Cracking the Code on Winter Classes for 3X Enrollment Growth
Date
2025
Industry
Education
Services
Creative, Cross-Channel, Paid Media
Team
Creative, Institutional Growth
Overview
Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) is a community college committed to accessible, high-quality education. RCBC partnered with Mason to develop and execute a strategy that grew the Colleges’s winter enrollment by 3X.
The Challenge
An outdated approach to Enrollments led to stagnating growth For Rowan College’s Winter Session.
Winter felt like a pause button for most students, a time to relax. Few knew Winter courses even existed, let alone how they could accelerate their goals. Add to that rival schools pushing their own programs, RCBC was losing enrollments.
Winter felt like a pause button for most students, a time to relax. Few knew Winter courses even existed, let alone how they could accelerate their goals. Add to that rival schools pushing their own programs, RCBC was losing enrollments.
The Solution
We started by researching the student journey. Surveys, behavioral data, and digital pathing analysis laid out the problems: Students A) saw winter as a break, B) didn’t know the courses existed, and C) didn’t believe the ROI was worth it.
Those insights informed the four pillars of our blueprint for action.
Those insights informed the four pillars of our blueprint for action.
Four Strategic Levers That Drove 3X Growth
1) Media Optimization for Impact
We redirected budget toward channels that consistently convert, doubling down on Meta for direct response, and adding CTV to build awareness at the top of the funnel. The result was a media mix engineered for full-funnel performance
2) Creative Expansion to Break Through Noise
Static banners were no longer enough. We broadened the creative toolkit with motion-first assets. OUr Creative team made four new videos designed to capture attention, explain value, and create urgency. This shift helped RCBC stand out in a crowded landscape and speak more clearly to student needs.
3) Strategic Campaign Timing
By launching campaigns two months before enrollment deadlines, we gave the strategy room to breathe. This longer runway enabled more sequential messaging (moving from awareness to retargeting to conversion) maximizing ROI at each stage of the funnel.
4) Product-Market Fit: Fixing the Offer Itself
Marketing can only go so far without a compelling product. RCBC improved the winter session itself—doubling the course length, adding 23 key classes, and making everything fully online. That alignment between offer and audience made conversion not just possible, but scalable.
We redirected budget toward channels that consistently convert, doubling down on Meta for direct response, and adding CTV to build awareness at the top of the funnel. The result was a media mix engineered for full-funnel performance
2) Creative Expansion to Break Through Noise
Static banners were no longer enough. We broadened the creative toolkit with motion-first assets. OUr Creative team made four new videos designed to capture attention, explain value, and create urgency. This shift helped RCBC stand out in a crowded landscape and speak more clearly to student needs.
3) Strategic Campaign Timing
By launching campaigns two months before enrollment deadlines, we gave the strategy room to breathe. This longer runway enabled more sequential messaging (moving from awareness to retargeting to conversion) maximizing ROI at each stage of the funnel.
4) Product-Market Fit: Fixing the Offer Itself
Marketing can only go so far without a compelling product. RCBC improved the winter session itself—doubling the course length, adding 23 key classes, and making everything fully online. That alignment between offer and audience made conversion not just possible, but scalable.
+300%
Winter enrollments
Results: Year-Over-Year Comparison
“Our winter session had more students than the previous three winters combined.”
“Mason has all the resources of a big city firm that offers all the personal care and attention of a main street corner business. They provide you with a dedicated team of professionals who are very flexible, agile, and can turn around several campaigns on short notice. They have helped us with many initiatives, most notably promoting a college-wide initiative to reinvent our winter session that ultimately had more students take courses than in the previous three winters combined.”
“Mason has all the resources of a big city firm that offers all the personal care and attention of a main street corner business. They provide you with a dedicated team of professionals who are very flexible, agile, and can turn around several campaigns on short notice. They have helped us with many initiatives, most notably promoting a college-wide initiative to reinvent our winter session that ultimately had more students take courses than in the previous three winters combined.”
Key Takeaways
-Higher Meta Investment = Increased Engagement & Conversions: More budget allocated to Meta led to greater reach and more potential enrollments.
-Smarter Use of TTD = Efficient Spend & Better ROI: A reduced but strategic investment in awareness and retargeting improved efficiency.
-Enhanced Creative = Greater Impact: The shift from banners-only to a mix of banners and videos improved engagement and campaign effectiveness.
-Smarter Use of TTD = Efficient Spend & Better ROI: A reduced but strategic investment in awareness and retargeting improved efficiency.
-Enhanced Creative = Greater Impact: The shift from banners-only to a mix of banners and videos improved engagement and campaign effectiveness.
In Summary
The partnership between RCBC and Mason Interactive resulted in a refined and more effective digital marketing strategy for winter enrollments. By reallocating budget, optimizing creative assets, and leveraging high-conversion platforms, RCBC successfully increased engagement and enrollment interest.
“Our winter session had more student enrollments than the previous three winters combined.”
