In 2013, University of Phoenix students faced some pretty unique challenges. They were chasing kids, work deadlines and a degree without any of the traditional campus culture or peer networks to get them through. Definitely no easy feat. So our team leveraged Facebook to lighten the load. We designed a student center for every Phoenix to find support and encouragement. Each week showcased a fresh collection of career topics to debate and original motivational quotes to share, as well as a little office humor to keep things fun. In 12 months, we transformed a glorified RSS feed that spewed out third-party links, into a bright, optimistic hub that showcased the Phoenix pride. Our students blew us away with their school spirit. Phoenixes flocked to the new hub, more than tripling our following from a solid 486,000 to just over 1.7 million. We generated over 57 million earned organic impressions, which equates to roughly $1.1 million dollars in media spend. And we recorded an almost 31.5 million earned organic reach. It’s more than we could have imagined. But the most impressive results can’t be quantified. Over 12 months, we watched our screens as students on different continents exchanged great career tips. We cheered when total strangers inspired each other not to give up. And we lost count of how many times people commented, “UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX GRAD SO SOON!!!!! SO PROUD!!!!!" We’re so proud that our students finally have a place to share all of those exclamation points.
