University of Phoenix was looking for a way to build more referrals from current students. To achieve this, Rastar Digital Marketing was hired to build a program that captured referrals, tracked referrals through to enrollment and registration, then rewarded students.

I was the communication strategist and lead copywriter on the project. I wrote content for a microsite in which students could become educated about the program, enroll in the program and then submit referrals. Once referrals were submitted, they went into the University of Phoenix database to ensure the lead did not already exist. Once validated, an email confirming the submission was sent back to the student.

Due to privacy rules, only a limited amount of information could be shared with the student as far as the progress of their referrals. Once students hit each milestone, a status email was triggered. The students were rewarded with pre-paid gift cards for each referral that enrolled, registered and began their first class.

The success of the project was amazing. To get the program off the ground, links to the new student referral site were placed on the University of Phoenix student site. Within days, thousands of referrals started to pour in. The number of student referrals submitted quickly moved it up the ladder to the lowest cost of new leads for the highest quality of lead. The program ran for three years until regulations surrounding student referrals changed.

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