How do you build a student recruitment strategy that delivers impact throughout a months-long decision journey? Together with AP University of Applied Sciences, we developed a full-funnel approach that structurally connects awareness, consideration and conversion. The result: 18% more enrolments with 50% less budget. AP grew into the fastest-growing university of applied sciences in Flanders, not by running more campaigns, but through sharper positioning and data-driven marketing.
18% more enrolments with 50% less budget
Full-funnel strategy: awareness, consideration and conversion
Data-driven optimisation via central dashboards
Brand positioning: "Show what you're made of"
From marketing partner to strategic and technical partner
Fastest-growing university of applied sciences in Flanders
The challenge
How do you efficiently reach different target audiences throughout a months-long orientation process, without falling back on short-term conversions or a fragmented budget?
The solution
An integrated full-funnel marketing strategy that combines brand building with performance, driven by data and optimised for measurable results.
AP University x iO: from campaign evaluation to strategic partnership
AP University of Applied Sciences is an educational institution firmly rooted in the Antwerp region. With more than 140 programmes, from associate degrees and professional bachelors to teacher training and School of Arts, AP offers a broad and diverse range to prospective students.
We evolved from marketing and performance partner to fully-fledged strategic and technical partner. Since late 2025, we also manage AP University's website. From the first ad impression to the page where a student enrols: the entire digital customer journey is now in the hands of one partner. That integration makes the difference between isolated campaigns and structural growth.
Why traditional student recruitment no longer works
Prospective students don't make their decision in days, but in months. They discover universities on social media, search for programmes on Google weeks later, and only sign up for an open day months after that. For AP University, this posed a fundamental challenge: how do you stay top of mind during such a lengthy decision process?
Most educational institutions respond with more campaigns and bigger budgets. But more of the same rarely delivers better results. AP made a decisive choice for a different approach: a sharper strategy.
How do you build a full-funnel strategy for student recruitment?
An effective student recruitment strategy for a university requires more than conversion campaigns alone. Together with AP, we built a full-funnel approach covering the entire student journey:
Awareness: building visibility among students who aren't actively searching yet, through social media and video
Consideration: staying relevant when students compare programmes, through targeted content and retargeting
Conversion: driving enrolments at the moment students are ready to choose
By investing in all stages, not just conversion, the right students arrived at the bottom of the funnel already convinced. The result: higher conversion rates and lower cost per enrolment.
What is the best approach to brand positioning in higher education?
For AP University, there was an even more fundamental problem underlying the marketing challenge: an unclear image. For many prospective students, the brand wasn't sharply defined. The strength of its education wasn't sufficiently recognised.
Together, we developed a new positioning: "Show what you're made of"
That promise centres on maximum learning gains: a strong degree and the skills to make the most of it. At AP, you don't just develop subject-matter expertise, but also the confidence to truly make a difference. This positioning became the strategic compass for all marketing efforts and fundamentally distinguishes AP from competitors.
How do you combine brand building with performance marketing?
The tension between brand building and performance is a classic marketing dilemma. Do you invest in long-term brand building or in direct conversions? At AP, we proved this doesn't have to be an either-or choice.
By structurally linking awareness and consideration to conversion campaigns, they reinforce each other:
Brand awareness ensures students recognise AP when they start searchingConsideration content keeps AP top of mind while comparing optionsConversion campaigns harvest what was sown earlier
The critical question at the start was fair: is it worth investing in awareness when conversion campaigns are already delivering results? The first annual review gave a clear answer: a broader approach strengthened conversions rather than cannibalising them.
How do you reduce cost per enrolment?
The budget for open days was reduced by 50% in 2025 compared with 2023. Not by cutting corners, but by investing more smartly. By investing earlier in the funnel, the right students arrived at the conversion stage already convinced.
This requires:
Central dashboards for real-time insight across all channelsDecisions based on KPIs and benchmarks, not gut feelingA fixed annual plan with quarterly business reviews and daily optimisationOne dedicated point of contact, supported by multidisciplinary expertise
How did we help AP University grow as their digital partner?
We started at AP by evaluating campaigns and grew into a strategic partner. The collaboration now encompasses:
Full-funnel online marketing: awareness, consideration and conversionBrand positioning and strategic directionTechnical management of the website (since late 2025)Data analysis and continuous optimisation
That integration makes the difference. From the first ad impression to the enrolment page: the entire digital student journey is now in the hands of one partner.
The theory is simple; the practice takes courage: a sharp foundation, consistency and the patience to let the work pay off. Thanks to the trust in our approach, we were able to reap the results together with the AP University team. Not just their students, but we too have been able to show what we're made of.
From unclear image to fastest-growing university in Flanders
AP University of Applied Sciences has transformed over recent years from a university without a distinct identity into one of the most recognisable educational institutions in Flanders. That growth is no coincidence, but the result of a deliberate strategic choice: a positioning that fundamentally differs from competitors, combined with a data-driven full-funnel approach that improves year after year.
For AP, this means: structurally more enrolments, higher brand awareness and a more efficient budget. For prospective students, it means: a university they know, recognise and trust when making their study choice. And the collaboration doesn't stop at campaigns: iO contributes to strategic direction and manages the entire digital experience, from first impression to enrolment.
