Google Ads for Schools: Do They Work?
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Been wondering how paid social and Google ads for schools work? Look no further. See how we collaborated with Malvern College to refine their social & PPC ad strategy, management, & reporting.
Project achievements
The Brief
Our role was to help Malvern College reach prospective parents in specific catchment areas and feeder regions.
Initially, this was needed to drive enquiries and applications by increasing visibility through paid social and PPC.
However, after a slew of unexpected school closures nearby, this paid social and PPC strategy also needed to support recruitment for open days and respond quickly to competitive sector changes.
The Approach
So, how did we go about it?
We started with an audit of their current paid social and PPC ads, followed by a social and Google Ads strategy, including:
• Persona workshop: Audience definition and expansion
• Channel review and analysis: Defining how their audience uses each platform
• Reviewing business objectives and translating to digital goals with KPIs for reporting
• Set up of top, middle, and bottom of funnel ad sets in line with RACE planning framework (reach, act, convert, engage) to deliver full funnel ad experience
With this foundation laid, we supported on the strategy, management, and bespoke reporting of:
• Social and Google Ads for schools: Driven by search query demand, audience targeting, and priority geographic locations
• Full funnel focus: The social ads were mainly prospective, focusing on top and middle-funnel engagement, while the Google Ads were full funnel, split between high-intent and prospecting
• Event-driven layering: Overlaying targeted, time-bound campaigns around key recruitment events, such as open days, to maximise conversions during high-intent periods
• Reactive and rapid-response activity: Targeted ads in response to local school closures, aiming to capture displaced students
• Test-and-learn campaigns: Different creative, audiences, and locations were tested over time to improve efficiency and efficacy – including a separate test approach for Malvern College Summer School
The Solution
With all paid social and PPC ads strategised, running, and collecting valuable information while attracting potential students and their parents, we were able to look forward to an ongoing solution:
• Always-on paid search and social programme: Making sure parents and students find Malvern College, no matter when they’re searching
• Periodic, event-based ad activity: Increasing ads as needed for seasons and events, e.g. open days
• Live access to reports and data: Consolidated monthly performance reports via Data Studio and expert commentary by Brew
• Continuous optimisation: Analysing each campaign to further improve the success rate of intent keywords, bids, audience targeting, etc.
In digital marketing, every day’s a school day – and Google Ads for schools can keep being improved as you go.
