Providence College Engages Stealth Visitors with Spotify-Powered Self-Guided Tours
About Providence College
Founded in 1917, Providence College is a private, Catholic university that serves over 4,000 undergraduate students located in Providence, Rhode Island. Their core mission emphasizes academic excellence as well as moral and ethical reasoning while fostering a welcoming, inclusive community that values the dignity and equality of all.
The Challenge:
In 2023, Providence College noted an exciting but challenging trend: campus visits had surpassed pre-pandemic records, with an increasing number of prospective students and families visiting outside of official university scheduled programming. Without the ability to personally guide these visitors or collect their information, Providence College risked missing key engagement opportunities with these stealth visitors.
The Solution:
Providence College implemented an innovative self-guided walking tour powered by Spotify and integrated into their Concept3D Interactive Map. This CASE award-winning solution used audio storytelling to deliver a curated campus experience accessible anytime, including weekends or holidays when staff were unavailable ensuring no barriers to entry.
“Using Concept3D’s mapping service became integral to how we executed this self-guided tour. The flexibility we have to print the map, embed it on native providence.edu pages, and even integrate Spotify tracks directly within the location descriptions gave us the ability to meet prospective students wherever they are.”
Christopher Judge, Live Event and Multimedia Producer
Turning Stealth Visitors Into Actionable Leads
With a direct Slate integration, Providence College was able to capture inquiries feeding them directly into their CRM, track visitor engagement, and adjust visit schedules based on peak times and trends.
“We’re able to see the days and times when the tour is most popular and use it to adjust our visit schedule. The data the tour provides us also allows us to better understand which applicants have spent time on campus and may be interested in us.“
Owen Bligh, Dean of Admissions
Results
The Spotify-powered walking tour generated impressive results within its first few months:
52 Form submissions per month
Converting stealth visitors into actionable leads
821 monthly spotify downloads
Attracting listeners across multiple episodes and sustaining steady growth over time.
Consistent engagement
during off-peak times like Sundays and holidays, with many visitors completing entire tours in one session
“In a society where we’ve come to expect both instant answers and visually pleasing engagement, Concept3D does both of these things and is an important tool for us to enroll our class.”
Owen Bligh, Dean of Admissions
Audio Storytelling
Narration by current students created a personal, authentic connection with listeners.
Seamless CRM Integration
Combined with Concept3D’s Interactive Map and Slate CRM, the tour enabled visitor tracking and student data collection.
Multi-Platform Access
Hosted on Spotify, the Providence College website, and a printed map, providing flexibility for all visitors.
Barrier-Free Experience
No need to scan QR codes or register—making it easier than ever for prospective students to explore campus.
Providence College’s Spotify-powered walking tour is a prime example of how digital platforms and innovative storytelling can transform stealth visitors into engaged prospective students. Interested in learning more about the innovative ways our partners are utilizing our solutions? Let’s have a conversation →
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