University of South Australia Case Study

University of South Australia (UniSA) is Australia’s University of Enterprise. They have been marketing UniSA Online, a fully immersive digital undergraduate learning experience on LinkedIn since 2018. When they switched from a campaign-led approach to an always-on, full-funnel strategy in 2021, they saw significant uplifts in results across key metrics.

The Results

By switching from a campaign-led approach to an always-on, full-funnel strategy on LinkedIn, UniSA was able to reduce their cost per application by 21% without impacting lead quality.

“With a full-funnel strategy, we’re investing more in brand awareness and making sure that our messages are tailored to the audience journey. We’re seeing this investment pay off down the marketing funnel. We’re now able to drive leads with less retargeting, which has in turn lowered our cost per application by over 20%.”

Elle Martin
Marketing Manager
UniSA Online

Objectives

To drive enrolment for UniSA Online’s undergraduate degrees among mid-career professionals in a cost-effective manner
To clearly articulate the value of UniSA Online as a brand differentiator from other offerings in the market

Success factors

Messages tailored to audience journey: UniSA used emotional messages at the top of the funnel, including social proof in the form of student testimonials, to share its value proposition and spark interest. This was followed by rational messages at the bottom of the funnel to drive conversions
Journeying with prospects: While competitors typically market during enrolment season, UniSA’s consistent brand presence made it easier – and more cost effective – to convert warm audiences into quality enrolments

Approach

Used LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities to accurately identify audiences who are open to education and upskilling opportunities
Adopted an always-on, full-funnel marketing strategy to meaningfully and consistently engage audiences
Served a mix of Video and Single Image Ads, using A/B testing to optimise creative performance
Retargeted engaged audiences for lead conversion

The University of South Australia (UniSA) is Australia’s University of Enterprise. With more than 37,000 students and 2,900 staff, it is South Australia’s largest university and one of the very best young universities in the world, educating global professionals ready to create and inspire change, through more than 200 world-class degrees. UniSA delivers outcomes-focused research that is inspired by global challenges and opportunities, to deliver economic and social prosperity. View company page.

Headquarters: Adelaide, Australia | No. of Employees: 1,001 – 5,000 | Industry: Higher Education

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