How Geofencing Brought Students to a Cosmetology School
In Huntsville, Alabama, a local cosmetology school had a dream: filling their classes with eager students ready to learn the art of beauty. Yet, reaching potential students in today’s world, especially those still deciding on their career paths, proved challenging. With traditional college fairs and career days becoming harder to access, the school faced a critical question: how to capture the attention of students interested in cosmetology?
The answer came through a new path—geofencing. Here’s how this digital strategy helped reach the next generation of beauty professionals.
The Challenge: Finding Students Ready to Begin Their Cosmetology Journey
The school knew there were high schoolers and recent graduates with a passion for cosmetology right in their own community. But reaching them at the right moment? That was tough. Without direct access to career fairs, they needed another way to introduce students to the opportunities waiting for them. They needed to spread the word within the Huntsville community and keep in touch with prospective students to encourage enrollment.
The Plan: Geofencing, Keywords, and Community Outreach
- Geofencing Key Community Events
To meet students where they were, we worked with the school to identify key community events popular among their target audience. Think of those milestones that bring families and young people together—prom nights, graduations, and other high school gatherings. By placing digital fences around these events, the school could reach students and their families with ads, reminding them of the option close to home.
Even after these events, the magic of geofencing continued to work. Ads were served to these users for up to 60 days, giving them time to think, plan, and act.
- Keyword Retargeting: Reaching Students Ready to Learn
We didn’t just rely on events. Using carefully chosen keywords related to cosmetology, trade schools, and specific beauty skills, we connected with individuals already searching or reading about these topics online. With each search, each click, each moment of curiosity, we were there to guide them back to the school’s programs, creating a steady reminder of the opportunity close by.
- School Geofencing: Directly Connecting with High Schools
Connecting with high schoolers can be challenging for colleges and trade schools. By setting up geofences around local high schools, we could reach potential students even outside of a formal college fair. This meant more chances to show students the school’s courses, success stories, and the possibilities of a cosmetology career—all in real-time.
The Results: Turning Curious Students into Enrolled Applicants
With a year of this strategic geofencing campaign, the cosmetology school saw a steady stream of interest:
- 2737 Clicks
- 0.13% Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- 61 Visits to the School
The campaign didn’t just reach students—it helped transform them from prospects into well-informed applicants. Through site retargeting, we reached users who had already engaged with the website, prompting them to return with targeted ads. This strategy resulted in a 0.20% click-through rate on the retargeted ads—a testament to their curiosity and commitment to pursuing cosmetology.
The journey of these students—from hearing about the school at a prom event to clicking through an ad—showed just how powerful geofencing can be. They weren’t just faceless clicks; they were Huntsville’s next generation of beauty professionals, discovering a place to learn, grow, and achieve their dreams.
What’s Next for Trade School Marketing?
For schools like this one, geofencing opens doors to reach students directly. A Nice Guy Marketing brings geofencing solutions that can help trade schools capture attention, engage prospective students, and grow enrollments. If you’re looking to boost your school’s presence and fill your classrooms, reach out to us. Together, let’s make your school the first stop on the journey of every new student, turning dreams into realities, one click at a time.