have a similar impact for her in her position at Landmark.
We’ve been privileged to be associated with the faculty, staff and students at Landmark since 2000. The initial marketing challenges were considerable: a limited budget with a need for national impact; low public recognition; and a recruitment marketing model that defied conventional approaches, where the “sell” (from point of inquiry to enrollment) historically had been to parents.
Our strategy was to develop materials designed to speak to a broader range of decision makers — from guidance counselors and educational consultants — and to the prospective student as well. Materials are modest, but to-the-point. The message focuses on the transformational power of a Landmark education. Our theme — Take a Different Path to the Top — gives a powerful and positive message of empowerment and direction to prospective students and their families, most of whom have been let down and frustrated by traditional learning settings.
In addition to recruitment materials, we have worked with Landmark to use its limited dollars to build awareness among key markets, including bus sponsorships at national conventions like the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). While our primary focus is on recruiting traditional high school students, we have created all the materials for its most important “feeder” programs— its Summer Sessions for High School and College Students, and its Bridge Program for currently enrolled college students who need additional support. We also have helped begin the branding of the Landmark College Institute for Research & Training (LCIRT) to create national awareness among educators.
Results:
Landmark credits our work as a critical factor in its ability to consistently make (and often surpass) its targets for its regular fall, Bridge semester and summer program enrollments. In addition to increased enrollments, the College has become a “first choice” for more and more students as well as parents.
