Director of Sales & Marketing Paula French, Digital Advertising Manager Jeanne Lobman, and Co-Founder and CEO Will Scott represented Search Influence at the 33rd Annual UPCEA Marketing, Enrollment Management, and Student Success (MEMS) Conference in Philadelphia.
The Search Influence team made a splash at our third appearance at the higher education marketing, enrollment, and student success conference.
Paula introduced a Breakfast Briefing and led two insightful sessions on higher education SEO and higher education marketing metrics. Will and Jeanne connected with attendees at our booth and showed them how to use SEO to attract modern learners into 2025 and beyond.
Paula French’s Higher Education SEO Sessions
Practical Magic: How to Navigate 2025 SEO Trends
In her first session, Practical Magic: How to Navigate 2025 SEO Trends, Search Influence’s Director of Sales and Marketing discussed the evolution of search behavior — specifically Google’s AI Overviews and the evolution of social search.
Attendees walked away from this quickfire 10-minute session with practical strategies to implement to conquer these trends and future-proof their SEO strategy to attract more students through the enrollment funnel.
Visibility is Vital: Maximize Enrollment by Tracking Marketing Metrics
In Paula’s second session, Visibility is Vital: Maximize Enrollment by Tracking Marketing Metrics, the higher ed marketing expert co-presented a 30-minute roundtable discussion with UPCEA’s Senior Director of Research and Consulting Bruce Etter.
This session provided an overview the key findings of UPCEA and Search Influence’s Higher Ed Marketing Metrics Research Study, highlighting one shocking finding in particular: The majority of professional and online education schools don’t track critical marketing metrics.
Paula and Bruce discussed how marketers who don’t track key metrics, like higher education cost per inquiry (CPI) and cost per enrolled student, risk:
- Poor campaign performance
- Wasted budget
- Reduced lead quality
The session also showed attendees how they can use these key higher education marketing metrics to:
- Optimize campaigns
- Maximize budget allocation
- Improve conversions
The session showed how to boost adult learner enrollment by tracking the right costs.
Driving Engagement: Marketing Strategies for Online Learning
For Paula’s third presentation, she moderated Driving Engagement: Marketing Strategies for Online Learning.
This session, presented by Auris Calvino and Cari Gold of The University of Texas at San Antonio, explored how UTSA Online’s multifaceted content strategy drives student attraction, engagement, and retention.
At the Search Influence Booth
Search Influence Digital Advertising Manager Jeanne Lobman and CEO & Co-Founder Will Scott joined Paula French to host the Search Influence booth.
Jeanne recently presented her own session, Integrating SEO and Paid Search Strategies, at Pubcon 2024 in Las Vegas.
Will is a recognized digital marketing leader who regularly presents and writes about the industry.
Take our higher education SEO Quiz
Booth visitors could take our new Higher Ed SEO In-House vs. Outsourcing Quiz, specifically designed for higher education marketers.
This quiz provides personalized higher education marketing recommendations based on user input, categorizing them as “Outsourcing Whiz,” “In-House Hero,” or “Hybrid Hotshot.”
In just minutes, you’ll be equipped with tailored insights to optimize your resources and make informed staffing choices, ultimately boosting your SEO strategy and student recruitment efforts.
After taking the quiz, booth visitors received personalized feedback and recommendations from our experienced team about their current digital marketing approach.
About MEMS
UPCEA MEMS is the premier conference for online and continuing education marketers and enrollment managers worldwide.
Held annually for over 30 years, MEMS offers strategically focused presentations and sessions that cover the tactical components of higher education marketing and enrollment management.
Boost Your Higher Education Marketing Strategy With Search Influence
Whether speaking at conferences or providing ROI-focused digital marketing services, Search Influence is dedicated to helping higher ed institutions meet their enrollment goals.
Ready to get started?
Take our SEO In-House vs. Outsourcing Quiz to learn whether working with a higher education digital marketing agency is right for you.
Download our Higher Education Marketing Metrics Research Study for tangible insights from Paula’s presentation and to learn more about the power of cost per inquiry and cost per enrolled student.
