TEDS
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Services
Industry
Overview
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is one of the nation’s most respected seminaries, known for preparing leaders who serve churches, organizations, and communities around the world. Despite its strong academic reputation and deep-rooted mission, TEDS faced a growing challenge: in an increasingly competitive higher education landscape, traditional marketing efforts were no longer enough to deliver the volume or quality of student leads needed to sustain growth.
Like many graduate institutions, TEDS was seeing rising costs in marketing while also struggling to convert inquiries into applications at a sustainable rate. The school needed a better way to connect with prospective students, focusing on attracting those who were genuinely interested, engaged and ready to roll.
That’s when TEDS turned to Sensis. With expertise in higher education marketing, Sensis was tasked with designing an integrated enrollment program that would lower acquisition costs, improve lead quality, and ultimately drive sustained enrollment growth across multiple graduate programs.
Solution
Sensis developed and executed a comprehensive marketing strategy built around data-driven media, optimized creative, SEO, and transparent reporting.
Media Strategy & Execution
Sensis built a multi-channel enrollment marketing program that combined reach, precision, and efficiency. Campaigns were deployed across:
- Programmatic display (via The Trade Desk and Google Display Network)
- Paid search (Google Search)
- Social platforms (Meta, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube)
This combination allowed Sensis to engage prospects throughout the student journey, from initial awareness to final application all while continuously optimizing toward cost efficiency and enrollment performance. Weekly optimizations ensured that every media dollar was working as hard as possible.
Creative Optimization
Sensis created and refreshed digital ad units, including display, video, and social content supported by structured testing cycles. This rapid iteration approach ensured campaigns remained fresh, relevant, and high-performing. Importantly, Sensis also integrated TEDS’ own in-house content (including video assets and an influencer-led piece) into campaigns, extending their reach through paid media and keeping messaging authentic to TEDS’ voice.
SEO Foundation
Beyond paid media, Sensis developed a long-term SEO strategy that included keyword research, on-page optimization, and backlinking. This work established a foundation for organic growth, ensuring TEDS would continue to capture prospective student interest even outside paid campaign cycles.
Performance Dashboard
Transparency and collaboration were central to the partnership. Sensis implemented a real-time performance dashboard, giving TEDS direct access to live campaign data. This allowed stakeholders to track results whenever they needed, compare performance across channels, and see the impact of marketing efforts in real time.
Client Testimonial
“We have been able to quickly and effectively test new creatives to greatly reduce our CPL, which in turn lowered our CPA. The Sensis team brought expertise and competence to the table and helped us overcome our lead generation needs.”
— TEDS Enrollment Marketing Team
Results
The Sensis-TEDS partnership delivered transformative results, making 2024 one of the strongest years in TEDS’ recent history:
- Record Enrollment Growth: Enrollments increased by 25.4% in the first year, marking the highest growth TEDS had experienced in five years. This surge validated the effectiveness of the integrated, data-driven approach.
- High-Volume Lead Generation: The campaigns generated 17,880 leads in the first year alone, providing TEDS with a robust and high-quality prospect pipeline across multiple graduate programs.
- Lowered Acquisition Costs: Sensis reduced the cost per lead (CPL) to $29.90 and brought the cost per application (CPA) down to $1,339 — significant improvements over historical benchmarks.
- Sustainable Visibility: By building a strong SEO foundation, TEDS is now better positioned for long-term organic lead generation and ongoing visibility in competitive search environments.
- Stronger Decision-Making: With the dashboard in place, TEDS had access to real-time insights, enabling faster decisions and continuous optimization throughout the campaign.
