TMUCaseStudy – Content Strong Communications

Case Study: Toronto Metropolitan University

Increasing Prospect Engagement Through Strategic Content

Improved Navigation and Messaging to Attract Top Talent

Introduction

The Faculty of Engineering & Architectural Science (FEAS) at Toronto Metropolitan University sought to enhance its online presence to attract and engage prospective students. With a lean communications team and a significant agenda, FEAS aimed to transform its website content and navigation. Their core objective: to improve clarity, reduce redundancies, and effectively showcase the faculty’s stellar reputation and value of their interdisciplinary programs. By streamlining content and enhancing its organization and language, I transformed FEAS’ web content through strategy to increase interest and applications from highly qualified candidates.

The challenge: Navigating a Complex Digital Landscape

FEAS faced several critical challenges that hindered their ability to effectively communicate with prospective students:

Confusing Navigation: Program pages suffered from unclear navigation, making it difficult for visitors to find essential information about costs, courses, career possibilities, and the supportive campus culture.
Inconsistent Messaging: Program pages lacked consistency and a clear objective, resulting in a disjointed user experience.
Limited Support Visibility: Pathways to access clear and effective support channels were not easily discernible on web pages.
Content Duplication and Keyword Cannibalization: Significant duplication across the website and competition with central TMU pages led to confusion and diluted search engine performance.
Understated Student Success: Compelling stories of student success, crucial for attracting prospective students, were poorly showcased.
Stakeholder Trust: Previous website management issues created a need to rebuild trust with key stakeholders, ensuring their valuable insights were accurately reflected.

Impact

These challenges resulted in:

Reduced conversion rates, as prospective students struggled to find the information needed to make informed decisions.
Diminished search engine visibility due to keyword cannibalization, hindering the faculty’s ability to reach potential applicants.
Lost opportunities to showcase student success stories, weakening the faculty’s appeal.
Potential loss of qualified applicants due to confusion and frustration navigating the FEAS web presence.

The solution: Content Strategy & Stakeholder Collaboration

To address these challenges, I implemented a comprehensive strategy:

Communications Audit: Conducted a full site audit with a web Information Architect to identify navigational and content deficiencies.
Content Strategy: Created a detailed content strategy focusing on high-impact pages to drive enrollment.
Extensive Stakeholder Engagement: Conducted interviews, surveys, and presentations to gather stakeholder feedback and build consensus.
Content Creation and Refinement: Developed language guidelines and a streamlined process for rewriting, refining, and reorganizing content.
Enhanced User Experience: Collaborated with a web designer and information architect to improve navigation and page layouts.

Implementation Steps

Meetings and presentations to gain stakeholder buy-in on the new website structure and content strategy.
Developed content templates and guided wireframe development for improved page layouts.
Researched and rewrote content, emphasizing clear and compelling messaging.
Implemented a user-centric content organization strategy, prioritizing prospects’ key decision-making factors.
Ensured clear and strategic calls to action on each page.

dynamic Expertise and Value

My specific expertise ensured:

Strengthened brand and reputation management through consistent and authentic messaging frameworks.
Enhanced audience engagement through compelling storytelling and refined brand voice.
Effective stakeholder engagement through proven consultation and communication strategies.

The results: Streamlined Content and Enhanced User Experience

Comprehensive Site Impact: Transformed over 220 pages through creation, updates, and removals. This included:
- Significant Content Reduction: Eliminated over 120 duplicate pages, simplifying site navigation and maintenance.
- Content and Layout Enhancements: Updated 50+ pages with new content and improved layouts.
- Key Page Revamps: Redesigned 18 core program pages (16 individual, 2 overview) to highlight crucial information for prospective students. And created 5 new department program overview pages.
- Improved Navigation and Clarity: Streamlined navigation and clarified labels for an enhanced user experience.
- Increased Program Visibility: Enhanced storytelling amplified program visibility and value.

Qualitative benefits

Increased interest in FEAS programs, with improved engagement and reduced bounce rates.
Enhanced collaboration and communication with stakeholders.

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