Case Study: Penn Carey Law — University of Pennsylvania
- Industry: Legal Education — Top-10 Law School
- Service: Enrollment Marketing & Digital Lead Generation
- Agency: Weather Vane Digitals
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | National & International Reach
The Problem
Penn Carey Law is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the country — offering JD, LLM, Master in Law, and joint degree programs across one of the most distinguished legal faculties in the world. Their alumni practice at the highest levels of law, government, and business globally.
The challenge wasn’t reputation. Penn Law’s reputation speaks for itself. The challenge was enrollment marketing in an increasingly competitive landscape where every top law school is aggressively targeting the same high-achieving prospective students — and where the decision journey from LSAT score to enrollment deposit involves months of research, comparison, and persuasion.
Penn Law’s digital presence wasn’t fully capturing prospective student interest in the research phase — particularly for their graduate and executive education programs where brand recognition alone doesn’t close the enrollment decision.
The Hair-on-Fire Challenges
- Prospective JD and LLM students researching online finding competitor schools more prominently in non-branded searches
- Graduate and executive program pages not converting research-phase traffic into inquiry submissions
- Email marketing to prospective student lists underperforming — low open rates and minimal conversion to campus visits or applications
- No structured digital pipeline for executive education prospects — a high-value audience requiring a distinct marketing approach
- No attribution model connecting digital marketing investment to enrollment outcomes
Our Solution
We mapped the complete enrollment decision journey for three distinct audiences — JD prospects, LLM and graduate students, and executive education participants — and built a separate digital funnel for each. Each funnel had its own content, its own paid strategy, and its own conversion path.
We rebuilt program landing pages around the specific questions prospective students ask at each stage of their decision — career outcomes, bar passage rates, faculty access, clinic and externship opportunities, financial aid — structured to inform and convert rather than just describe.
We restructured the prospective student email program — segmenting by program interest, application stage, and decision timeline. Every email was built around a single conversion action: schedule a visit, start an application, attend an information session.
We launched targeted campaigns for Penn Law's LLM and executive education programs — reaching working legal professionals, international attorneys, and corporate executives through LinkedIn and Google with precision targeting built around professional credentials and career stage.
We implemented a full enrollment attribution model — connecting digital marketing activity to inquiry volume, campus visit rates, application starts, and enrolled students for the first time.
The Results (6 Months)
+53% increase in program inquiry form submissions
from landing page conversion improvements
+46% increase in email open rates
after segmentation and content restructure
+39% increase in campus visit and information session registrations
from email nurture sequences
2.7x ROI on paid media
for LLM and executive education campaigns
Full enrollment attribution model
Penn Law now tracks digital investment to enrolled students by program
The Takeaway
Services Used
Funnel Strategy & Execution · Content for Conversion · Email & Lifecycle Marketing · Paid Media Performance · Data & Analytics · Experimentation & Optimization
See us in action.
FAQ’S
Here are updated FAQs aligned with the new AI integration positioning:
1. What does Weather Vane actually do?
We integrate AI into service-based businesses to find revenue leaks, reduce wasted spend, and improve sales performance. Think of us as the team that makes your existing marketing and sales systems work harder — using AI to see what you’re missing.
2. How does AI integration work with my business?
We start by auditing your current sales funnel, marketing spend, and customer journey. From there, we identify where money is being lost — whether that’s inefficient ad spend, broken conversion paths, or leads going cold. Then we implement AI-powered systems to fix those gaps and improve performance over time.
3. What kind of businesses do you work with?
We specialize in professional service firms — law firms, insurance agencies, accounting firms, healthcare organizations, and B2B companies. If your business depends on lead generation and converting those leads into revenue, we can help.
4. How is this different from hiring a marketing agency?
Most agencies focus on running campaigns. We focus on outcomes. AI lets us diagnose problems faster, optimize spend in real time, and identify opportunities that manual analysis misses. You’re not paying for activity — you’re paying for improved profitability.
5. What does the engagement look like?
Every engagement is tailored to your business. There’s no one-size-fits-all package. We assess your current setup, identify the highest-impact opportunities, and build a plan around what will actually move the needle for your revenue.
6. How quickly will I see results?
Most clients start seeing measurable improvements within the first 60-90 days. AI-driven optimizations compound over time, so results tend to accelerate the longer the systems are in place.
7. Do I need to change my current tools or platforms?
Usually not. We work with what you already have — your CRM, ad platforms, email tools, and website. AI integration is layered on top of your existing systems to make them perform better.
8. How do I know where I'm losing money right now?
That’s exactly what we find. Most businesses don’t know where the leaks are because they’re buried in data, disconnected tools, or blind spots in the funnel. Our AI audit surfaces those issues so you can see exactly where spend is being wasted and where sales are slipping through.
9. Do I have to commit to a long-term contract?
No. We work on a project or ongoing basis depending on what makes sense for your business. If we’re delivering results, you’ll want to keep going. If not, you’re free to walk.
10. How do I get started?
Reach out for a free consultation. We’ll review your current setup, show you where the biggest opportunities are, and give you a clear plan — no fluff, no pressure.
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