Challenge
With community college enrollment steadily declining across California, Southwestern College (SWC) needed more than a traditional outreach effort. Located just miles from the U.S.–Mexico border, the college had a unique opportunity to connect with international students—but awareness of the college’s international programs was low, and the community didn’t see SWC as an accessible or aspirational option.
Our approach
We knew enrollment wouldn’t grow by repeating the same messages in the same places. Instead, we applied our community connection marketing strategy—centered on trust, cultural understanding, and accessible storytelling.
We identified a new, untapped audience: international students living in nearby Mexican border towns and those currently attending English-as-a-second-language (ESL) schools in the area. Then, we built a multilingual, multi-platform campaign rooted in what matters most to those communities—opportunity, belonging, and a future worth believing in.
The “You’re What’s Next” campaign used a warm, inspiring tone, hyperlocal targeting, and channels that were already trusted and used by the audience. Messaging framed international students as future contributors to the communities they would live, learn, and work in—shifting the perception of community college as a fallback option to one of purpose and promise.
Results
- 13 million impressions and 739,000 engagements
- 38% of all 2022 Fall applications came directly from the international campaign audience
This campaign didn’t just generate awareness. It delivered real, measurable enrollment growth by meeting people where they are, speaking their language (literally and culturally), and helping them see themselves in a new future.
