A Strategic Partnership Approach to Growing a Diverse Graduate Engineering Portfolio
C A S E S T U D Y
A LEADING FACULTY OF ENGINEERING | CANADA
Overview
A leading faculty of engineering at an Ontario-based university is dedicated to training forward-thinking engineers and computer scientists, and works with top researchers in the field. With a focus on collaborative, interdisciplinary research and strong ties to industry, the faculty provides students with an education that balances theory and practice, preparing them to solve real-world problems and lead innovation on a global scale.
To support its growing graduate online programs, the faculty sought a strategic partner to manage its annual digital advertising campaigns. The primary challenge was to generate a consistent funnel of qualified leads and ultimately drive student enrollment in a competitive landscape for their three online graduate programs: a management-focused master’s, an artificial intelligence-focused master’s, and a digital transformation-focused master’s.
Project scope.
Goal
Overhaul the digital advertising strategy for the existing management-focused program while building and launching a complete marketing funnel from scratch to create demand, generate qualified leads, and drive enrollment for the new artificial intelligence and digital transformation programs. The scope included developing the entire customer journey, from ads and landing pages to email nurturing and system integrations.
Timeline
June 2023 - Present
Location
Ontario, Canada
Industry
Education
Services
Digital marketing strategy, email marketing, customer journey optimization, landing page development, pay-per-click advertising, social media advertising, A/B testing, ongoing optimization, and creative asset creation.
The challenge.
The Faculty’s existing management program was highly successful, but the departure of its former partner necessitated the formation of a new digital advertising team. This team would be tasked with sustaining the management program’s success, modernizing its funnel, refining its messaging, and boosting overall conversion rates. Furthermore, the Faculty required its new partner to develop and execute digital marketing campaigns for two new programs: an artificial intelligence program and a digital transformation program. The aim was to replicate the success of the management program, albeit with a budget of only 20% of the management program’s budget.
01
Modernizing a high-performing funnel
The established management program was already successful, but its marketing funnel required modernization to enhance conversion performance and integrate a full customer journey. The challenge was to carefully evolve the strategy and clarify messaging without disrupting the program's current success, ensuring a seamless transition that would build upon its strong foundation.
02
Launching two new programs
The new artificial intelligence and digital transformation programs had no existing market presence. A comprehensive digital marketing strategy had to be developed from scratch to generate awareness, create demand, and establish a qualified lead pipeline for a January 2024 launch.
03
Allocating budget strategically
The new artificial intelligence and digital transformation programs had one-fifth of the management program’s ad budget. This limited spend required a hyper-efficient and targeted strategy focused on maximizing return on investment to replicate the success of the flagship program, demanding meticulous planning to build momentum without the benefit of existing program recognition.
The solution.
Our partnership was grounded in a data-first methodology. We began with a deep dive into the competitive landscape and existing performance to set a clear baseline. From there, we developed detailed student personas and mapped their unique journeys to guide a tailored, full-funnel strategy for each program. This informed our agile execution process, where we launched, managed, and continuously optimized all campaigns with a focus on maximizing ROI and exceeding enrollment goals.
Full-funnel strategy & integration
We developed and implemented a complete customer journey for each program. This included creating the initial strategy, custom, mobile-first landing pages, writing and implementing new email nurture campaigns within their CRM and email marketing software, and ensuring seamless integration between all platforms to capture and nurture every lead effectively.
Multi-platform digital advertising
We launched integrated campaigns across Google, LinkedIn, and Meta (Facebook & Instagram) to engage prospective students at every stage of their journey. High-intent search and LinkedIn campaigns focused on capturing active applicants, while targeted social media campaigns built broad top-of-funnel awareness. We then used retargeting campaigns to re-engage and nurture warm traffic and existing leads. We developed unique creative and messaging to communicate the distinct value of each program, ensuring our strategy was tailored to both the platform and the specific audience.
Conversion-focused creative & copy
To translate ad clicks into qualified leads, we developed a complete suite of creative assets. This included writing persuasive, program-specific copy for all ads and landing pages, and designing visually compelling creative that resonated with distinct audience segments—from recent graduates to established professionals. We crafted every element to build trust and guide prospective students toward submitting an application.
Data-driven optimization
Our approach was rooted in continuous improvement. We performed rigorous monthly A/B testing on all campaign elements—from ad creative to landing page layouts—and conducted deep performance reviews. This allowed us to strategically reallocate budget and refine our tactics based on real-world data, maximizing ROI and exceeding enrollment targets.
The results.
20.21%
Year-over-year decrease in cost-per-enrollment for the management program.
6,000+
Marketing qualified leads generated within the first year of launching the artificial intelligence and digital transformation programs.
68.94%
Lower combined cost-per-admission for the artificial intelligence and digital transformation program in 2024 compared to the management program.
Complete Success
The artificial intelligence program is deemed a “complete success” by the Faculty team, bringing nearly as many students per cohort as the management program historically, with one-fifth of the marketing budget.
The key learnings.
Hyper-personalization is key to efficiency and lowering acquisition costs
By creating ad messaging for niche job titles and continuously A/B testing landing pages, we moved beyond broad targeting to speak directly to ideal candidates. This significantly lowered the cost-per-lead and increased on-page conversion rates.
An agile feedback loop between marketing and admissions is non-negotiable
Through constant communication with program directors and the admissions team, we identified real-time application trends and candidate quality feedback. This allowed us to adjust our strategy on the fly, ensuring our marketing efforts were always aligned with enrollment needs.
Automating the middle funnel is critical for converting qualified leads
By implementing targeted automations and timely email reminders about deadlines, coupled with retargeting ads, we increased the velocity at which leads moved from initial interest to completing an interview with an admissions team member. This proved that nurturing the middle of the funnel is just as important as generating the initial lead.
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