Fathom's 2014 Higher-Education Marketing Standard Charts Course for Enrollments

CLEVELAND, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Fathom's 2014 EDU Standard takes a look back at some of the highlights of the year in digital marketing as it applies to the higher-education sector. Topics include a look at the impact of Google Hummingbird on organic search marketing; changes in Google AdWords; a comparison of Google's industry statistics for paid search vs. Fathom's clients; the potential of Bing Ads as a cost-effective advertising supplement; and an examination of email marketing trends (especially the sweeping changes at Gmail) and what they portend for higher-education marketers.

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The 15-pg. document features an exclusive look at search-marketing data collected from Fathom's clients in the higher-education industry. Among the highlights of Fathom's survey (comparing Q3 2013 – Q3 2012) are: Its education clients' average cost-per-click of $2.15 is $2.21 lower than the Google average and their average click-thru rate of 2.99% is 46% higher than the Google average for the education industry.

"When we looked back at what happened with our education clients over the course of 2013, we found some powerful insights, including beating several industry averages for paid search advertising in Google AdWords. The standard is full of data like this," said Joe Soltis, Fathom's VP of operations and product development. "What's even more exciting is that current and near-term marketing trends promise plentiful opportunities for universities to increase enrollments along with student quality and retention."

One of Fathom's biggest discoveries for its higher-education division in 2013 was the emergence of paid search as a primary lead-generation channel. In a shift from 2012, Google AdWords and Bing Ads drove the majority of leads for Fathom higher-education clients in 2013. Some schools reported that more than 50% of all inquiries came as a result of paid search advertising between the two platforms. In prior years, most of Fathom's education clients were testing paid search as an "assist" channel with the goal of understanding search intent from prospective students who also engaged with a branded ad via billboard, radio, print or television.

For more data, recaps and predictions, the full report—"The 2014 EDU Standard: Looking Back and Ahead in Higher-Education Marketing"—is available on Fathom's website.

About Fathom

We believe that all investments in marketing and advertising should be held highly accountable. Fathom is a full-service digital marketing and analytics agency that delivers profitable revenue for its clients across multiple digital touch points. Our results-oriented approach aligns well with mid-cap and large enterprises alike. Our proven track record of success across multiple industries—including manufacturing, technology, education, healthcare, retail and financial services —allows us to back up our promise to deliver "results that matter."  Companies that want simple answers to the digital world's complex marketing questions choose Fathom for the assurance that the return on their advertising budgets will be highly profitable.

Contact: Jonathan Pogact, 216-369-2220 ext 318

SOURCE Fathom