Xaloc and Mestral: 360° Digital Strategy that Doubled the Leads of Examination Academies

The client

Xaloc Oposicions and Mestral Oposicions are both civil service exam preparation academies based in Catalonia, focused on different but complementary sectors. Xaloc Oposicions specializes in training candidates for teaching (primary school teachers and secondary school teachers), whereas Mestral Oposicions focuses on candidates for security forces (Mossos d’Esquadra, Local Police and Guardia Urbana). Both institutions have a long history of training candidates and hundreds of prepared students, but before their digital transformation they faced a common challenge: they needed to modernize their online presence to continue growing in an increasingly digital world.

The challenge

Despite their experience and good offline reputation, Xaloc and Mestral had hardly any visibility on the Internet. Their old websites generated little traffic and were not optimized to convert visits into leads. As a result, the lead generation (potential students requesting information) was very low. In addition, they lacked strategies in social networks or on search enginesThis made them virtually invisible in the face of more digitized competitors. This poor online positioning limited its reach to new students and detracted from the credibility of its brand image in the digital age. The challenge for Cronuts Digital was clear: professionalize the online presence of both academies and turn the digital channel into a main source of new students.

How we did it

To address these challenges, at Cronuts Digital we design and implement a comprehensive digital comprehensive digital strategy during a collaboration of more than three years. Our performance as a digital partner covered multiple levers of online marketing:

• Web redesign with UX/UI and SEO focus: we develop new websites in WordPress for Xaloc and Mestral, modernizing their image and optimizing the user experience. The pages were strategically structured to facilitate navigation through courses, include visible calls to action (such as “request information”) and follow the best practices of on-page SEO (relevant content, keywords, metatags and optimized loading speed). The result was attractive, mobile and mobile-oriented websites. conversion of visitors into leads.Specialized SEO services for SMEs →
• Multichannel payment campaigns: we launch multichannel marketing campaigns marketing campaigns on Google, Facebook and YouTube to quickly increase visibility and capture targeted leads. In Google Ads we work both relevant searches (ex. secondary examinations in Catalonia, Mossos d’Esquadra course) as well as campaigns of Display y YouTube Ads with promotional videos, reaching our target audience with attractive content. On Facebook and Instagram we implement campaigns of Lead Ads and remarketing, showing ads to users interested in competitive examinations and reminding those who had already interacted with the websites about the training offer. This investment in Paid Media boosted the notoriety of the academies and generated an immediate flow of interested contacts.
• Technical and content SEO positioning: in parallel, we apply a solid strategy of organic SEO. We perform technical optimizations (performance improvement, site structure, indexing and local SEO on Google My Business) and we create value content in the blogs of Xaloc and Mestral. We published useful guides and articles for candidates (e.g., tips to pass, explanations of physical tests, news about the exams), which attracted qualified organic traffic around educational and police keywords. We also ensured content differentiation to avoid duplication and penalties, especially important given that both sites share part of the target audience in the field of competitive exams. Over time, these actions made the organic trafficimproving both generic search rankings and branded search rankings. branded searches, improving both generic search rankings.
• Email marketing and lead automation: we implement automated automated email marketing to nurture and retain the contacts we obtained. Through the ActiveCampaign platform, we set up sequences of emails addressed to those requesting information: immediately sending details about courses, calendars, alumni testimonials and useful content. In addition, we set up loyalty campaigns for former students and subscribers, keeping them informed of new calls, intensive courses or promotions (e.g., enrollment discounts). These automations made it possible to maintain close contact with the community of candidates, improving the conversion rate from lead to enrolled and increasing confidence in the academies throughout the decision process.
• Social media optimization (Instagram & YouTube): we improved the presence of Xaloc and Mestral in the networks where their audience is active. At Instagramwe optimize their profiles and encourage the regular publication of attractive content: results of students passed, quick study tips, stories of the academy’s day-to-day activities and announcements of enrollment deadlines, increasing the number of followers and the engagement of the community. At YouTubeIn order to optimize the Mestral Oposicions channel, we worked on titles, descriptions and thumbnails of training videos (for example, about requirements and tests to become Local Police or Mossos), positioning those videos in searches for competitive examinations and also using them in advertising campaigns. This social media strategy not only generated interaction and brand recognition, but also served as a support to nurture potential students with quality multimedia content during their decision process.
  

Results

With all these actions combined, Cronuts Digital became the integral digital comprehensive digital partner Xaloc Oposicions and Mestral Oposicions, coordinating their online channels in a coherent way. Throughout the collaboration, we adjusted tactics according to the data (optimizing campaigns, updating content and continually improving web usability) to ensure a sustained growth and maximize the impact of each digital initiative.

The joint work bore remarkable fruit, completely transforming the online presence and business performance of both academies:

• Exponential lead generation: went from marginal numbers to obtaining more than 600 leads per month at peak campaign times. In the most intense enrollment periods, the new websites and campaigns generated a volume of requests for information never seen before, filling course groups and even forcing the management of waiting lists in some specialties due to the high demand.
• 56% increase in organic traffic: thanks to technical and content SEO, organic traffic organic traffic traffic grew by +56% year-on-year +56% year-on-yearreflecting a much higher visibility in search engines. This means that each year more and more searchers found Xaloc and Mestral naturally on Google, reducing dependence on paid advertising and providing a steady stream of interested visitors in a cost-effective and sustainable way.
• Improved positioning on Google: branded keywords “Xaloc Oposicions” y Mestral Oposicions” and “Mestral Oposicions reached the first place in the search resultsensuring that anyone searching for these academies could easily find them on Google. In addition, numerous keywords relevant to the sector (related to teaching and police competitions) began to rank on the first page, increasing the authority of both websites in their niches. This improvement of SEO positioning raised the online recognition of the academies and established them as a reference in their field.
• Professionalization of the digital presence: perhaps the most significant change is qualitative: today Xaloc and Mestral project a modern and reliable modern and reliable brand image on the Internet. Their websites now reflect the quality of their services, social networks showcase active communities of learners, and digital channels generate data and feedback valuable. Cronuts Digital acted as a true strategic partnerThe company’s marketing operations are integrated into the academies’ marketing operations. As a result, the online presence has become a commercial mainstay for Xaloc and Mestral for Xaloc and Mestral, bringing in a steady stream of new students and revenue, and strengthening the relationship with its audience over the long term.

In short, the collaboration with Cronuts Digital allowed Xaloc Oposicions and Mestral Oposicions to take a leap to the next level. leap to the next level in their digital transformation. After three years of working side-by-side, both academies not only multiplied their lead and traffic metrics, but also managed to professionalize your digital ecosystem to the fullest. Today they have a robust and growing online platform that continues to provide them with visibility, students and competitive advantages in the competitive examination training sector. The success of this case demonstrates how a comprehensive digital marketing approach, hand in hand with a good partner, can turn traditional businesses into authentic success stories in the online world.
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