Sunnybank Tutoring Centre — Meta Ads
A tutoring centre tripled enrolments by targeting school-age families on Meta with free assessment offers.
TL;DR
- Challenge:
- A Sunnybank tutoring centre at 33% capacity because schools banned flyer distribution — no digital marketing.
- Approach:
- Meta ads targeting parents, free assessment funnel, seasonal NAPLAN + exam prep campaigns.
- Result:
- +267% student enrolments (40 → 147), assessment bookings up 633%, cost per enrolled student $45.
Key Results at a Glance
+267%
Student enrolments
+633%
Assessment bookings
$45
Cost per enrolled student
Client Context
Business Type
Private tutoring centre (K-12)
Founded
2015
Team Size
12 tutors + admin
Market
Brisbane south (Sunnybank, Runcorn, Mount Gravatt)
Revenue Tier
$580K annual revenue → $1.4M
Stack Before
Flyers at school gates (schools banned), Facebook page, no ads
The Challenge
The centre had 40 students and room for 120. All marketing was flyers at school gates — which schools were banning. No digital presence, no way to reach parents where they spend time: Facebook and Instagram.
Goals & KPIs
North-Star Metric
Fill centre capacity (120 students) within 5 months with cost per enrolment under $60
Supporting KPIs
Student enrolments
Target: 120+
Free assessment bookings/month
Target: 20+
Cost per enrolled student
Target: Under $60
Meta ROAS
Target: 4x+
Assessment-to-enrolment rate
Target: 60%+
Discovery & Research
Audit Findings
- •No digital marketing infrastructure
- •Flyer distribution banned by schools
- •No email list or CRM
- •Facebook page dormant
- •No landing page
Baseline Issues
- •40 enrolments
- •33% centre capacity
- •3 assessment bookings/month
- •No lead generation system
Competitor Insight
Top Brisbane tutoring centres ran Meta ads with free assessment funnels, targeting parents in specific school catchments.
Audience Insight
Brisbane parents research tutoring 6-8 weeks before NAPLAN (March) and QCS (September) — seasonal spikes drive 60% of yearly enrolments.
Strategy
Core Hypothesis
“If we run Meta lead ads with free assessment funnel timed to NAPLAN + QCS cycles, then enrolments will 3x because parents make tutoring decisions in seasonal windows.”
Positioning Shift
Repositioned as "Sunnybank's specialist NAPLAN + QCS tutoring centre — start with a free assessment".
Channel Mix
Meta lead gen — parents · 55%
Precision targeting parents
Free assessment funnel · 25%
Conversion + qualification
Seasonal campaigns · 15%
NAPLAN + QCS spikes
Retargeting · 5%
Assessment no-shows
Our Approach
Meta ads targeting parents
Targeted parents of school-age children within 10 km of Sunnybank — using interest targeting for private schooling, tutoring, and academic achievement.
Free assessment funnel
Created a free diagnostic assessment offer as the lead magnet — parents book online, the child sits a 30-minute assessment, and the centre presents a learning plan.
NAPLAN & HSC content
Ran seasonal campaigns around NAPLAN prep (March) and QCS/exam prep (September) — the two peak enrolment windows for tutoring in Queensland.
Phased Roadmap
Weeks 1–3
Foundation
- →Meta pixel + audience setup
- →Free assessment landing page
- →Booking flow + assessment SOP
- →Parent-focused ad creative
Weeks 4–12
Launch (NAPLAN cycle)
- →Meta ads targeting parents in Brisbane south
- →Free assessment offer
- →Enrolments: 40 → 82
- →Assessment bookings: 3 → 15/month
Weeks 13–20
Scale (QCS cycle)
- →QCS-specific campaigns
- →Retargeting no-shows
- →Referral incentive for existing families
- →Enrolments: 147 (capacity reached)
What We Built
The Results
Cumulative Student Enrolments
Before vs After — 5 Months
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student enrolments | 40 | 147 | +267% |
| Assessment bookings | 3/month | 22/month | +633% |
| Cost per enrolled student | N/A (flyers) | $45 | $45 |
“The free assessment converts at 68%. Parents see the learning gaps, and the enrolment sells itself.”
Jenny L.
Director, Tutoring Centre
Key Insights
- →Free assessment converted 68% to paid enrolment — parents want to see gaps first
- →Meta ads targeting parents in specific postcodes had 3.2x ROAS
- →Seasonal timing multiplied enrolments — NAPLAN (Feb-Mar) + QCS (Aug-Sep)
- →Referral incentives from existing families cut CAC by another 40%
What's Next
Expanding into a second Brisbane south location, adding online tutoring, and launching a scholarship program for community goodwill.
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Services Used
Representative case study. Figures illustrate the type of outcomes achievable through these strategies for Australian businesses; individual results vary based on market, budget and starting position.