New Marketing and Recruiting Initiatives at BU
Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Elei Haynes.
Over the past few months Bluefield University has been implementing new initiatives for recruiting students. During the summer, Bluefield’s marketing team launched the Discover Bluefield Initiative, which provides an open invitation for anyone who wants to visit campus, get connected with the admissions staff, and learn more about the program they are interested in.
“We’ve really focused this year on being more personal and intentional in how we reach students,” said Travis Roberts, vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “This allows them to experience Bluefield for themselves instead of just hearing about it. Our counselors are also back on the road, visiting schools and attending college fairs across the region.”
BU is also working with Vigeo Solutions on redesigning the university website, which they hope will provide a smooth experience for potential students who want to learn more about Bluefield. In addition, BU’s team has been working with photographer Trevor Hager to create new stock images and videos for recruiting efforts.
“I’ve also been covering events and trying to make sure that we have a wide variety of content we can post on the website that really showcases what the campus community does and the kind of culture we have on campus,” said Daniel Mullins, director of public relations at BU.
“On the marketing side, we’re doing a better job of meeting students and parents where they are,” Roberts said. “That includes more targeted digital ads, direct mail pieces that actually land in their hands, and email campaigns that keep them connected from the first inquiry through enrollment. It’s about staying visible and genuine.”
One aspect of Daniel Mullins’ job is creating announcements for the digital boards across campus and making sure that students know about events, different ways they can get involved, or things that are being offered to them.
“I think that’s an important part of building a campus culture that people want to join and people want to stay in is creating opportunities for people to be involved and just making sure that they know those opportunities are available,” Mullins said.
Mullins has three student workers from the Communication program — Erin Bowers, Elle Gunter, and John Thompson — who he said have been very “helpful in capturing the essence of the campus and getting a student perspective” through photography and through content creation into the university’s current website redesign and BU’s social media platforms.
Mullins also said that BU is putting a greater emphasis on marketing with video, saying that video “captures attention.” He said that he would like to see that continue both on campus and especially on social media.
The new marketing initiatives have made quite an impact on the school. According to Roberts, this year’s incoming class of 235 new students has been one of the school’s strongest in a long time, including more transfers and non-athletes than the school has seen in years.
”That tells me the message is working,” Roberts said. He also said that partnerships have been growing and that they have been putting more energy into pre-professional programs, such as Pre-Med and Business.
“But the biggest win is the momentum,” Roberts said. “More students are visiting, more families are hearing about Bluefield, and more schools are coming to see us. It feels like people are rediscovering what makes BU special.”
Mullins added that he hopes the messages within the new marketing initiatives, prospective students and their families see what makes BU distinct.
“My biggest hope personally is that Bluefield really takes ownership of its Christian identity,” Mullins said. “I think the more that we can put content out there that really shows what is happening on campus and who we are as a campus, it will be positive both for the campus culture that we have and also for the recruitment efforts. People will see that there’s something different going on here, that there are people that genuinely care about the students and who want to see them thrive in every aspect.”
Roberts added that the new marketing initiatives are about more than increasing enrollment numbers.
“We want students and families to see that a private Christian education is within reach,” Roberts said. “It is possible, it is personal, and it is worth it. When we communicate that clearly, we will continue to grow in the right way, not only in size but also in mission and impact.”