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Client Case Study

Singapore Management University (SMU)

45% increase in leads across all Executive Development Programmes

At Glance

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45% increase in leads

across all Executive Development Programmes

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3.5x higher enrollments

among the C-suites

Background

Singapore Management University (SMU) is one of Asia’s leading institutions for higher learning and executive education. Its Executive Development arm offers programmes designed to help professionals and leaders upskill for the future of work. However, while its courses were highly regarded, SMU’s approach to business development was still largely traditional.

Before working with Brew Interactive, SMU’s team relied on email outreach to past course participants to fill seats for new programmes. While this approach reached existing contacts, it had two major limitations: the reach was confined to a small, known audience, and there was no structured process to attract and convert fresh leads who matched SMU’s ideal participant profile. In short, SMU knew the demand for its programmes existed, but it lacked a scalable, digital-first strategy to tap into it.

The Challenge

SMU relied heavily on email outreach, which severely limited their exposure and ability to tap into fresh, relevant audience bases.

Unlike in other markets, Shopify China does not have an official in-market sales team. Instead, it relies heavily on strategic partnerships with local technology and social media companies to drive paid advertising and outreach efforts.

 Despite these efforts, Shopify faced major barriers to growth in China:

Limited Lead Pipeline

Without digital channels in place, SMU’s business development team was struggling to generate a steady flow of new leads for its programmes.

Over-Reliance on Email Outreach

Outreach was primarily sent to alumni of past courses, leaving little room to expand beyond the existing database.

Website Constraints

At the time of engagement, SMU’s main website was undergoing a refresh, which meant building new lead-capture pages internally was difficult.

Need for Guidance

As SMU was new to digital lead generation, its team required expert input on campaign structure, messaging, and landing page best practices.

Our Approach

We partnered with SMU to build a comprehensive digital lead-generation engine from the ground up. This included:

1. Custom Landing Page

Rather than directing ad traffic to a generic programme page, we collaborated with SMU to create a dedicated landing page specifically designed to capture leads.

A custom landing page allows messaging to be tightly aligned with the ads people click on, minimising drop-offs and improving conversion rates. It also gives more flexibility to test headlines, calls-to-action, and form fields without waiting for broader website updates; a crucial advantage while SMU’s main website was undergoing a refresh.

The Call-to-Action section on SMU’s landing page, designed with Brew’s guidance on key components, helped drive visitor engagement and capture high-quality leads.

 

2. Targeted Paid Media Campaigns

We developed precision-targeted Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads campaigns to reach professionals most likely to enrol in SMU’s executive education programmes. 

Paid campaigns enabled SMU to go beyond its existing alumni database and attract high-value prospects actively searching for executive education or related career development opportunities. 

Each campaign was structured to match different audience profiles, ensuring relevance and higher-quality leads.

Examples of LinkedIn and Google Ads that Brew crafted for SMU, each promoting leadership programmes targeted at different demographics. 

3. SEO & Link-Building Strategy

While paid campaigns deliver immediate traffic, organic search visibility is what sustains lead flow over time. We implemented an SEO framework and began link-building, the process of acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable sites.  Backlinks act as “votes of confidence” in search engines’ eyes, boosting a page’s authority and ranking potential. For SMU, this meant gradually earning higher positions on Google for key executive education terms, increasing discoverability even after ad spend ends.

Sections of the in-depth SEO audit and analysis reports Brew prepared for SMU, highlighting key opportunities and strategies to address gaps.

4. Strategic Guidance & Collaboration

Since SMU’s team was new to digital lead generation, we provided hands-on guidance at every step. This included advising on ad copywriting, selecting the right targeting parameters, defining lead qualification criteria, and setting up conversion tracking. 

Beyond just running campaigns, we made sure SMU’s internal team understood why each marketing component mattered and how to sustain it, laying the groundwork for long-term independence and growth.

Transforming SMU’s Digital Presence Into a Lead Engine

Within a short period, SMU began to see meaningful results from its new digital strategy:

E

More Qualified Leads

SMU’s business development team reported a 45% increase in leads across all their Executive Development Programmes, leading to 3.5x higher enrollments among the C-suites.

E

Significant Increase in Web Traffic

More prospective learners from targeted industries were visiting the landing page and exploring SMU’s executive education offerings.

E

Higher Search Rankings

SEO and link-building efforts enhanced SMU’s visibility for key search terms, laying a foundation for sustained inbound traffic.

By transitioning from a purely email-based approach to a comprehensive digital lead-generation system, SMU was able to tap into a much wider audience and establish a healthier, more predictable pipeline for its executive education programmes. 

Our collaboration not only delivered immediate results but also equipped SMU with the digital know-how to sustain and scale these efforts over time.

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