Fall Marketing Campaign Highlights

The focus of the fall marketing campaign was on driving applications to Buffalo State and increasing brand awareness within our key audiences. The approach in the spring has shifted to a yield campaign, aiming to convert applicants into Buffalo State students.

A goal of the fall Apply and Branding campaign, which ran September through December, was to continue the momentum from the previous year in which Buffalo State received a record-breaking 27,000-plus applications, eventually resulting in a 3.7% increase in freshman enrollment for Fall 2025. Applications this fall were up 3.5% over a year ago across freshmen, transfer and graduate.

Three themes guided our messaging and storytelling during the fall campaign. Faculty mentorship and student support are what set us apart. Affordability highlights the value of a Buffalo State degree and the pathways that keep education accessible. Career outcomes emphasize the return on investment—showcasing hands-on learning, industry connections and clear routes to employment.

Our campaigns were tightly focused on clearly defined audiences. Our primary audiences were prospective high school students, especially juniors and seniors. Our secondary audience was parents and guardians of high school students—key decision-makers in the enrollment journey.

To reach these core groups, we utilized a variety of parameters, including custom lists provided by Enrollment Management, data matching and interest-based targeting. In addition, we also used look-alike audiences to reach students and families who shared similar behaviors and interests with our known prospects.

Geographically, our campaigns ran across New York State, with a primary focus on Western New York, the Rochester/Genesee County area and select downstate regions where we see the strongest potential for growth.

This work represents our most dedicated and coordinated digital marketing effort to date, using a full mix of placements and tactics: paid search, Google Performance Max, native advertising, paid social media, streaming video/connected TV advertising, billboards and more. Within these channels, ads took multiple formats including static, carousel, animated and video. The tactics were fluid, with adjustments being made throughout to optimize our efforts based on data.

Together, the multiple channels work in concert to keep Buffalo State top of mind for the prospective students and families most likely to apply, visit and enroll. These efforts combined for 1,399 conversions during the fall campaign.

Faculty–student mentorship storytelling within the Apply and Branding campaign performed strongly, with mentorship- and support-focused assets appearing among the top-performing ads on Meta, Snapchat, Performance Max and connected TV.

Affordability and scholarship-focused messaging were efficient, with Performance Max and native ads consistently delivering the highest conversion volume at the lowest cost per acquisition in the Apply and Branding campaign.

Career and alumni outcomes storytelling gained traction across channels in both the Apply and Branding campaign, as well as undergraduate program-specific campaigns. Outcomes-focused assets on Performance Max and native highlighted clear post-graduation pathways, hiring stats and top companies, often through testimonials.

The Open House campaign generated 195 total conversions. There were 1,084 students who registered for the two fall Open Houses.

This campaign was led by high-performing native display units in Buffalo and Western New York, supported by Meta and Snapchat placements that broadened reach with both prospective students and families.

Open House digital billboards and other out-of-home placements, including on NFTA Metro buses, were also part of this campaign. Billboards delivered 3,189,058 impressions this cycle.

The undergraduate program-specific campaign—featuring Education, Business, Applied Psychology, and Engineering Technology—delivered 976 conversions, most successfully from Google Performance Max (691 conversions). Native and connected TV extended this campaign’s reach with strong completion rates.

Total sessions on program landing pages generated by the campaign included 26,266 for Education, 20,446 for Applied Psychology, 12,529 for Business and 7,632 for Engineering Technology.

To date, applications for Engineering Technology are up 11.2% over last year, Education applications are up 58.0% and Applied Psychology applications are up 36.9%. Changes to Business admissions requirements make a year-over-year comparison more challenging, but there are 3,000-plus applications to date.

The programs for this campaign were identified by a collaboration of leadership from Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, the President's Office and Institutional Advancement, based on numerous key performance indicators over the previous five years. Paid campaigns are just one method for program promotion; a broader strategy also includes website, content and organic outreach.

A wide range of branded print marketing collateral was developed and produced for fall distribution to prospective students and their families. Items were delivered at face-to-face recruitment events and sent through direct mail campaigns. Printed items (and quantities) included, but were not limited to, First-Year Student Brochure (13K), Transfer Student Brochure (1K), Fast Facts Card/Bengal Head (10K), Fast Facts/Overview Flyer (1K), Visit Postcard (5K), Acceptance Package (25.5K), Residence Life Brochure (25.5K), Fall Open House Invitation (2.5K), and Fall Open House Program (1K).