From building a community on social media to spending hours finding the right target audience, you’ve done it all. But have they reaped the results you have always wanted?
Analyzing success in education advertising is a challenging task. There is more to it than simply checking if student enrollments have increased. Building an image around your education service for prospects is one. And everybody’s favorite- cutting down on budget. Looking at numbers where you’re spending more than what you receive is not the best scenario you want to find yourself in.
But if looking at massive piles of data intimidates you, you’re not alone. It all comes down to consolidating your goals and comparing them with the outcomes. Let’s go over how you can measure success in education advertising with this blog.
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Why is measuring success so important?
You’ve probably found yourself questioning the need to check metrics. The targeting is right, and you’ve spent days on the ad creative- what’s all the hassle about now? Well, it doesn’t always go the way we initially thought it would.
Consumer psychology is complicated. What we thought was an extraordinary exception could just be vanilla. It could be generic courses, an outdated syllabus, or inaccurate education campaigns. Many things could go wrong, and prompt action will be the only thing to save you.
Measuring success gives you hard evidence of what seems to be working in your education advertising. You’ll know why a campaign succeeded and what could be done better, making it easier to plan your next steps. Proving the value of advertising activities and their impact on business is extremely essential in today’s world.
The goals you desire matter
Success is what you make it out to be. It can generate leads with your education advertisement. Getting sign-ups from a brochure download. Or generating awareness through a campus billboard campaign. But doesn’t that sound rather vague?
Setting goals begins at the earliest stage of education ad campaigns. But the important thing is to keep them SMART. Your goals should convey a clean and tidy image that doesn’t get lost as soon as you move forward. Let’s expand on it a bit.
Specific goals clearly articulate the outcome and chosen path of your campaign, making it easier to be on the same page.
Measurable goals play with the quantifiable numbers. They make it easier to track progress and answer the question of ‘How much?’.
Achievable goals keep things realistic and ensure that what you’re aiming for is possible. If the goal is not doable when it concerns your resources, it will only result in disappointment.
Relevant goals work parallel to your education business’ overall goals. The big picture is what you need to look at here.
Time-bound goals give a deadline to your campaigns. When you want to advertise education institutes, the admission season is what you must play at.
Think of something like, ‘From our online course advertising, we want to accomplish a target of 250 application form submissions by the last day of December. Our strategy will focus on social media and PPC advertising channels with the CPA (cost-per-action) pricing model. The major metrics will be the conversion rate, ROAS (return on ad spend), number of website visitors, and bounce rate.’
Such goals clearly state the desired outcome, advertising channels to use, and significant metrics, and will be easily quantifiable at the end of the campaign- giving weight to all your education advertising efforts.
KPIs that complement your goals
Have you hit the nail on with your education advertising? You can find the answer in your KPIs or key point indicators.
It is no secret that KPIs drive and detect the analytical part of your advertising—the goals you’re achieving, the ones you’re exceeding, and the ones you’re falling behind on. But you don’t have to go ahead monitoring every single thing. Only KPIs that are complementary to your goals matter, and that’s what you need to focus on.
Let’s take a look at the major KPIs you need to track.
Impressions
Impressions refer to the total number of users that come across your ads from education advertising campaigns. This metric forms the base when your goal is to build brand awareness of your education services. The more views your ad has, the better awareness your ads are getting.
At times, it can be associated with her CPM or cost-per-mile price model, where advertisers pay for every 1000 impressions. So if your goal is to build awareness before the admission season starts, having impressions as your KPI can work well.
Click-Through-Rates (CTR)
CTR measures the number of people who have clicked on your ad, whether from PPC ads, social media ads, email ads, or any other advertising channel. However, a high CTR with low clicks from prospective audiences will get you nowhere. The key is to note whether the clicks are from legitimate audiences that can turn into leads.
So, if you’re advertising for a kindergarten school, clicks from parents will matter the most. But if it’s an online course on data analytics, clicks from college graduates and corporate professionals will be the priority.
Website Session
Website session includes the number of visitors to your website and how they interact with it. It begins when your ads navigate them to your website with a click and ends when they leave. Every web page view, interaction, or transaction within that time frame can be viewed- making it easier to understand their behavior.
If your website has a high website session rate from prospective students, you can rest assured that your education advertising is working. Heavy website traffic and interactions are what you need to aim for. This can also give you a look into whether your website content is relevant enough.
Inquiries
Not directly related to campaign analytics, but equally important to measure the success of your education advertising. The inquiries you receive consist of a warm audience well aware of your education services. Think of them as leads that can be nurtured into customers by solving their queries.
Suppose you get an inquiry about the payment methods for your course. You’ll know they’re considering your services and can be turned into paying clients with enough convincing. Tracking inquiries can also help you figure out the number of leads you have lost.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate measures the number of people who have completed an action that you set for your campaign. In the case of education advertising, this can be E-Book downloads, Free Education Material, Newsletters, Form Submissions, and Event Registrations.
Check up on your landing pages and offers if you feel like your conversions are not hitting the desired target.
Applications and Enrollment
The very obvious- applications and enrollment. The number of people who applied for a course, the number of people who purchased it, and the number of people who backed out at the last minute.
It’s crucial to know where you stand in terms of your target and where you could have reached. If there were any obstructions in the way, and how they could have been avoided? They’re the ultimate reflections of whether your advertising efforts did what they were supposed to do.
Return on Investment (ROI)
The return on investment is what keeps your advertising (and business) going. It’s an overall measure of the revenue you’ve generated in comparison to the spending, signifying success in advertising efforts.
The ROI metrics you need to keep an eye on for education advertising are-
- Cost per Lead
- Cost per Inquiry
- Cost per Acquisition
- Return on Ad Spend
The Bridge between Goals and KPIs
The bridge between the goals you’ve set and the KPIs you’ll eventually measure is an uncertain one. It can be narrow with thorns and bushes, ready to fall off. Or it can be wide and free, steadily holding on to the ropes. But what is this bridge that we’re talking about exactly?
The good news is, there’s no physical bridge you need to cross that has the chance to fall off. Rather, it’s a bridge carrying the weight of alternative factors that contribute to education advertising success. It can be:
- The budget allotted for marketing campaigns. A flexible budget can afford better bids. However, a packed budget will need careful utilization to avoid overspending.
- The accuracy in targeting. Demographics, location, and online behavior determine whether your ads for education services are shown to users who need them.
- Availability of real-time analytics to make quick changes while the campaign is still live and going.
- Engaging content and visuals that attract. The more creative and original your education advertising campaign is, the better engagement it will get.
- The education industry and its trends. For instance, an online course on shoe-making has more potential in the industry than a data analytics one.
Conclusion
Finding success in an industry as crowded as education is challenging in itself. It’s a long-term process that requires extreme attention and patience. You won’t generate desired results in a day, or even within a month.
What you consider success depends on you. It can be as little as getting a hundred impressions on your ad within a day. But the important thing is to keep increasing the standard of your success. Continuous testing and clever optimization will one day lead you towards your goals—even exceed them. Online education creative ads are in abundance, and taking inspiration from them will prove to be extremely helpful for your advertising.
And if you still need help, 7Search PPC is there for you. From connecting you with relevant education websites to a detailed analytical dashboard that will not disappoint, we’ve got you covered from all sides.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why are SMART goals so relevant?
Ans: Smart goals give your campaigns a direction. Once you have better clarity of what your ultimate goal is, organizing your campaign will become smoother.
What analytical tools can I use to review my education advertising campaigns?
Ans: To review your campaigns effectively, you can utilize the reporting features of Google Analytics or 7Search PPC. With a detailed dashboard and real-time analytics, you’ll know what’s working and what should be changed.
How can I better nurture my leads?
Ans: You can nurture your leads better by promptly replying to their queries, sending personalized messages, and using persuasive language. Following up frequently and giving them a call once in a while can also work well.
How often should I check the performance of my campaigns?
Ans: You should check the performance of your education advertising campaigns at least once a week or month. However, a time-sensitive campaign should be checked daily.
I’m still confused about my advertising. What now?
Ans: If you’re still confused about advertising, our support team at 7Search PPC is available 24/7 to help. You can also register with us as an advertiser and access powerful services for your advertising.