Good Things Come to Those Who Plan

Business Challenge: Leverage social media to drive scholarship search registrations in a fun and engaging way

Designed and implemented award-winning social media contests, including Good Things Come to Those Who Plan, which increased engagement among target audiences and boosted click-through rates and registration of the company’s plan-for-college tools on its website.

This was the company’s first campaign directly tied to company’s goals and targets. Less than two in five families have created a plan to pay for college although 97% of American families believe it is important. It eventually became the blueprint for the Dee-1 Knowledge for College Tour and later the Bridging the Dream Scholarship Program.

Scope
• Social Media Listening
• Campaign Creation & Execution
• Event Management

Impact
• 245M traditional media impressions
• 15,000 entries (3X baseline)
• 5X increase in site traffic

“Surprising these families and rewarding them for taking those important first steps to prepare for college was a reminder of our purpose here at Sallie Mae,” said Temeka Easter, senior director of social media, Sallie Mae. “To be recognized for our campaign is icing on the cake, but what was most gratifying was seeing the joy on our winners’ faces.