Turning Clicks into Crowds –
HydExpo Doubles Footfall with Smart
Ad Strategy
Google ads, and a ₹75K budget—without touching the landing page.
About the Client
Client Overview – Hyderabad Education Expo
Brand Name
Hyderabad Education Expo
A large-scale education-focused exhibition that connects students, parents, and academic institutions to explore opportunities, courses, and educational services — all under one roof.
Industry
Education Exhibitions & Trade Shows
Operating within the education and events space, the expo provides a platform for institutions to engage with prospective students and parents through stalls, workshops, and live seminars.
Location
Kings Crown Convention, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad
Centrally located to attract both students and educational institutions from across the city, the venue enhances accessibility, ensuring strong footfall from local academic hubs and residential areas.
Project Objectives
The Hyderabad Education Expo (HydExpo) aimed to position itself as Hyderabad’s leading education-focused event, bringing together students, parents, institutions, and career counselors under one roof. The main objectives were clear: drive more than 20,000 attendees within a 45-day campaign window, generate high-quality leads for over 100 stallholders, and elevate brand visibility in a saturated local market of education fairs and expos. All of this needed to be accomplished with a modest media budget of ₹75,000, without launching a new landing page or microsite.
Funnel Development & Landing Page Optimization
While the campaign didn’t involve a dedicated landing page redesign, the funnel was strategically layered using platform-native tools. The upper funnel focused on video and static ads to drive broad awareness, followed by a mid-funnel strategy using testimonials and UGC to build trust. The lower funnel included high-intent retargeting to convert engaged users into expo attendees. Although the lack of a custom landing page limited deeper personalization and tracking granularity, the funnel’s strength was maintained through thoughtful sequencing of messaging and precise targeting.
Strengthening Data & Tracking Infrastructure
Robust tracking mechanisms were implemented to ensure data accuracy and performance clarity. Google Analytics was integrated with the expo’s website to monitor behavior and engagement. Google Conversion Trackers allowed for lead attribution across search and display campaigns. Meta Pixel helped retarget audiences based on specific engagement signals like video views and page interactions. These tracking tools enabled the team to monitor the full journey from impression to action, even without significant backend infrastructure upgrades.
Paid Media Strategy: Meta & Google Ads
The campaign leveraged Google Ads and Meta platforms strategically. On Google, a mix of search, display, and video ads was launched to capture intent-based and contextual audiences. On Meta (Facebook and Instagram), the focus was on emotional storytelling through Reels, Stories, and feed creatives. Ads were structured around key audience personas, including students aged 14–18, exam-takers, and parents, all geo-targeted within a hyperlocal radius of the Kings Crown Convention venue in Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad. The channel mix allowed the brand to reach users both actively searching and passively exploring, maximizing media impact across the buyer journey.
Creative Strategy &
Testing
Creatively, the campaign adopted a UGC-first approach. Authenticity was prioritized over polish — real voices from past students, parents, and educators formed the core of the creative library. These testimonial-driven ads helped build emotional resonance and establish credibility. A/B testing was employed to refine headline hooks, visuals, and call-to-actions. Videos that opened with high-impact testimonial quotes and strong student outcomes saw significantly higher engagement, with CTRs outperforming traditional image ads by over 25%. Creative refresh cycles ensured ad fatigue was kept at bay throughout the campaign’s duration.
Campaign Results (15-Day Snapshot)
In just 45 days, the campaign delivered outstanding results. The total footfall reached 21,350, exceeding the initial goal of 20,000. This marked a 113.5% increase from the previous edition of the expo. Over 550 qualified leads were generated for exhibitors, contributing to a successful return on stall investments. The Google Ads campaign recorded an 8.2% click-through rate, and video ads on Meta reached a 35% view-through rate. Meta conversion rates averaged 12%, and the cost per lead was approximately ₹136 — an impressive efficiency metric considering the limited budget. The media plan’s structure — awareness to conversion — proved critical in delivering full-funnel ROI.
Scaling Performance Over Time
While this case study specifically covers a 45-day burst campaign, its structure offers a scalable model for longer timelines. By extending UGC sourcing, incorporating influencer-style testimonials from partner institutions, and investing in a segmented post-expo nurture journey, similar campaigns can be expanded across quarterly or annual education event calendars. A recommendation for future editions would include using YouTube Ads for extended reach and building a conversion-optimized landing page to push the CPL even lower and improve lead qualification.
Key Growth Drivers
Three main factors contributed to the success of the HydExpo campaign. First, the UGC-first strategy provided content that felt authentic and trustworthy, which strongly resonated with students and their families. Second, testimonial video ads acted as social proof, enhancing brand credibility and prompting conversions. Third, detailed hyperlocal targeting ensured high-quality impressions, especially in neighborhoods with academic hubs, coaching centers, and schools — ultimately reducing media wastage and improving ROAS.
Final Takeaways
The Hyderabad Education Expo campaign exemplifies how a well-structured, creative, and data-driven digital strategy can drive substantial results on a limited budget. With ₹75,000 in media spend, CMO.Ltd helped HydExpo achieve over 21,000 footfalls and generate 550+ exhibitor leads. The campaign’s phased funnel approach, strong creative execution, and intelligent targeting created a blueprint for education expos nationwide. Going forward, investing in real-time engagement tactics (like live UGC during the event), a conversion-optimized landing page, and deeper remarketing strategies can help turn footfall into long-term admissions and brand loyalty.