As Richard Bland College Approaches Independence Its Digital Engagement Surges

For Immediate Release: May 29, 2025

Contact: Jesse Vaughan, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer/jvaughan@rbc.edu

With its official independence fast approaching on July 1, Richard Bland College (RBC) is wrapping up over 60 years of partnership with William & Mary on a high note. Notably, RBC’s “Take a Giant Step to Richard Bland College” awareness campaign has garnered impressive metrics.

“RBC Marketing & Communications work hand-in-hand with Admissions by aligning messaging, outreach strategies and data-driven insights to attract, engage and convert prospective students—ensuring a seamless journey from first impression to enrollment,” said Jesse Vaughan, RBC Chief Communications & Marketing Officer. “Thank you to our outstanding collaborators and partners for facilitating the work we do to highlight all RBC has to offer to prospective students and their families.”

Since the start of the awareness campaign in late April, below is the breakdown of the College’s impressive digital engagement:

• More than 1,402,100 YouTube views

RBC is now the state’s most-viewed two-year college on YouTube. To date, the College’s videos have garnered more than 6,674,530 YouTube views. Namely, RBC’s YouTube view count trumps Tidewater Community College—the second most-viewed two-year college in Virginia—by nearly one million views.

• Over 100,200 META (Facebook and Instagram) video views
• 18.6 million total social media impressions (defined as the number of times a digital ad is displayed on a user’s screen, regardless of whether it is clicked or interacted with)
• The average time spent on the RBC website increased to 172 seconds (2 minutes and 52 seconds)—a jump from 137 seconds (2 minutes and 17 seconds) the year prior. The mark also eclipses the national average, which is 2 minutes and 13 seconds. For May alone, more than 32,880 users have already visited the site, putting RBC on pace to reach more 38,000 visits by month’s end.
• 48,000 click-throughs with a clickthrough rate of 0.26 percent (the percentage of people who click on a specific link or advertisement after seeing it). This is well above the industry norm, which typically ranges between 0.02 and 0.10 percent.

These results demonstrate RBC’s rising, independent profile and the effectiveness of its outreach strategy in reaching prospective students, families and the broader community.

“Our success in Admissions is amplified by the strategic partnership with RBC Marketing & Communications,” RBC Chief Enrollment Management Officer Justin May said. “When we connect with students through messaging that truly reflects who we are and what we offer, we build trust, remove barriers and help them picture themselves here.”