Maricopa County Community College Issues Digital Marketing RFP
Maricopa County Community College District is seeking proposals from qualified firms for Digital Marketing and Related Services in accordance with the Scope of Work specified in this RFP. The awarded firm will assist MCCCD with marketing the Maricopa Community Colleges on a wide range of digital platforms. This is intended to be a multiple award contract and will be used on an as-needed basis.
Background:
MCCCD comprised of ten colleges, and numerous education centers dedicated to educational excellence by meeting the needs of the businesses and the citizens of Maricopa County. Each college is individually accredited, yet part of a larger system, the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD or District). The MCCCD is one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. As the largest provider of health care workers and job training in Arizona, it is a major resource for business and industry and for individuals seeking education and job training. More than 200,000 students attend the Maricopa Community Colleges each year taking credit and non-credit courses. MCCCD employs nearly 4,500 full-time faculty and staff and more than 9,000 part-time faculty and staff.
MCCCD ranks as one of the nation’s largest systems of its kind and is the largest single provider of higher education in Arizona. MCCCD educates and trains thousands of students year-round. What’s more, thousands of employees from both local and relocating businesses and industries are enrolled in customized workforce training programs with the MCCCD system. MCCCD’s administration, faculty and staff are committed to working collectively and responsibly to meet the life-long learning needs of our diverse students and communities.
A seven member governing board governs MCCCD. Five members are elected from geographical districts within Maricopa County, while two are elected on a countywide basis. The chief executive officer of MCCCD is the Chancellor; and a president heads each of the colleges. MCCCD is a political subdivision of the State, and the elected governing board has the power to levy taxes. Funding comes from property taxes, student tuition, and federal, state and private grants.
Scope of Work:
Marketing campaigns that will use the services of this contract may include district-wide initiatives under the Maricopa Community Colleges Brand or they may be created specifically for any of the individual ten colleges that comprise the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD).
The vendor will be able to perform the following desired digital marketing services including, but not limited to, paid search engines, social media platforms, and display advertising. The vendor may be asked to help develop and focus efforts to reach specific demographics using their portfolio of digital marketing channels.
The vendor should be able to provide detailed reporting and analytics on the effectiveness of a given campaign using a variety of metrics and measuring tools. Reporting is crucial to quantifying and justifying future budget allocations to insure target markets are being reached.
The vendor will also be able to clearly breakdown their pricing and show how their fees are calculated.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The vendor is expected to have the ability and expertise to provide the services listed under “General Requirements”.
Advertising Services
• Paid Search Marketing (Google, Bing)
• Paid Social Media Marketing (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Snapchat, and/or additional social media platforms)
• Display (programmatic digital display)
Reporting
• Ability to report on calculated metrics like cost-per-lead, cost-per-application
• Real-time Analytics Dashboard for Reporting (Datorama or comparable)
• Expertise in Google Tag Manager
• Provide weekly reporting on key performance indicators like impressions, clicks, leads, calls, and applications
• Provide monthly reporting that includes strategic insights into campaigns regarding what is working, what is not working, and recommended adjustments to campaigns
• Manage complex budget allocations, including 10+ campaigns funded by multiple sources (District funding plus College funding), and be able to report on the impact each funding source contributed to campaign results
Pricing
• Responders should provide transparent pricing for each of the three major advertising tactics (Search, Social, Display), to clearly identify the percentage of total budget allocated to media vs. the dollars allocated to fees and/or other administrative expenses.
· Search – ex. 20% management fee
· Social – ex. 15% management fee
· Display – ex. 10% management fee, 20% DSP license fee
*Pricing is to be submitted using the Pricing Schedule located in Section Seven of the RFP.
PREFERRED SERVICES
Services that MCCCD has an interest in are identified under “Preferred Services”. Preferred Services are considered relevant and/or related services that your firm may offer but are not requirements.
Advertising
• Digital Radio Advertising (Pandora, Spotify, iHeart, etc)
• Landing Page Design
• Terrestrial Radio Advertising
• Creative services (ad design, web design, video production etc)
Reporting
• Regular reporting to include a creative preview – ability for clients to see each creative/ad and corresponding metrics
• CRM (Microsoft Dynamics) Integration Expertise
• Phone Conversation Analytics (Dialogtech or comparable)
Experience
• Vendor should have experience as the agency of record for Higher Education Clients, providing digital marketing services for lead generation and enrollment
Due Date:
September 26, 2019
Address:
bid.acknowledgment@domail.maricopa.edu
Agencies worth considering include Makovsky PR and Zeno Group.
