Illustrative scenario: The company in this case study is hypothetical, and its budget and results are example numbers chosen to show the method. The audience data is real: it comes from the QualifiedLead system and from our published audience review.

The challenge

A mid-sized English centre runs IELTS courses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Broad social ads bring plenty of clicks from people who are curious about English but have no test date. The centre wants learners who are already preparing.

The audience

The team chooses the IELTS Forecast Group audience: 12,735 profiles from a Facebook Group that shares IELTS forecasts, for $30. The data fits the centre almost exactly: 55.6% of profiles with a birthday are aged 18–30, and the two largest locations are Ho Chi Minh City (2,675) and Hanoi (2,237), almost level. Only 9.4% of profiles include an email, so the plan leads with paid social targeting.

Motorbikes on a tree-lined street in Hanoi
With Hanoi almost level with Ho Chi Minh City in this audience, the centre splits its budget evenly between the two cities. Photo: Unsplash.

The plan

  1. Upload the list as a custom audience and split it into a Hanoi ad set and an HCMC ad set.
  2. Offer a free online mock test with band-score feedback, collected through the centre's own consent form.
  3. Follow up for 30 days with study tips and a course offer. See The First 30 Days.

The numbers (example)

Campaign cost
ItemCost
Audience list$30
Ad spend$800
Creative$200
Team time (20 hours at $20)$400
Total cost$1,430
Results and unit economics
MetricValue
Mock test sign-ups (leads)260
Cost per lead$5.50
Course enrollments18
Customer acquisition cost$79.44
Revenue (18 × $350 course fee)$6,300
Return on campaign cost341%

What the example shows

  • Intent does the heavy lifting. The list cost $30, about 2% of the campaign. Its value is that every profile came from a group built around the exam.
  • Split by city from day one. In this audience the two cities are almost equal, so neither should subsidize the other.
  • Use the list soon. The group's activity is low (53 posts a month), so the intent behind the list is ageing.

Read the full IELTS Forecast Group audience review, or explore education audiences.