Master of Social Work (MSW) Application Submission Optimization with Paid Media

A Case Study

The U-M School of Social Work and Michigan Creative tested and evolved paid social strategies on Meta (Facebook and Instagram) to measure and optimize for application submissions to the Master of Social Work degree program.

Optimizing Paid Media Campaigns Supporting Application Submissions

In 2024, Michigan Creative collaborated with the U-M School of Social Work and CollegeNet to establish a measurement mechanism for submitted applications to the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program. In conjunction with an intentional campaign configuration designed to optimize for application submissions, this effort has allowed Michigan Creative to manage a Meta advertising campaign supporting MSW application submissions at an average cost of $45 per completed application.

Services

Digital Marketing

Challenge

To use data signals from CollegeNet to measure and optimize paid advertising in support of graduate student applications to the Master of Social Work degree program.

Outcome

62% ads contributing to application submissions originated on Instagram. 38% originated on Facebook. 29 attributed application submissions the week prior to the Dec. 1, 2024 application deadline (Nov. 25 - Dec. 1) at an average cost of $2.44 per application submission. Less than $20 average cost-per-lead of application submission lookalike audiences on Meta from July 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025.

Project Goals

Establish a post-lead paid media strategy supporting lower-funnel conversions to MSW application submissions.

Explore opportunities with CollegeNet to share data regarding prospective student application submissions.

Observe performance and measure average cost-per-application through a paid social media campaign.

Leverage application submission data to build lookalike audience targeting in support of quality lead generation.

A performance overview graph for the U-M Master of Social Work digital campaign. Showing notable data of 134 Website Submit Applications and a cost per website submit application of $46.44" — Application submission performance from July 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 for an ad set targeting a 5% lookalike of application completers. An additional 1% lookalike audience launched in mid-February 2025 with a $45 cost per application submission.

$45

average cost per application submission
159

new application submission conversion events through Meta advertising campaigns

Two high performing instagram ads: one a post and the other a story reading "#1 ranked MSW program for 10 years" and containing the UI elements of the Instagram platform. — This ad variation generated 50 application submissions, most of any individual ad. Application submission conversion events were triggered after someone clicks or was recently served this Instagram Story or Instagram Post ad.

Michigan Creative has been a proactive and dedicated advertising partner. We began working with them in 2022, and their ongoing efforts to improve and refine our campaign have been critical to our success. They have demonstrated genuine care for our school and a clear understanding of how the advertising campaign supports our mission—which is invaluable. After years of consistent effort, we now trust them implicitly to manage our advertising.

— Robert LaRoe and Renée Tambeau, 5/7/2025