Episode #31 - Spending $$ on Google & Facebook for your enrollment marketing with Dallan Wortham, Founder & CEO at Charter Connect

GUEST

Episode Guest:

Websites:

https://www.charterconnect.co/

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Charter School Insider Podcast, host Daniel Casselli sits down with Dallan Wortham, CEO and Founder of Charter Connect, to explore the essentials of digital marketing for charter schools. They discuss the importance of setting appropriate ad budgets, the differences in spending on Google versus Facebook ads, and how to determine cost per enrollment. Dallan shares practical tips for optimizing digital marketing efforts, including the significance of understanding your school's marketing needs, leveraging tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, and focusing on key metrics to maximize enrollment success.

EPISODE TAKEAWAYS

• Budgeting for Ads:
  Schools should base their digital marketing budget on the number of students they need to enroll. Dallan suggests calculating the budget by multiplying the desired number of enrollments by the average cost per enrollment, which typically ranges from $250 to $500.
• Google vs. Facebook:
  Allocate 70% of the ad budget to Google and 30% to Facebook. Google Ads are more effective for direct enrollments, while Facebook is valuable for brand awareness and community presence.
• Cost Per Enrollment (CPE):
  Knowing your CPE is crucial. It helps schools assess the effectiveness of their marketing strategies and adjust spending accordingly.
• Optimizing Online Presence:
  Dallan advises schools to optimize their website's title tags with relevant keywords and to use Google's PageSpeed Insights to ensure their site is mobile-friendly and fast.
• AB Testing on Facebook:
  Always AB test Facebook ads, as results can vary significantly. Events tend to perform well, driving in-person school visits, which often lead to high enrollment rates.
• Title Tags and Keywords:
  Ensure your website's title tags include key phrases like "charter school" and your location to improve search engine ranking and visibility.

RESOURCES

Book: This is Marketing by Seth Godin

Tools: Google PageSpeed Insights

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction and Overview of Charter Connect
03:43 Tracking Data and Understanding Cost per Enrollment
08:27 Tracking Online Applications and Conversions
10:13 The Role of Google and Facebook in Marketing Strategy
13:35 The Value of SEO and Long-Tail Keywords
18:49 Paid Ads and Budget Allocation on Google
26:44 Paid Ads and Budget Allocation on Facebook
30:36 Recommended Resources and Final Thoughts

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Dallan Wortham, originally from Woodstock, GA, has carved out a unique and diverse career path that reflects his wide-ranging passions and talents. A race car driver at Atlanta Motorspeedway, Dallan pursued his education at Brigham Young University-Hawaii before embarking on various roles that shaped his expertise and character. His journey includes working as a custodian at Disney World, making cold-calls in a solar panel company’s call center, and serving as a Spanish Instructor at the Missionary Training Center. During this time, he also delivered freaky fast sandwiches for Jimmy John’s.

Dallan's marketing career took off with an internship at Weapon Agency, leading to roles such as Founder and Marketing Director at Beaver Studios and Marketing Coordinator at Sebo Marketing. Along the way, he discovered a love for comedy as an amateur standup comedian and took to the skies, starting flight school and eventually becoming a First Officer at SkyWest Airlines, flying the CRJ 200/700/900.

Balancing his professional life, Dallan is a devoted family man who loves spending time with his wife, whom he proudly notes is way out of his league, and their two children. His entrepreneurial spirit is evident in his work as a marketing freelancer, his role as a Digital Marketing Manager at Redmond Life, and previously at DentalQore. When he's not working, you can find him playing with his family and chickens in their backyard.

ABOUT OUR HOST

Daniel Casselli is a life-long learner whose passion for education has driven his professional endeavors. He is a former classroom teacher and youth ministry director whose entrepreneurial spirit landed him in the world of education technology. At EVERFI Inc., Daniel helped run the business development efforts for EVERFI’s Financial Education Program and the company was eventually sold to Blackbaud for $750M in 2021. Shortly before EVERFI’s acquisition, Daniel joined Class Technologies as one of the earliest sales hires and went on to lead K12 Enterprise Sales and helped the company land its first 100+ K12 customers across public, charter, and private schools. Daniel brings his unique experiences to BuyQ where he is focused on growth, operational excellence, business strategy, and client satisfaction. He is a graduate of Grove City College where he studied Religion and History. 

You can listen to Charter School Insider: Lessons from the Nation's Top Charter School Operators on your favorite podcasting platform...

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