Thrive Services Used
Google Ads
(PPC Advertising)
Meta Ads (Facebook
& Instagram)
Project Overview
A well-established early childhood education franchise sought to increase student enrollment across multiple locations in a competitive market. Although the schools offered high-quality programs and maintained strong reputations within their communities, they struggled to attract new families due to an increasingly saturated childcare landscape.
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency launched and managed digital advertising campaigns to improve visibility. The team combined high-intent paid search with social media awareness strategies to help the client reduce lead acquisition costs and boost conversions. As a result, the client achieved a 223% increase in total conversions and brought their cost per lead down from $160 to $110.
The Results
+223%
Google Ad Conversions
-10%
Cost Per Conversion
+10.4K
Paid Search Conversions
+15M
Paid Social Media Impressions
With increasing competition from in-home providers, boutique preschools and large childcare chains, the client faced growing difficulty standing out despite a proven track record of quality education. Thrive addressed this challenge head-on by deploying a high-performance digital advertising strategy, producing these results:
Google Ads Performance
- Conversions: +223%
- Cost per conversion: -10%
- Conversion rate: +7%
Cost Per Lead Optimization
The client originally set a target cost per lead (CPL) of $160, with each lead defined as a scheduled tour at one of their schools. Thrive’s campaigns quickly outperformed this benchmark:
- The CPL dropped to $110, prompting a significant increase in advertising investment returns.
- Following a $100K+ increase in ad spend, the CPL temporarily rose due to expanded reach and experimentation with broader audience segments.
- Thrive then applied advanced optimizations to bring the CPL back down to a stable $140.
These results proved that even in a saturated childcare market, smart digital advertising drives meaningful performance improvements.
The Execution
To help the client rise above a crowded early education landscape, Thrive executed a full-funnel strategy centered around Google Ads and Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram). Each platform served a distinct purpose in driving enrollment activity while supporting long-term visibility.
Google Ads
Thrive launched geo-targeted Google Ads campaigns to connect with parents actively searching for childcare options. With keyword targeting aligned to phrases like “preschool near me” and “daycare in [city],” the campaigns appeared at the precise moment families were ready to schedule a tour.
Using conversion tracking and budget controls, Thrive continuously optimized these ads for efficiency. This resulted in higher conversion rates and lower costs per lead.
Meta Ads
In parallel, Thrive leveraged Meta Ads to reach parents scrolling through social media. While these users weren’t actively searching, they were still highly influential decision-makers.
The campaigns highlighted the schools’ unique value through videos, photos of classrooms and activities and parent testimonials. The goal is to build familiarity and emotional connection over time. These ads kept the brand top-of-mind and nurtured interest well before parents took action.
Integrated Funnel Strategy
Together, both platforms worked in tandem to deliver a balanced enrollment engine:
- Google Ads delivered immediate inquiries from ready-to-act parents.
- Meta Ads nurtured ongoing interest, expanding reach and building trust with families earlier in their decision journey.
This combination of direct-response and brand-building tactics gave the client the competitive advantage to improve lead volume and support enrollment growth
across locations.
