Bay Atlantic University student acquisition
A Google + Meta funnel from awareness to application for international applicants and programme-page SEO; application and CRM conversions tracked in a single measurement stack.
Where it started.
In higher education the decision process is long and multi-touch: the applicant searches the programme first, compares on social media, applies weeks later. When channels are measured separately each claims the same application and the budget decision goes wrong.
The international applicant pool also behaves very differently by country: search language, device, decision speed and programme preference all vary.
Step by step.
Measurement and attribution
Tracking application-form steps and leads landing in the CRM with GTM/GA4; channel-level reporting.
Programme- and country-based structure
Programme groups in Google Search/PMax, country- and interest-based lead campaigns on Meta; separate landing pages.
SEO programme pages
Keyword architecture based on applicant queries, programme content and FAQ sections.
Academic calendar budget
Budget allocation by enrolment periods; weekly optimisation and monthly strategy review.
What changed.
Channels are now managed as a single funnel sharing the same application; which country and programme really bring applications is visible and budget shifts accordingly.
Lessons.
- A lead ≠ an application. The person who fills the form and the one who completes the application aren't the same; optimising without measuring to the CRM misleads.
- The programme page is the landing page. A programme page written for SEO is also the best landing point for paid traffic.
- Country-level patience. In some markets decisions take weeks; don't cut the learning period short.
I wrote in detail on the blog about the thinking behind this case:
Shall we talk ?
I'd be glad to walk you through the details, the data and the decisions behind it.