From cold call to core partner: engineering a student acquisition system

When Kangan first engaged us, education marketing ran on traditional awareness channels: reach without visibility into what actually drove performance. With more than 145 courses and a broad, diverse audience, the challenge was understanding which messages, channels and course propositions produced real leads, and where investment should go next. Caroline Schmidt was pushing for an accountable model with clearer attribution, and emerging channels like TikTok offered a first-mover advantage for whoever was structured enough to take it.

A social ads audit evolved into a full-funnel engine across paid media, creative, Eloqua, email, SMS, retargeting and reporting. Early wins on underperforming courses and sharpened Google activity built the confidence that unlocked further digital investment, and Kangan made history as the first TAFE in Australia to advertise to prospective students on Meta, a head start that shaped its position as the sector’s digital-first leader.

As the stack matured we attacked the black-box problem: end-to-end reporting, better attribution and UTM alignment through the 2024 DSR portal migration. When Reels and TikTok became mainstream for Kangan’s audience, the creative model shifted native and video-first, delivering a record-low TikTok CPL of $10.25 on a hero campaign. A multi-channel Eloqua nurture across email, SMS and retargeting aligned message, timing and channel with student intent, all run as one team on shared KPIs, live reporting and open accountability.

Twelve years of continuous growth, and a student acquisition engine now generating 10,000+ leads annually at under $45 CPA, with attribution strong enough to shape decisions on channels, messaging and where the next opportunity sits. Marketing moved from external cost centre to accountable institutional asset.