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I’ve audited hundreds of campaigns; here are the recurring issues and quick fixes.
Running Facebook Ads for schools in Singapore or across Southeast Asia often feels deceptively simple: upload some photos, set a budget, and wait for parents to enquire. Yet most education marketers find themselves burning ad spend with little to show.
In my audits of over 100+ school campaigns—spanning preschools, tuition centres, and enrichment schools—the same mistakes repeat themselves. Schools often:
• Over-prioritize likes and clicks, not enrolments.
• Misjudge audience targeting, leading to wasted impressions.
• Neglect landing page optimization (see: Landing page optimization for education Google Ads).
• Fail to track cost per enrolment (CPE) (see: How to track cost per enrolment, not just CPL).
This article breaks down the top mistakes in Facebook Ads for schools, why they matter, and—most importantly—how to fix them.
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Connect with us! →Many schools get excited when they see high click-through rates (CTR) or low cost per lead (CPL). But those don’t always mean higher enrolments.
For example, in one Singapore preschool campaign, ads with a 5% CTR generated leads at just $8 each. But when tracked further, only 1 out of 30 parents actually enrolled. Compare that with a second campaign at $25 CPL, but with a 1 in 5 enrolment rate—far more efficient.
📌 Related read: Preschool ads: high CTR vs high enrolments.
Fix: Always track cost per enrolment (CPE) instead of just CPL. If you’re not sure how, see my guide: Conversion tracking for school enrolments.
Many schools run campaigns targeting “parents aged 25–45 in Singapore.” That’s far too broad. With Meta’s algorithm, your budget gets spread thin, reaching people who may not even be in your catchment area.
In Singapore, parents usually enrol their children in schools within a 2–5km radius. Yet I regularly see campaigns targeting islandwide without location filters. That’s wasted spend.
📌 Recommended strategy: Location targeting strategies for enrichment centres.
Fix: Use a 3–5km radius targeting around your centre. Layer interests such as “parents with preschoolers” + lookalike audiences built from existing leads.
📊 Benchmark: According to Meta Ads data (2024), Singapore preschool campaigns with tight geo-targeting saw 30–40% lower CPLs than those run nationwide.
Facebook’s native lead forms are easy, but they often attract “low-intent” leads. Parents fill them without serious commitment.
In a 2024 tuition centre campaign, lead form CPL was $12, but enrolment rate only 3%. When we tested a landing page with testimonials, CPL rose to $18, but enrolments tripled to 9%.
📌 See the breakdown: Lead form ads vs landing pages.
Fix: Always A/B test lead forms vs landing pages. For higher-value programmes (international schools, long-term enrichment), landing pages almost always outperform.
Parents scroll past generic classroom stock photos. Real imagery—photos of actual teachers, kids, facilities—drives far higher engagement.
Video ads consistently outperform static ones in the education sector. In fact, one preschool video ad campaign in Singapore achieved 2.8x higher engagement compared to carousel ads.
📌 Related read: Carousel ads vs video ads: which converts parents?.
Fix: Use parent testimonial videos, short teacher introductions, or “day in the life” clips. Even low-production videos (shot on an iPhone) beat polished stock photos.
Many schools still run cold-only ads. That’s a missed opportunity. Parents often need 5–7 touchpoints before enrolling.
A case study from a tuition centre: remarketing warm audiences dropped CPL from $22 to $12 while doubling enrolment rates.
📌 Case study: Tuition centre scaling with remarketing.
Fix: Use remarketing ads for:
• Parents who clicked but didn’t submit.
• Website visitors who browsed your “programmes” page.
• Leads who filled forms but didn’t answer follow-up calls.
📌 See: Remarketing for education leads.
Singapore has strict advertising rules under MOE and PDPA. I’ve seen ads rejected—or worse, fined—for claims like “MOE-approved” when not true.
📌 Guide: MOE & PDPA rules every education marketer must know.
Fix: Always double-check that your creatives, CTAs, and lead-handling processes comply with regulations.
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Common questions school marketers ask—and the hidden pitfalls behind them.
Because CPL ≠ CPE. Low-cost leads often include “curious clickers,” not serious parents who intend to enrol their child. Always measure cost per enrolment, not just cost per lead.
Yes—especially for millennial parents who are more active on Instagram than Facebook. For a deeper breakdown, see our article: TikTok vs Meta Ads for millennial parents.
A good starting point in Singapore is $30–$50/day per centre. Always benchmark against competitors and track cost per enrolment. For benchmarks, read: Facebook lead costs for preschools explained.
Absolutely. Many schools over-rely on paid ads, but SEO compounds over time and drives sustained parent enquiries. See our article: Why SEO is underutilized in the education sector.
SMEs in education often operate with limited budgets. In Singapore, average preschool CPLs range $12–$40 depending on competition. High CPC industries (like enrichment and test prep) drive schools to chase short-term wins instead of sustainable enrolments.
Culturally, parents here do extensive research before committing. That’s why ads focusing only on “free trials” without follow-up nurturing rarely succeed.
📌 See the comparison: Google Ads benchmarks for tuition centres in Singapore.
As HubSpot highlights, lead nurturing is critical: “Most leads aren’t ready to buy yet—but with consistent follow-up, conversion rates can rise 300%.” (source: HubSpot Blog).
Marketing-Interactive (a leading APAC marketing news site) also reported that Singapore’s digital ad spend is shifting heavily to performance-driven models, making ROI tracking non-negotiable for schools.
By learning from these insights, schools can avoid repeating common Facebook Ad traps.
Running Facebook & Instagram Ads for education marketing is no longer about pushing flashy images. It’s about data, compliance, and trust-building.
To recap, avoid these traps:
• Stop chasing vanity metrics.
• Narrow your audience and use geo-targeting.
• Test lead forms against optimized landing pages.
• Invest in remarketing.
• Stay compliant with MOE & PDPA.
Do this, and your campaigns won’t just generate leads—they’ll fill classrooms.
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