Overview
A private high school serving grades 9–12 came to us with a clear challenge: their digital marketing campaigns were running, but there was no visibility into what was driving real enrollment interest. While they were investing in Google and Meta Ads, there was no tracking, no optimization strategy, and ultimately, no measurable enrollment growth tied to their digital spend.
They knew parents were clicking—but they didn’t know who was converting, what actions parents were taking on the website, or how to improve performance.
SEO Tools & Software
Goals
- Implement GA4 and Google Tag Manager to track meaningful parent interactions.
- Establish conversion tracking across Google and Meta Ads.
- Actively optimize campaigns based on tracked data to increase inquiries and student enrollments.
- Deliver clear reporting on what marketing efforts were actually working.
Challenges
- No baseline data: The school had zero insight into campaign performance or on-site user behavior.
- Messaging wasn't tailored to parent concerns (academic reputation, safety, faith-based values, college placement).
- Conversion goals—like open house sign-ups and inquiry form fills—were not being tracked, making it impossible to optimize ads.
Our Strategy
We started by setting up a robust analytics foundation using GA4 and Google Tag Manager. This included:
- Tracking inquiry form completions, virtual tour bookings, and open house registrations as custom events.
- Creating distinct conversion paths specifically for parents to better align messaging and targeting.
- Connecting GA4 to both Google Ads and Meta Ads to allow for real-time performance insights and campaign attribution.
Once tracking was in place, we overhauled the school’s ad campaigns:
- Built intent-driven Google Ads campaigns focused on high-converting keywords like “college prep private high school” and “top private high school in [city].”
- Launched Meta Ad campaigns with parent-focused creative, highlighting testimonials, small class sizes, and scholarship opportunities.
- Used real conversion data to adjust targeting, ad copy, and budgets weekly for continual performance gains.
The Results
The impact was both immediate and meaningful:
Increase in Lead Volume
Decrease in Cost per Lead
Increase in Enrollment (YoY)
Results
Lead volume increased by 35%, with most inquiries coming directly from Google and Meta Ads.
Cost per lead dropped by 42%, maximizing the school’s limited marketing budget.
The school now has clear visibility into what campaigns and messages drive parent action, and a digital system that can scale year over year.
Fully implemented
Ongoing and data-driven
Analytics | GA4 | Google Tag Manager | PPC | Meta Ads | Conversion Tracking | Campaign Optimization | Private School Marketing | Enrollment Growth