How we achieved a 9.56% lead to enrolment conversion rate through data-driven experimentation

data-driven experimentation

When Catalyst Education approached the Social Garden team to launch a 12-month digital advertising campaign for their RTOs, it was all hands on deck.

Tasked with generating a pipeline of qualified leads for Selmar Institute of Education and Practical Outcomes, we devised a campaign aimed at attracting the next generation of educators for the Certificate III and Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Our commitment to data-driven experimentation, coupled with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the education sector, laid the groundwork for a successful partnership leading to a huge 9.56% lead to enrolment conversion rate.

  • 9.56%
  • Lead to enrolment conversion rate
  • 13%
  • Reduction in cost per lead
  • 9.44%
  • Peak landing page conversion rate

The Team

Chamalee Karunanayake | Account Director

Holly Deakin | Account Manager

Ryan Benniston | Senior Designer

Nick Failla | Copywriter

Gemma Lawrence | Senior Copywriter

Georgia Worswick | Campaign Director

A multi-channel approach

Our campaign was marked by rigorous creative testing utilising Meta and the Google suite to engage potential students across platforms, ensuring no stone was left unturned in order to:

  • Ensure a steady pipeline of prospects, aligned with or surpassing existing conversion metrics
  • Provide monthly insights to refine lead quality and leverage creative performance across marketing channels
  • Tailor conversion journeys for each course, enabling precise optimisation
  • Highlight the unique selling points of Catalyst Education's RTOs

Finding success with continuous testing

The first five months of the campaign were pivotal, marked by significant learnings and optimisations driven by client feedback on lead quality. This period saw us continually honing our creative and strategic tactics, leading to the evolution of our landing pages.

Key experiments included:

  • Segmenting landing pages to specific traffic sources to create a hyper-relevant user experience
  • Testing a mix of emotional, outcome-based and value-driven headlines to establish which resonates best with prospective students
  • Strategic use of SMS verification to balance lead quality and volume
  • Diversifying the value exchange from a low barrier ‘course guide’ to high intent ‘enquire’ to create the optimal path to conversion and eventual enrolment

Finding success with continuous testing

"What made this campaign work was the great communication we had with Catalyst, allowing us to fine-tune and refine our strategies collaboratively. This 12-month campaign became a testament to the importance of insightful testing and continuous learning in the initial months, laying the groundwork for great results.”

— Chamalee Karunanayake
Account Director

Chamalee Karunanayake
Account Director

So, how did we do?


Over the course of the campaign, and after fast-tracking learnings from the first 5 months, we’re proud to have delivered these results for Catalyst Education.

9.56% Lead to enrolment conversion rate 13% Reduction in cost per lead 9.44% Peak landing page conversion rate

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