51.6% Increase in Student Enrollments | Cost Per Lead Reduced by 49.7% | 4,453% Increase in Reach on Instagram

Introduction

The University of Bolton Islamabad (UOBI) launched a strategic digital marketing campaign for its January 2025 student intake. Combining paid advertising, organic social media marketing, and SEO, the campaign was designed to increase student inquiries, improve engagement across platforms, and convert leads into confirmed student enrollments.

With competition intensifying among private institutions and a tightening education market, UOBI needed to ensure its digital presence was both strong and efficient. This case study highlights the planning, execution, and success of that campaign.

The Challenge

– Low organic visibility on social media and search engines.
– Inefficient lead generation strategies from prior campaigns.
– Rising advertising costs and high cost per lead (CPL).
– Fragmented campaign efforts without cohesive integration between channels.
– Limited enrollment figures from previous intakes despite heavy marketing.

In September 2024, UOBI’s marketing efforts delivered only 31 confirmed enrollments with a cost per lead of PKR 319.20 — a signal that efforts needed to be reevaluated and restructured.

The Solution

To address these challenges, a multi-pronged digital strategy was designed across paid media, organic content, and SEO.

1. Social Media Advertising

– Customized Meta ad campaigns by program (MBA, LLB, Business, and Computing) and by region (Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Punjab, KP).
– Used video and carousel creatives showcasing student life, faculty, and success stories.
– Deployed remarketing and A/B testing to optimize CPL and engagement.
– Prioritized conversion-focused CTAs and tracked leads through custom forms.

Results:
– Total Paid Leads: 2,773
– MBA: 946 leads at PKR 124.89 CPL
– LLB: 427 leads at PKR 107.71 CPL
– Average CPL dropped to PKR 160.40 (from PKR 319.20)
– Total Ad Spend: PKR 444,822.88

**Insert Screenshot: Meta Ads Manager Breakdown**

2. Social Media Marketing (Organic)

– Managed daily posts, reels, and stories across Instagram and Facebook.
– Leveraged paid reach to expand visibility to non-followers.
– Focused on content formats that performed best: stories and reels.

Instagram Results (December 2024 vs. January 2025):
– Reach: 3,081 → 140,302 (+4,453%)
– Total Impressions: 67,476 → 394,720 (+485%)
– Profile Visits: +74.6%
– External Link Taps: +447%
– 93.6% of reach was to non-followers in January

**Insert Screenshot: Instagram Insights Before vs After Ads**

3. SEO & Organic Lead Generation

– Focused on optimizing program pages for target keywords.
– Implemented on-page SEO including improved meta tags, alt-text, schema, and internal linking.
– Increased indexed pages through consistent blog posting and faculty/staff profiles.

SEO Results:
– Organic Clicks: 9,200 (vs 3,950 in Sept 2024)
– Impressions: 182,000
– CTR: 5.1%
– Average Position: 15.1
– Organic Leads: 1,171

**Insert Screenshot: Google Search Console SEO Overview**

4. Enrollment Outcomes

– January 2025 Enrollments: 40 confirmed students
– September 2024 Enrollments: 31
– Early Sept 2025 Deposits (via Jan campaign): 7 students
– Total Deposits (Sept 2024 + Jan 2025): 78
– Key Programs:
• MBA: 9 students
• Computing: 8 students
• LLB: 6 students
• Cybersecurity (with Foundation): 3 students

This represented a 51.6% increase in confirmed students compared to the previous intake, with significantly improved cost-efficiency and tracking.

**Insert Screenshot: CRM/Admissions Dashboard with Intake Stats**

Conclusion

The University of Bolton Islamabad’s January 2025 intake campaign demonstrates the impact of well-integrated digital strategy. By aligning Meta Ads with organic marketing and SEO, the university was able to significantly reduce CPL while boosting enrollment numbers and platform engagement.

More importantly, this campaign laid the groundwork for future scalability, as the paid traffic contributed to both immediate enrollments and pipeline leads for the upcoming September intake. With continued investment in organic and paid performance marketing, UOBI is now better positioned to compete with regional educational institutions on digital fronts.