Finding Audiences on Facebook. There was no doubt that CAHE’s audience existed on the Meta Ads platform – it was just a question of finding them. Through a range of structured audience tests OM considered lookalikes, geotargeting, age and gender targeting, interest targeting, and more. Audience learnings from Facebook could then easily be applied as Google Ads demographics targets.

Optimizing for Deep Funnel Lead Quality. It’s not enough to just get a form filled – the applicant needs to be local, interested, and informed. OM found that some campaigns that looked effective “on paper” such as those using Facebook’s Lead Ads creative format actually did not generate leads that converted into students. It was important to measure not just CPA (cost per acquisition) across channels but also channel-specific lead quality to allocate budget correctly.

Lead Nurturing. Staying top of mind with interested visitors is key to maximizing conversions. OM maintained an effective remarketing and retargeting campaigns on Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram to stay top of mind to prospective visitors with relevant banners. Additionally, OM deployed marketing automation to send automated email drips to prospective students that started filling an application form but did not complete the form; these automated drips helped increase student applications.

Seasons and Programs. Like most education marketers, CAHE had seasonal needs for budget allocation and lead targets. CAHE also had goals specific to each course in terms of target volume and start date. For an agency like OM, it is a challenge to keep core programs stable while also being nimble. Leveraging slow-and-steady channels like SEO allowed CAHE to keep leads flowing in all year, while burst channels like Facebook and Google Display allowed fast focus on specific programs and seasons.