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 test prep company in New York runs classroom and online courses for graduate admissions tests. Its broad New York campaigns reach many people with no plans for graduate school. It wants an audience with a personal link to higher education.
The audience
The team chooses the Columbia University audience: 30,759 profiles engaging with the university's official fanpage, for $40. One in three profiles, 10,036, is in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, with 1,768 in Manhattan alone. Women lead with 43.8% versus 35.4% men. Email coverage is low at 2.2%, so the plan is built on paid social.
The plan
- Four geographic ad sets: Manhattan, the other boroughs, New Jersey and Connecticut, each pointing to the nearest classroom or to online classes.
- A free diagnostic test as the offer.
- No use of the university's name, logo or imagery in any ad.
The numbers (example)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Audience list | $40 |
| Ad spend | $3,000 |
| Creative | $600 |
| Team time (40 hours at $35) | $1,400 |
| Total cost | $5,040 |
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic test sign-ups (leads) | 410 |
| Cost per lead | $12.29 |
| Course enrollments | 24 |
| Customer acquisition cost | $210.00 |
| Revenue (24 × $1,200 course fee) | $28,800 |
| Return on campaign cost | 471% |
What the example shows
- Location turns a global brand into a local audience. A page with followers worldwide still gave this campaign a dense New York segment.
- Freshness supports ongoing campaigns. The page posts daily, so the audience stays current and can be refreshed for each test season.
- Brand respect is non-negotiable. Reaching an institution's followers never means borrowing its name.
Read the full Columbia University audience review, or explore education audiences.
