Kaplan University sought to create an innovative Facebook fan page in order to strengthen Kaplan University’s brand for current students and monitor the feedback on the school, as well as to raise brand awareness for those unfamiliar with the University so as to attract new leads. By creating an easily navigable common space on Facebook, Kaplan University wanted to bring a wide variety of networks together, including students, visitors, alumni and possible prospects. Kaplan University’s strategy for reaching its current students and target audience of new leads was to redesign its Facebook page so it featured major portions of the actual website in a compelling, informal, interactive and fun way that would provide a welcoming community for current students and a means for attracting new students. This goal was achieved by incorporating innovative designs and elements into the page that had never been done before on Facebook, including: creating a community tab that has announcements and a “Refer a Friend” option used to generate leads, a Learn More tab that provides detailed information on Kaplan University and allows new prospects to request information, a Calendar tab that includes the full academic calendar for the current sessions and a Webinars tab that lists upcoming webinars and allows students to download previously recorded ones.
