How we modernized international student recruitment and built resilience through geo-diversification and CRM-driven marketing automation.
Industry
Higher Education
Headquarters
Hamiton, Canada
Geo targeted
APAC, MENA, LATAM
Institution Size
10,000+ faculty and staff
The Challenge
McMaster University had never run targeted marketing campaigns for international student recruitment. Historically, the institution relied on organic interest and word-of-mouth, which led to a pipeline heavily skewed toward Chinese applicants. This concentration posed a significant geopolitical risk: any disruption in Canada–China relations could jeopardize a major revenue stream.
At the same time, each faculty operated in silos, with limited alignment on communications infrastructure or marketing strategy. Without a centralized CRM, it was impossible to run nurture sequences or track prospective students’ engagement across touchpoints.
My mandate was twofold:
- Diversify the university’s international applicant pool across multiple geographies.
- Deploy an integrated CRM system that could unify marketing efforts across all faculties and enable automated nurture campaigns.
The Approach
Faculty Collaboration
The first hurdle was internal buy-in. I worked across all faculties—engineering, health sciences, business, humanities, and more—to align on the need for a university-wide CRM system. After numerous stakeholder workshops, we secured agreement to implement Microsoft Dynamics as a single source of truth for prospective student engagement.
CRM Implementation + Email Automation
With Microsoft Dynamics in place, I designed and launched multi-stage email nurture sequences tailored to different programs and regional audiences. These automated journeys allowed for consistent messaging across faculties, personalized follow-ups, and triggered content based on student behaviour.
Geo-Diversified Paid Demand Generation
I launched international campaigns across paid search and social channels in regions such as India, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Messaging and creative were localized to align with cultural values and educational goals of each region. CRM data fed back into the campaign loop, allowing us to segment and optimize outreach based on real-time engagement and conversion signals.
The Results
With CRM infrastructure established and data-driven international campaigns in motion, McMaster significantly strengthened its global applicant funnel. Faculties began to see more diverse inquiries from students outside China, and the university was better positioned to weather geopolitical uncertainty.
- 📈 9 New Countries contributed over 10% of total international applications within the first year
- 💻 CRM adoption across 100% of faculties within 6 months
- ✉️ Avg. email open rates over 45%, with 15%+ click-through in core nurture sequences
- 💰 35% lower cost per qualified lead in new target regions compared to historical averages
Thiago Silva 