Empowering Nurses, Expanding Impact – A College’s Transformation
Client Overview
Maria College, a mission-driven institution in New York, sought to elevate its online RN-to-BSN program to better serve working nurses—especially those balancing professional demands, personal responsibilities, and aspirations for career advancement. Known for its compassionate care ethos and high-touch student support, Maria College needed a value proposition that could cut through the noise of a crowded, increasingly commoditized market.
The Challenge
In the face of regional nursing shortages and shifting expectations around BSN credentials, Maria College recognized a need to:
- Clearly articulate what sets its online BSN program apart
- Align internal stakeholders around a focused value proposition
- Lay the groundwork for student-centered messaging and enrollment strategy
- Build a scalable, data-informed plan for market expansion
But like many institutions, they were grappling with internal uncertainties:
💬 After the Discovery Call
“We were able to learn what your key questions were and understand that the value proposition was still a little unclear and needed to be solidified…”
— Patti Brownsord, Grounded With Data
Our Approach: Insight + Imagination
Partnering with Grounded With Data and Integral Marketing & Advertising, Maria College embarked on a collaborative journey to understand, define, and differentiate.
Grounded With Data led with analytical rigor—uncovering market dynamics, workforce demand, and competitive benchmarks through a detailed research study covering:
- Student motivators, barriers, and demographics
- Competitor positioning, tuition models, and delivery formats
- Regional indicators for future expansion
- Data modeling for future MSA/DMA prioritization
Integral brought those findings to life, guiding a value proposition workshop that blended empathy, storytelling, and brand strategy. The result: a clear, resonant positioning statement that aligned the team around a shared “north star.”
💬 After the Missing Piece Value Proposition Workshop
“I know at times it probably felt like we were going down some weird rabbit holes… but when you see the deliverable, it will all make sense. We’re really excited to show you the map and framework that came out of today’s full discussion.”
— Yeliza Centeio, Integral
The strategy didn’t stop with messaging. The team recommended beginning with internal clarity first—tightening operations and institutional storytelling so future marketing efforts would reflect the true student experience.
Clarifying the Audience: From Guesswork to Strategic Personas
To support authentic, resonant outreach, we created three comprehensive student personas—each rooted in lifestyle realities, emotional drivers, and academic goals.
These included:
- A community-focused caregiver balancing family, work, and school
- A mid-career professional pursuing leadership and personal growth
- A determined adult learner returning after a long academic gap
“It’s the first time we’ve actually seen the personas flushed out… now [we] have a document to start subsetting all of these personas with specific messaging that pertains to them personally.”
— Rob DeLuke, Tilt36To
These profiles replaced assumptions with clarity and are now being used to guide platform choices, copy tone, and campaign development.
Market Insights That Informed Expansion
Rather than immediately scaling outward, we recommended Maria begin by refining outreach in near-markets—geographies where brand familiarity, operational capacity, and student support systems are strongest.
A data-informed market model (currently in development) will follow, designed to prioritize geographic focus based on workforce demand, competitive presence, and alignment with institutional strengths.
Results
Maria College’s advertising partner, Tilt36To, who originally brought in GWD and IMA, led the next phase: marketing execution. Their creative team activated the strategic insights and messaging framework, ensuring outreach reflects the real students Maria is built to serve.
GWD delivered a region-ranking model to further refine targeting and media efficiency—giving Tilt36To the tools to match message, market, and momentum.
As a result, after only one month of the campaign running, Maria saw a 20% increase in program enrollments.
Why It Matters
This project wasn’t about adding noise to the market—it was about removing the static internally. With clarity around who they serve, why it matters, and how to communicate it, Maria College is poised to show up with integrity and intention in a crowded space.
And while the language of the value proposition is theirs to unveil, what’s clear is this:
When a college reclaims its story, it doesn’t just speak louder—it speaks more truly.