Scaling Okanagan College’s Career-Focused Enrollment With Data-Driven Advertising

About Okanagan College

Industry: Post-Secondary Education

Okanagan College is a respected institution in British Columbia, focused on delivering hands-on, career-focused education that prepares students to transition quickly into the workforce. With campuses across the Okanagan region, the college offers a diverse range of programs, from trades and technology to business and health sciences. All of its programs are designed to meet evolving industry needs and support community development.

The Solution

Ballistic Arts offered Lead Generation | PPC & Digital Ads | Content Production – Lead Magnets

We developed a flexible, data-driven digital ad strategy focused on conversion. By launching and refining Meta and Google Ads campaigns, we provided Okanagan College with a steady stream of prospective students while learning what messages and creative elements produced results.

– Robert W., Digital Marketing Account Manager

Because enrollment needs shift constantly, we tailored campaigns to specific programs. Each had its campaign, allowing us to adjust focus throughout the year as course availability, deadlines, or priorities changed. This flexible approach enabled the team to adjust spending, modify messaging, or swap assets quickly, all without impacting overall performance.

To bridge the tracking gap, we implemented a custom approach using unique button formats on the website that carried UTM parameters across Google Analytics 4 (GA4) entities. This allowed us to accurately track lower-funnel actions, such as clicks on “Apply Now,” “Book with a Recruiter,” or “Call” buttons. We were able to get strong visibility into performance, even without access to the application platform itself.

A/B testing played a central role in campaign refinement. We tested different copy and visuals at the program level, quickly learning what resonated best.

By measuring actions such as phone calls lasting over 60 seconds, clicks on recruitment tools, and interactions with application buttons, we confidently optimized for meaningful engagement, not just clicks. In 2025, the strategy expanded to include lead magnets and email flows, enabling the recruitment team to follow up with warm leads through direct outreach.

Key Success Factors

The Results

Our marketing strategies delivered a measurable impact. By combining flexible ad campaigns, testing, and tracking workarounds, we helped Okanagan College reach and engage high-intent prospective students more efficiently and at scale.

• 13,000+ conversions from March 2024 to December 2024

• 68% decrease in cost-per-conversion in 2024, from $15.90 in Q1 to $5.14 in Q4

• $2.95 average cost-per-conversion so far in 2025

• 1,161 average monthly conversion actions, including phone calls, recruiter bookings, and “Apply Now” clicks

• 315,000+ total ad clicks across all campaigns

Breaking Down Our Approach

Adapting to Shifting Program Priorities

One of the first challenges we tackled was the College’s evolving program focus. Throughout the year, key courses changed based on enrollment numbers and intake windows. 

We built a modular campaign structure across Meta and Google Ads that allowed us to quickly pivot spend, adjust creative, and relaunch ads within days of a change. 

This agility allowed Okanagan College to stay visible to prospective students in real time, regardless of how quickly their priorities shifted.

Creative and Copy A/B Testing

We continuously ran A/B tests on visuals and messaging at the program level to optimize performance. Through testing, we discovered:

• Course-specific headlines significantly outperformed generic messages.
• Person-focused images performed best in most areas, while text-based visuals won out for business programs.

This iterative process allowed us to fine-tune what worked for each course area, improving both cost efficiency and overall lead quality.

These insights weren’t just used to tweak ads. They helped us reallocate budgets more effectively, pause underperforming creative early, and scale top-performing variants faster. For example, when we saw a surge in engagement on campaigns that named specific courses, we quickly replicated that format across additional program areas.

We also applied our findings to future asset development, providing Okanagan College’s internal team with clear guidance on the types of visuals and messages to prioritize by program.

Building the Lead Magnet Funnel

As our campaigns matured into 2025, we expanded from awareness and conversion ads into lead nurturing strategies. 

Working closely with the recruitment team, we began producing targeted lead magnets, like downloadable checklists and program guides, that generated warm leads earlier in the decision-making process. These leads fed directly into email workflows, helping the College’s team build long-term interest and follow up with high-potential prospects.