At Western Colorado University, I served as Communications Strategist, where I built a data-driven email marketing program from the ground up. I transformed outdated and inconsistent communication into a streamlined system that connected with students at every stage of the admissions process. From project management to design, testing, and analytics, I created email campaigns that reached hundreds of thousands of prospective students and supported Western’s enrollment goals.

The Challenge:
When I began this position, prospective students were not receiving consistent communications. Emails were scattered across spreadsheets with no central system, and the messages themselves were text-heavy and off-brand. There was no way to track performance or optimize for results.

What I Did:

• Built a scalable system: Organized multiple spreadsheets into a new project management and tracking system that integrated across platforms.

• Managed large-scale campaigns: Sent emails to audiences of 500,000+ prospective students.

• Created targeted drip campaigns: Designed 5 separate automated campaigns tailored to different points in the admissions funnel (from initial inquiry through enrollment).

• Redesigned email templates: Collaborated with the design team to replace text-heavy layouts with visually engaging, brand-aligned designs.

• Improved performance through testing: Conducted A/B tests on subject lines, CTAs, and design elements.

• Implemented advanced tracking: Used heat maps and UTM parameters to measure engagement and conversions across all campaigns.

Results & Impact

• High engagement: One drip campaign achieved an open rate of 54% (3,747 opens), far above higher education benchmarks.

• Stronger brand presence: Redesigned emails reflected Western’s visual identity and created a consistent, professional look across communications.

• Better decision-making: Heat maps and UTM tracking provided insights that informed continuous improvements.

• Streamlined workflow: Centralized project management reduced errors, saved time, and made email marketing efforts more efficient and scalable.