The Situation
In the early months of COVID, Michigan schools weren't just managing a remote learning transition. They were navigating a mental health crisis that no one had a playbook for. Students were isolated. Families were overwhelmed. Educators were trying to support everyone while struggling themselves.
Michigan Virtual had secured $100,000 in state funding to make a comprehensive portal of evidence-based SEL and mental health resources available at no cost to every Michigan district. The program was real, the resources were ready, and the need was urgent. The problem: almost no one knew it existed.
Our job was to change that as fast as possible, for three very different audiences who needed very different messages.
The Strategy
The audience segmentation was our call, and it was the most important strategic decision we made. There were two fundamentally different messages that needed to get out simultaneously.
For parents and families: you can reach out to your child's school and ask for access to this resource. You are not alone. Help is available.
For school administrators and educators: this program exists, it costs you nothing, and here's exactly how to launch it for your community.
Treating those as a single message would have diluted both. We built separate email tracks, separate copy, separate calls to action, all running in parallel. District toolkits and step-by-step FAQs gave administrators everything they needed to communicate confidently with their communities. Paid social and TV/radio PSAs extended awareness to families who weren't on our email lists. Targeted press outreach brought local credibility to each market.
We also ran a live webinar specifically to explain the grant opportunity to district leaders, with one of the highest open rates in the campaign.
The segmentation wasn't a marketing nicety. It was the whole strategy. A parent and a principal have completely different questions, and answering the wrong one for each of them accomplishes nothing.
How We Reached Them
Audience-specific messaging for admins, educators, and parents. Separate blasts, drip sequences, and webinar invitations for each track.
Paid social driving awareness and interest among Michigan educators and families, with supportive, service-forward creative.
Broadcast placements reaching households statewide, inviting families and schools to explore the free resource portal.
Targeted media pitches to local markets featuring the educators and schools highlighted in that cycle's communications.
Step-by-step toolkits, FAQs, and templates so district leaders could launch quickly and communicate confidently with no guesswork.
Blog content aligned to real SEL concerns that directed readers naturally toward Michigan Cares, building search traffic and trust in parallel.
The Results
The campaign reached more than 49,000 contacts across its primary email sends, with a weighted average open rate of roughly 36%, well above typical education benchmarks. The grant webinar for administrators hit a 46.5% open rate. The campaign closed with portal registrations meeting the program's goal.
Below is the full breakdown from the email sends across each audience track.
| Segment | Delivered | Open Rate | Click Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admins (blast) | 3,087 | 41.59% | 2.56% |
| Parents (blast) | 7,459 | 34.44% | 2.68% |
| Educators (blast) | 27,072 | 33.51% | 3.15% |
| Drip emails (educators) | 2,831–3,016 | ~38.5% | 1.16–2.04% |
| Grant webinar (admins) | 3,056 | 46.5% | 4.84% |
View representative sends from the campaign: