Scaling a Faculty Development Organization
The Challenge
ACUE, a national faculty credentialing organization, faced disruption when COVID-19 eliminated their primary marketing channel—academic conferences—while simultaneously creating urgent demand for online teaching certification. They needed to pivot from B2B relationship marketing to sophisticated digital campaigns while maintaining academic credibility and launching an entirely new B2C business line.
Our Approach
Market&Message senior collaborators Christine Ferrell, and Elizabeth Ruf, established a digital-first marketing foundation centered on thought leadership and evidence-based storytelling. Rather than traditional promotional tactics, we positioned ACUE's institutional partners as the primary storytellers, showcasing measurable student success outcomes through rigorous efficacy studies translated into compelling marketing narratives.
What We Did
Created the widely-acclaimed "Online Teaching Toolkit" as a rapid-response pandemic resource.
Launched an integrated campaign and webinar series generating 12,000+ registrations across institutional and faculty audiences.
Implemented Salesforce Marketing Cloud to manage complex lead nurturing across multiple audience segments.
Established B2C open enrollment courses, creating an entirely new revenue stream.
Secured 80+ earned media placements in influential education publications.
Built scalable digital campaign templates replicable across program launches.
The Impact
100,000+ sessions for Online Teaching Toolkit, establishing powerful lead generation engine
450 MQLs from national brand campaign
300% contracted revenue growth from 2019 to 2021
9.25% conversion rate from interest to application for new B2C courses
Built marketing infrastructure supporting partnerships with 250+ institutions
Stakeholder quote: “A terrific strategic partner, whether working to create something entirely new or bringing a fresh approach to a successful program. The perfect combination of thinker and doer, with a bias towards action based on solid insights.” Susan Cates, managing partner, Leeds Illuminate (former ACUE CEO)
Why It Worked
By anchoring marketing in academic credibility rather than sales tactics, we helped ACUE scale rapidly without compromising their reputation as a trusted educational partner.