Extending Your Marketing Team in a Season of Need
In the higher ed marketing world, staffing and budgets are often tight, and timelines tighter. Even with a talented and capable team, sometimes an extra hand for a few weeks or months can relieve internal pressure and keep needed deliverables on track for recruiting season. Washington College called on 5° Branding for just such a situation.
No, WC wasn’t undergoing a comprehensive branding initiative or redesigning a website; their needs didn’t fall under typical agency service offerings. That’s where Boost came in.
A New Way to Outsource
Boost is a service that brings the higher ed marketing skills offered by 5° to campus teams that need help executing anything from one-off design projects to recruitment theme and creative development. This retainer package can be customized and scaled to each university’s unique needs—urgent or ongoing, tactical or strategic.
For Washington College, the 5° team worked both to execute straightforward design pieces, lightening the day-to-day load of WC staff and ensuring that the fall recruitment season launched without a hitch. 5° also collaborated with the WC team to elevate and refine the creative expression of the brand and rethink the college’s admit packet to have maximum impact within the college’s budget.
An Elevated Admit Packet
“We gave them a vision, and samples of what had been done in the past, and had continuous conversations throughout the production stages. The final product is something we are really proud of,” said Johnnie Johnson, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Washington College.
“Also, they were very conscious of our timeline in being able to deliver the materials ahead of the fall semester.”
The WC admit packet features a custom die-cut envelope with a pocket and slits for displaying four pieces designed to build excitement for enrollment as well as inform students of next steps in their journey. Pieces included a fold-out poster, next steps insert, sticker sheet, and the much-anticipated formal acceptance letter.
The self-mailer was an efficient and cost-effective way to deliver the desired information while leveraging design, size, and quality materials to have a strong positive impact on families who receive it and welcome them to Goose Nation!
Delivering Quality and Quantity
Boost by 5° takes your typical retainer agreement to a different level. By bringing a team of higher ed marketing and branding experts to the table and taking careful onboarding steps to get to know the institution, a thorough understanding of the college’s strategic needs and brand voice is quickly reached.
You aren’t working with an outsourced designer or writer who doesn’t know or care about your ultimate goals. The 5° team is deeply invested in the personal brand of higher ed that its clients bring to students and the transformational effect it has on their lives. Even as we work on something as quick as a postcard, we bring that care, strategic insight, and desire to truly collaborate to each project.
“Through multiple projects, the 5° team welcomes our input and takes our suggestions seriously,” Johnny added. “While they have their own ideas and expertise, they ultimately deliver what the customer wants. This is a much-appreciated difference than other vendors.”
This drive toward delivery is a hallmark of the 5° approach. Within the first three months of the partnership, 23 pieces were delivered to the college: two postcards, a dozen email headers, a yard banner with box and insert, a self-mailer brochure, and the five-piece admit packet above—all in a newly developed creative style that elevated the college’s existing visual identity.
A Like-Minded Partner
If this sounds like an arrangement that could benefit your institution and your team’s current season, we would love to talk with you. Working with 5° will feel like working with trusted friends—friends who are ready to take things off your plate and deliver outstanding results, expanding your marketing team’s impact. Bring your big ideas, and let’s get to work.
Ready to chat about how a 5° Boost package can help your team in this season? Let's talk!
