Scenario · Online education
An online course provider had struggled to connect learner recruitment to paid enrollment and had handled employer training inquiries in the same queue. We clarified course decision information, assigned follow-up by program and start date, and built a separate purchasing route for employer-funded cohorts.
$600 → $400
60 → 90, excluding employer-funded seats
2 → 5 signed contracts, reported separately from individual enrollment
Comparable reporting periods
In the baseline comparison, 600 qualified course inquiries produced 60 paid enrollments. Prospective learners found a course description but still needed clarification on workload, schedule and the next available start. Follow-up depended on who received the inquiry.
The work focused on cost per paid learner enrollment, paid learner enrollments, employer cohort contracts. Individual inquiry volume rose 25%; conversion improved by 2 percentage points; paid enrollment rose 50%. Cost per enrollment fell 33.3% because the same $36,000 marketing spend produced 90 rather than 60 enrollments.
Which activity helped cost per paid learner enrollment, and what happened at the next decision?
What we did
We rewrote course pages around delivery format, price, weekly commitment, entry requirements and start dates. We gave each program a relevant inquiry action and explained the next admissions step. Program content covered only learning and career outcomes the provider could substantiate within the scenario.
We agreed what counted as a qualified inquiry and a paid enrollment. We routed inquiries to an owner with the program and intended start date attached. Reminders and decision information helped suitable learners complete enrollment.
We created a separate employer training offer covering cohort size, delivery, reporting and purchasing. We assigned account follow-up and tracked qualified employer opportunities through signed contracts. Employer seats were kept out of individual acquisition reporting.
Cost per paid learner enrollment moved from $600 to $400. Paid learner enrollments moved from 60 to 90, excluding employer-funded seats. Employer cohort contracts moved from 2 to 5 signed contracts, reported separately from individual enrollment.
Individual inquiry volume rose 25%; conversion improved by 2 percentage points; paid enrollment rose 50%. Cost per enrollment fell 33.3% because the same $36,000 marketing spend produced 90 rather than 60 enrollments.
The employer route added three contracts and $36,000 in contracted value. Contract value was not recognized revenue or profit. These contracts and seats were excluded from the individual learner calculations. Employer outreach costs were outside the $36,000 individual learner marketing budget.
Activation meant the learner completed onboarding and started the first course activity within 30 days. It did not establish course completion, a credential, employment or a learning outcome. The example assumed the same $900 individual tuition price, comparable course mix and adequate delivery capacity in both windows.
Measurement window: Two comparable 12-week acquisition windows, followed by 30 days to assess learner activation. Employer contracts used the same acquisition windows.
Related reading
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Next step
If your budget conversation runs on impressions, that is the first thing we would fix.
