Our Work

Over 18 months, Square One Consulting partnered with the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis to completely reimagine their enrollment communications and Slate CRM processes. When we began, UHSP had no formal communication flow for prospective students. By the end of our collaboration, they had a comprehensive, data-informed and  highly-segmented communication system that not only elevated their outreach but also set a new standard for their marketing and recruitment efforts.

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Institutional Profile

The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis (UHSP) is a private institution in St. Louis, Missouri.  It was initially founded in 1864 as the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, as it operated until 2013 when the institution changed its name to better represent its mission and vision. Today, the university is a leading institution for pharmacy and health sciences education, offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in pharmacy, health sciences and related fields.​

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Challenges

​When UHSP approached Square One, they were navigating several challenges that limited their ability to fully leverage Technolutions Slate and elevate their enrollment marketing. Key issues included:

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• Early Slate Adoption, Basic Utilization: While UHSP had been using Slate for a few years, they had yet to maximize its potential beyond foundational elements like applications and readers. Advanced tools like content blocks, liquid markup and translation codes were underutilized.

• Lack of Enrollment Marketing Strategy: There was no established communication strategy for any enrollment segments (prospects, inquiries, admits, etc.) across their undergraduate or PharmD programs. This gap left critical audiences unengaged.

• No Established Brand Templates: UHSP lacked a cohesive email branding templates.

• Understaffing and Resource Constraints: A single operations staff member, heavily focused on maintaining basic functionality, had limited bandwidth to innovate or implement advanced tools.

• Limited Audience Insights, Post-Performance Reporting: The institution had never conducted formal surveys or engaged directly with their audience to understand preferences and behaviors, leaving them without data to inform strategy. They also did not have any reports in place to view their deliver outcomes.

• Leadership Transition: New leadership in marketing and enrollment provided an opportunity to set a fresh direction but also required strategic guidance to align operations with institutional goals.

• New Online MBA Program Launch: UHSP was in the early stages of launching an online MBA program and needed comprehensive marketing and operational strategies to support recruitment from the ground up.

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Solutions

• Research & Discovery: Conducted in-depth audits of existing marketing and communication practices, including quantitative surveys, to inform strategic decisions and uncover new opportunities for engagement.

• Strategic Communications Planning: Developed and implemented multi-segmented communication flows for undergraduate high school sophomores, juniors, seniors, admitted, and deposited populations, PharmD students from prospect to deposits, and new online MPH student app generation ensuring personalized and impactful messaging.

• Content Creation: Collaborated with the UHSP team to design email templates, craft messaging, and structure content for diverse student segments.

• Slate CRM Implementation: Led the strategic build-out of Slate's deliver to optimize communication flows for undergraduate, master's and PharmD audiences, including application, admission, and deposit stages.

• Portal Development: Designed and implemented a Slate portal to engage sophomore students, providing a dedicated space to encourage inquiries and initiate the enrollment journey early.

• Brand Excellence: Worked meticulously to ensure every communication and template upheld UHSP’s brand identity. The UHSP team praised Square One for achieving a level of brand consistency and quality unmatched by any other partner they had worked with.

• Training & Empowerment: Delivered tailored workshops and training sessions to equip UHSP staff with the knowledge and confidence to manage and evolve their CRM and communication strategies independently.

• Continuous Collaboration: Maintained a flexible, iterative process, addressing real-time challenges such as Slate technical troubleshooting and evolving project priorities to meet marketing goals.

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Impact​

This project delivered a transformative outcome for UHSP, moving them from having no formal communication structure to a highly effective, fully realized system that engaged nearly every prospective student and family during the enrollment process. Key results included:

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• Relieving the counseling team’s workload, allowing them to focus on relationship-building while automated flows effectively marketed the institution and its unique student experience.

• Encouraging early engagement through a dedicated sophomore inquiry portal and junior comm flow designed to capture interest and build relationships with prospective students earlier in their academic journey.

• Maintained brand excellence and consistency across all touchpoints, reinforcing UHSP’s reputation and values at every step of the communication process.

• Established a foundation of scalable, strategic communication practices that provide long-term value and can evolve with the institution’s needs.

• Establishing data-informed, scalable practices that continue to serve UHSP’s recruitment goals.

• Empowered the UHSP marketing team to manage and refine these systems with confidence and independence.
   

This partnership not only delivered a game-changing communications system but also solidified UHSP’s ability to sustain and evolve their enrollment strategies, making a lasting impact on their recruitment efforts.