EXCELLED MONTESSORI
Fractional CMO | Marketing Audit | Research & Planning
project background
A fast-growing private daycare and preschool provider in San Antonio, ExcellED Montessori Plus had grown a successful single-location business by managing their own social media and digital campaigns. After the acquisition of a second location, they thought it was a good time to seek an audit by industry experts for feedback. The founder approached Robot Creative to analyze the effectiveness of its current marketing and propose an approach that he could maintain, implement and replicate as new locations came online.
marketing ad effectiveness
ROBOT began with a marketing audit that scrutinized existing advertising effectiveness to identify challenges in ExcellED’s preschool marketing funnel. The research concluded that ExcellED’s paid advertising should be more strategic in terms of both enrollment groups and timing to generate more qualified leads with less effort.
brand messaging
Then, ROBOT helped ExcellED better articulate its unique value proposition, or what differentiates its approach from other preschool providers in the region. This resulted in a refinement of ExcellED’s brand promise focused on its unique blend of educational approaches including Montessori and the Reggio Emilia Approach®; on the high quality of its instructors (most of whom have master’s degrees); on its approach to dual language learning; and on the needs of parents of preschool-age children in the specific neighborhoods where its schools are located.
social media and digital advertising
Prior to reaching out to ROBOT, ExcellED was already very active on social media and using paid post promotions and Google search and display ads. Robot’s research showed that that activity was driving a lot of views, but not many actual enrollment inquiries. Robot proposed a new, more targeted strategy focused on using each platform for a specific goal. The strategy included creating tailored, more targeted campaigns based on campus location, life stages and seasonality. This gave ExcellED more flexibility to run or pause ads based on the type of enrollment they needed at any given time. Robot also provided advice on blogging, email marketing and conversion tracking.
website audit
Analysis of ExcellED’s original website revealed an opportunity to upgrade its language, design, structure and usability. New messages focused on differentiating ExcellED from other preschools while original imagery and artwork reinforced the strategic concept that the school’s approach was all about meeting the individual needs of each student.
scalability
Having grown from just one location to two, in two different neighborhoods, each with different demographics and different needs, ExcellED was intent on having a strategy that was easily scalable as it continued to grow. Robot proposed a strategy and training that allowed ExcellED’s owner to easily adapt the implementation of the marketing strategy to new locations and launches. After taking over ads management and buying a third school (opening in 2023), ExcellED’s owner was able to successfully duplicate the ad campaigns and adjust the geography for the new school and use Google Analytics to confirm that his paid ads were driving enrollment inquiries.
results
The new ad campaigns were so successful in driving enrollment leads at one point that ExcellED had to temporarily turn them off as enrollment at the original location reached capacity.
“Whatever you all have done is working like magic, especially for Stone Oak. We have been inundated with leads – now need to find teachers.”
