When It Comes to Higher Ed, Appearance Matters
After nearly 30 years of training and certifying healthcare professionals, the American Institute of Alternative Medicine (AIAM) had all the pieces in place to be a leader in central Ohio’s higher education space for healthcare. They had a respected reputation for high-quality education balanced with a compassionate, student-focused culture. They had a unique approach, educating their students in holistic, Western and traditional medicine—skills that were in demand in the medical field.
What AIAM didn’t have was brand credibility and a consistent marketing strategy. Their staff was focused on what was most important for them: providing quality education. Their website had been long neglected, their social media lacked an overarching strategy, and they had stopped producing printed materials. What’s more, AIAM's previous digital marketing agency had failed to deliver on the engagement promises they’d made.
This confluence of challenging factors left AIAM experiencing a significant downturn in prospective student applications.
What’s In a Name
When your agency of record, has trouble remembering the order of letters in your organization’s acronym, there’s a good chance the public won’t either—which is a bigger problem than it might otherwise seem, particularly for those searching for information about the school online.
The Bolder team saw a golden opportunity both to address this challenge and build a strong brand by changing the pronunciation from A-I-A-M to “I AM”. Just this shift made the school’s name memorable. It also instilled a renewed sense of pride as it was applied in hashtags (#AIAMStrong) and provided a sense of identity (I Am Nursing).
A Rebrand That Elevates
With tuition being an enormous investment, AIAM's brand needed to provide confidence in their ability to deliver the highest quality education. The work also needed to capture the spirit and energy of an institution that walked the walk when it came to being welcoming to every student, many of whom were new Americans from foreign cultures.
Bolder’s brand identity work hit the mark with a warm, optimistic color palette and a logo that conveyed the holistic focus, energy, and excitement of starting a new career path in healthcare. Our team overhauled the design and streamlined the content of their website, making it as inviting and easy as possible for visitors to find the information about programs, financial aid, the campus public wellness clinic, and more.
The new branding looked terrific on shirts, hats, and bags. Faculty and students clamored to get their hands on apparel, which not only strengthened their bond with the institution, it acted as free advertising out in the world.
And speaking of advertising, Bolder created a digital marketing plan built around both social media and search ads. The results compared to the previous months’ efforts were dramatic.
Is Your Branding Holding You Back?
A dated or poorly executed brand can sometimes be more detrimental to your business than no brand at all. Like it or not, your prospective customers judge your competence, trustworthiness, friendliness, and more just by how you present yourself via your website, social media platforms, business cards…even how you answer the phone.
Whether your brand needs a refresh or a major overhaul, Bolder has the strategic and creative chops to help you outshine your competitors and attract fresh attention to your organization or business.
Ready to get Bolder?
“Testimonial from Ralynn.”
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