Paid ads for colleges, course providers and tutors
I led a campaign that won Gold for Best Use of Digital in the Education Sector at the Digital Impact Awards 2025. I've run student recruitment for a UK university and course providers, and I know how enrolment cycles work.
Who I work with
- Further education and sixth-form colleges
- Training and course providers
- Access to HE and adult learning
- Tutors and tuition centres
- 11+, GCSE and A-level tuition
Course and enrolment campaigns
Education marketing runs on deadlines: September and January intakes, application closing dates, open days and results days. I plan budgets around those moments rather than spreading spend evenly across the year:
- Google Search for people actively comparing courses, such as "access to HE diploma", "evening accounting course" or "part-time counselling course".
- Meta Ads for open days, events and reaching adult learners and parents who aren't searching yet.
- Remarketing to bring back people who viewed a course but didn't apply.
- Tracking to application, not just to brochure downloads, so spend follows real enrolments.
Award-winning result: the education campaign I led achieved a cost per acquisition of £22.41, 53% below target, and 1,146% ROI. It won Gold at the Digital Impact Awards 2025.
Tutors and tuition centres
Tuition demand peaks before exams and in the run-up to the 11+. East London and Essex have strong 11+ demand, with Redbridge grammar schools in Ilford and Woodford and the Essex selective schools consortium. Searches like "11 plus tutor Ilford" or "GCSE maths tutor Romford" are highly local, so campaigns need careful geographic targeting and ads aimed at parents.
Advertising to young people
Google and Meta restrict how you can target under-18s. For most tuition and many college courses, the right audience is parents. For adult courses, it's career changers and returners. I build targeting around who actually makes the decision.
Common questions
When should a college start advertising for September?
Usually in spring for awareness and open days, with the biggest push in summer as applications peak. For January starts, from October. I'll plan a calendar around your intake dates.
Is Google Ads worth it for a private tutor?
Often yes, especially for 11+, GCSE and A-level tuition in a defined local area. Budgets can be modest because targeting is so local. I'd usually suggest starting around £750 a month.
How quickly will I see results?
Enquiries can start in the first week, but most accounts need four to eight weeks for the platforms to learn and for me to cut wasted spend. By about three months you should have a clear picture of cost per lead and where to scale. Anyone who promises instant results is guessing.
What does the free PPC audit include?
I review your account structure, keywords and search terms, ads, bidding, audiences, conversion tracking and landing pages. You get a written report within five working days showing where money is being wasted and what I'd fix first, plus a call to talk it through. It's free with no obligation. You can use it with me, with someone else, or yourself.
Find out where your ad spend is leaking
Get a free, no-obligation audit of your Google, Microsoft or Meta Ads. You'll get a written report and a call to walk through it. Use it with me or without me.