Not a case study in the full sense, and the problems in it are still improving. That's exactly why it's worth telling.
The business is a Dubai franchise of a football academy belonging to a club. The core subscription is a three-month term, aimed at parents who want a club academy rather than a general one.
The problems, exactly as they were: the venue had been open three months with only 44 children, half of them from community groups. The opening was late and missed the subscription season. Many families were already committed elsewhere for a full year, making it hard to switch and lose what they'd paid. Two and a half months of ads had run across leads, reach and video views, with unqualified leads and no feedback explaining why. Large club academies with bigger resources were in the market. Of four branches, two closed because their locations didn't suit parents. Ages are calculated in months, so a single month matters. A strict guideline governed copy and images, leaving no room to move. Material was static only, with no reviews and no videos. Nobody was responsible for replying to leads quickly. And continuous guideline changes forced campaigns to be paused and relaunched.
Read that list again. Not one item on it is "the campaign isn't set up right."
So the work started outside the account.
A Google Sheet for every lead with detailed feedback and follow-up, and if they didn't reply, email and WhatsApp. Ads on leads only, with a budget varying by season. Facebook and Instagram, with minimal Google because the form sat on an external academy site and tracking wouldn't hold. Every available inch of copy and visual exploited, with different versions tested. Carousels performed well on both quality and cost, alongside real phone photos from the venue and a coach video with footage of the children. Focus on the core programme, with short programmes like a two-week camp when CPL allowed. And a tryout day so children could try it and see the place.
After twelve months: lead quality improved, with 30% unqualified due to age or distance, corrected by narrowing location and adjusting copy. Response time improved with one person owning leads. CPL stayed within a workable range depending on constraints. Retention at 90%, high LTV, and referrals starting to arrive. CVR around 15%. And subscribers passed 150 students.
This case isn't an impressive number. It's a business built on one sheet and fast follow-up.
A lead without follow-up is a lost sale. One sheet with detailed feedback did what three campaigns couldn't.
The lesson
A lead without follow-up is a lost sale
