Case Study: Western Governors University achieves brand affinity and 340% organic search growth with Skyword

How WGU Built Brand Affinity with New Audiences

Western Governors University (WGU), an online nonprofit university, needed to move beyond transactional advertising to build lasting brand affinity with educators and drive enrollment in its Teachers College. To do this it launched the Hey Teach! publication, hired a senior content manager, and partnered with Skyword to create a content-first strategy that would resonate emotionally and professionally with teachers.

Skyword supplied end-to-end content services—monthly articles, infographics, eBooks, videos, contributor recruitment, editorial and production management via Skyword360—and helped recruit experienced educators as contributors. The program delivered strong results: 340% YoY increase in organic search views, 174% YoY increase in referrals to program pages, 90% YoY growth in unique visitors, 9,700+ newsletter subscribers and a trajectory toward 1 million annual uniques; WGU also doubled content production and expanded content marketing to other schools without adding internal headcount.

Western Governors University

Chris Mumford

Senior Marketing & PR Content Manager