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Objectives + Strategies + Tactics
Objectives + Strategies + Tactics
The overall goal of the marketing plan for Campus Recreation at IU Indianapolis is to see an increased number of student members utilizing the services available, promoting wellness for the students on campus. This is planned to be done through advertising on social media, specifically Instagram and TikTok, due to the number of students utilizing those platforms. Giving the students groups and followers of the IU Indianapolis social media exposure to the services that are available, along with the minimal pricing required to be members, would ideally increase the number of students using the services available. Berkowitz (2022) writes about how the transparency of price for healthcare services tends to impact how much people want to utilize them (p. 461). With the price of the membership being so low in comparison to competitors, the advertisements will eliminate the financial uncertainty involved with avoiding wellness services. Additionally, I believe these wellness services are exclusive when it comes to distribution, as the downtown area doesn’t have many affordable recreational spots available to students (Berkowitz, 2022, p. 511). With Campus Recreation at IU Indianapolis being specifically tailored to student use, this increases the probability that students will want to use the services available. When people think about or encounter the Campus Recreation at IU Indianapolis, I want them to feel inspired to engage in wellness activities to increase their quality of health. Making it known that Campus Recreation services are available to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of students is of utmost importance when people encounter the brand. This can help diminish the perception conflict of why these services available and lead to the organization having a better reputation and image (Berkowitz, 2022, p. 520). To measure the effectiveness of the marketing plan, measurements on how many students begin using services and how much the social media posts are engaged with will be taken. If the plan is successful, there will be increased numbers within these measurements taken from before and after the advertisements are put in place.
Objective 1: Increase on campus student awareness of pricing, membership options, and services by 40% by November 2026 through social media campaigns.
Objective 1: Increase on campus student awareness of pricing, membership options, and services by 40% by November 2026 through social media campaigns.
Strategy: Develop a consistent social media series, on Instagram and Tik Tok, explaining pricing, service options, and membership value.
Tactic: Create a weekly post highlighting one service that is available at Campus Recreation on Instagram.
Tactic: Post TikTok videos showing how the membership costs compare to the off-campus gym prices.
Objective 2: Increase participation in Campus Recreation wellness programs by 25% within the next academic year, being tracked through attendance and signups for classes
Objective 2: Increase participation in Campus Recreation wellness programs by 25% within the next academic year, being tracked through attendance and signups for classes
Strategy: Use social media to promote holistic wellness, connecting fitness activities with the benefits on mental health.
Tactic: Post testimonials or day in the life videos, showing how use of wellness services improves stress and mood for students.
Tactic: Collaborate with CAPS to promote events like yoga for stress, workshops centered on being mindful of your wellbeing, and fitness challenges.
Objective 3: Increase Campus Recreation social media engagement, including likes, shares, comments, and saves, by 30% by August 2026 by posting relevant and consistent content.
Objective 3: Increase Campus Recreation social media engagement, including likes, shares, comments, and saves, by 30% by August 2026 by posting relevant and consistent content.
Strategy: Use an interactive approach that is focused on students that will encourage participation and feedback from students.
Tactic: Post polls and opportunities for students to select what the next classes will be to involve them in decisions being made.
Tactic: Start monthly challenges that promote physical activity, where students can win free guest passes or other rewards.
Public Relations
Public Relations
PR Activity 1: Mind and Body Wellness Workshop
PR Activity 1: Mind and Body Wellness Workshop
The first PR activity is a mind and body wellness workshop. This activity would be set during a stressful academic period, such as midterms or finals. At this workshop, there would be a combination of demonstrations including yoga, stretching, and breathwork. These demonstrations would be led by certified instructors that would lead participants through short, accessible routines while also explaining the mental and physical benefits. These demonstrations would be set up in separate areas, where students can go to what activity would best benefit them.
Berkowitz (p. 570, 2022) writes about how event marketing is a promotional tool used to associate the organization with a certain activity. These types of events promote awareness, sales, and image enhancement, which are aspects that are vital to the success of Campus Recreation at IU Indianapolis (Berkowitz, p. 570, 2022). This activity is a great fit for the targeted audience of on campus students at IU Indianapolis because it is meant to improve the overall wellness of the students. This activity taking place during the most stressful times in the academic year displays that the services are available when students need them the most. A study done in 2019 displayed that a 6-week yoga and meditation intervention on college students caused for a significant decrease in stress scores and an increase in mindfulness (Lemay et al. 2019). With this activity, students can continue practicing the exercises learned on their own to positively impact their wellness. This will lead Campus Recreation to more members and an improved image amongst the students.
PR Activity 2: Free Weekly Service Session
PR Activity 2: Free Weekly Service Session
The second PR activity would be a free weekly mini session for a specific service being offered at Campus Recreation. These sessions would only be about 15 minutes and would include nutrition tips, cardio circuits, and care for after being active. These sessions would be led by the staff at Campus Recreation and would utilize the equipment, outdoor spaces, and the varying locations throughout the recreational center.
Berkowitz (p. 572, 2022) writes about how offering a free service can eliminate some of the risk that consumers associate with trying something new. Through doing this, the target market of on campus students wouldn’t feel like they are at a financial risk by trying the services offered at Campus Recreation. Additionally, the students would be prioritizing their wellness and motivated to continue using these services in the future. Research shows that female and younger students, specifically, feel intimidation when going to a gym (Rendall, 2024). With these mini sessions, students won’t feel like they are being judged or alone throughout learning new wellness activities, which could promote the services amongst students. With this, Campus Recreation will see an increase in new and involved members.
Social Media Plan
Social Media Plan
Platform 1: Instagram
Platform 1: Instagram
A large percentage of students at IU Indianapolis have Instagram as one of their social media platforms. There is a group solely designed for IU Indianapolis students on Instagram that could be used to further promote the posts by using the story feature.
On Instagram, reels and posts of trending fitness and wellness content will be posted, as well as weekly polls to gauge what the students will want to see. The polls will specifically be posted to the IU Indianapolis student story so that the results are as applicable as possible for students. There would be one reel and one post made during the week, specifically on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Fridays, the weekly poll will be made. The posts are intended to get more students involved in the decisions made for Campus Recreation, as well as showing that the organization is focused on relating its content to what students are likely interested in at the time. A study done in 2025 concluded that Generation Z customers appreciate involvement, relevancy, and authenticity from brands, which supports the initiative of these posts (Deepika & Massand, 2025).
Instagram Mockup #1 (Post)
Instagram Mockup #2 (Story)
Platform 2: TikTok
Platform 2: TikTok
Generation Z has a large presence on TikTok, and those same individuals make up much of the student body at IU Indianapolis. TikTok is a platform where posts tend to go viral, meaning that even one post gaining exposure could drastically increase the amount of overall engagement the account and facility gets.
On TikTok, workout tips, wellness tips, and student spotlight posts will be shared 4 times a week. The workout tips will be shared on Mondays and Fridays, the wellness tips will be shared on Thursdays, and the student spotlight will be posted every Wednesday. The fitness and wellness community is largely supported on TikTok, making the content fitting and likely to succeed on this platform. The posts will carry an encouraging tone, emphasizing that everyone is able to partake in fitness and wellness, even with the busy schedules of college students. A study done in 2025 revealed that TikTok marketing has a significant and positive effect on purchase intention, which supports the use of TikTok being used to market Campus Recreation to Generation Z (Aribtha & Salim, 2025).
TikTok Mockup #1 (Post)
TikTok Mockup #2 (Post)
Budget
Budget
This budget includes specific allocations for social media, event promotion, design services, software and tools, and public relations. The total monthly and yearly costs of these allocations are $1,617.98 and $14,908.93, respectively.
Evaluation
Evaluation
Metrics
The metrics that will be used to measure success from the marketing plan for Campus Recreation at IU Indianapolis will include website traffic, the amount of membership sign-ups, facility usage throughout the week, and engagement with the social media accounts on TikTok and Instagram. Website traffic will display the awareness and interest present amongst the intended audience of on campus students. There are specific metrics like page views and time spent on the site that will also show what the visitors are doing with their time on the site. For example, if there is an increased number of views for the membership details and sign-up page, there is likely an increased number of visitors looking to begin a membership at Campus Recreation. The amount of membership sign-ups would likely have some sort of correlation to the traffic on certain pages of the website, like the membership details and sign-up pages. With an increasing number of membership sign-ups, the marketing would show to be impactful for positive outcomes within the organization. Facility usage throughout the week would display an increase in membership usage, pointing to further prioritization of wellness amongst students. Lastly, engagement with the social media accounts for Campus Recreation will display a positive impact from the marketing plan. A study done in 2021 showed that the use of social media as a marketing tool increases consumer reach and produces better business outcomes (Dolega et al., 2021). These metrics are appropriate for the marketing plan, as the results will display the usage of the facility and its services by students of IU Indianapolis. If the marketing plan is successful, there will be an increase of the metrics previously mentioned.
Defining Success
Based on the SMART goals that were formed to measure the success of this marketing plan, there should be an overall increase of engagement and followers on the TikTok and Instagram accounts for Campus Recreation at IU Indianapolis if the marketing plan is successful. The posts that include wellness and workout tips, as well as those that are engaging for the intended audience, are likely to support these goals. A study completed in 2012 found that posts that are interactive and vivid will enhance the amount of engagement on the post (De Vries et al., 2012). The drafted posts for these platforms will increase the student engagement, as they are bright and interactive. An example of this would be the interactive nature of the polls posted to the Instagram story, as well as the visually appealing student spotlight posted to TikTok. These posts appeal to the aesthetic desired by the younger demographic of students, which will result in increased engagement and support of the social media accounts if executed properly.
Contingency Plan
If the marketing plan doesn’t produce desirable results, there will need to be changes made to increase the metrics used to measure success. If the website traffic is lower than desired, there needs to be adjustments made to the content present on the website to better support the search engine optimization. This might include making the information present on the website clearer, redoing the design of the website for easier navigation, and the potential for more advertisement on social media platforms. For membership sign-ups, a stagnate status may suggest that there is a discrepancy present amongst conversion. This may require a need for pricing clarity or the potential need for lower prices to increase conversion amongst students who take interest in Campus Recreation services. If those options are not feasible, there may need to be consideration or trial periods or referral discounting. If the engagement on the social media platforms does not increase, there will be a need to alter the content being posted. This may include increasing more personable content, more video content, or more interactive content to gauge what the students really want to see in the services. The contingency plan needs to ensure that the marketing plan is adaptable and driven by data from these metrics being measured. There will need to be monitoring regularly so that adjustments can be made in a timely manner, and trends can be recognized prior to repetition.
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