How a Melbourne online course cut cost per enrolment by 47%
An online course provider was growing, but rising ad costs were eating into profit. We rebuilt campaigns, improved the checkout and added video ads that pre-sold the course.
-47%cost per enrolment
2.2xenrolments
5.1xreturn on ad spend
The challenge
Cost per enrolment had climbed above A$180, and only 1.8% of checkout visitors completed their purchase.
The goal
Double monthly enrolments while bringing acquisition costs under A$100.
The journey, stage by stage
- Stage 1 · Weeks 1 to 2
Audit and discovery
We analysed ad accounts, checkout drop-offs and student survey feedback.
- Ad account and audience audit
- Checkout funnel analysis
- Survey of 300 past students
- Stage 2 · Weeks 3 to 6
Campaign rebuild
Search and Performance Max campaigns were rebuilt around course outcomes students care about.
- Outcome-led ad copy
- Audience signals from past students
- Separate campaigns for each course
- Stage 3 · Months 2 to 3
Checkout optimisation
We simplified checkout and added reassurance where students hesitated.
- Checkout cut from 3 steps to 1
- Payment plans shown upfront
- Student reviews added at checkout
- Stage 4 · Months 3 to 4
Video and scale
Short student story videos warmed up audiences before retargeting.
- 8 student story videos
- Video retargeting sequences
- Budget scaled on best performers
The results
Before and after our work, measured in the numbers that matter to the business.
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per enrolment | A$186 | A$98 | -47% |
| Monthly enrolments | 140 | 310 | +121% |
| Checkout conversion rate | 1.8% | 3.4% | +89% |
| Return on ad spend | 2.3x | 5.1x | +122% |
We're enrolling more than twice as many students, and every dollar works harder. The checkout changes alone paid for the project.