Revolutionising Marketing at Rendcomb College: A Data-Driven Approach | The Dunham School: Beyond Expectations

The Challenge

When Chris joined Rendcomb College the marketing tools and website last updated in 2016 were no longer fit for purpose. The site could not deliver a seamless user experience or meet the demands of a mobile-first audience. For a school that valued innovation, this outdated system created a significant gap in its ability to attract and engage prospective families.

To make matters more challenging, the marketing team relied solely on traditional tracking tools like Google Analytics which provided limited insights into visitor behaviour. This meant Chris and his team lacked the detailed data required to make informed decisions about how to tailor their content, optimise campaigns, and convert prospective families.

The timing was critical. As the COVID-19 pandemic drove families to seek homes in more rural areas like the Cotswolds, Chris recognised an opportunity to target this demographic shift. However, the existing tools offered no way to segment or strategically engage this audience.

"I joined the College at one of the most challenging times imaginable," Chris recalled. "We had an empty school, an ageing digital setup, and a mandate to drive enrolments. It was clear that our marketing strategy needed a complete transformation."

The Tender Process

Determined to revolutionise Rendcomb College’s approach to digital marketing, Chris initiated an extensive tender process in 2022, evaluating six different vendors. The goal was clear: find a partner capable of delivering not just a new website, but a solution that would provide actionable insights, measurable results, and a lasting impact on the College’s marketing efforts.

Most vendors focused heavily on redesigning the website’s aesthetics, but UBIQ took a radically different approach. From the outset, UBIQ emphasised that the key to success wasn’t just a visually appealing website—it was understanding the motivations and behaviours of the people using it.

"UBIQ stood out because they didn’t lead with design; they led with data," Chris explained. "They showed us that if we understood our audience better, we could create experiences that truly resonated, driving real results like enrolments and engagement."

Why UBIQ?

UBIQ’s proposal centred on their advanced Digital Experience Platform (DXP), which combined robust behavioural tracking with detailed analytics. Key features of their solution included:

• Behavioural Insights: Tools to track user journeys, segment audiences, and analyse visitor behaviour in real-time.
• Integration with Open Apply: A seamless connection to the school’s admissions software, enabling the team to link campaigns directly to enrolments.
• Data-Led Strategy: A shift away from design-first thinking to a comprehensive digital strategy built on actionable insights.
• Ongoing Collaboration: UBIQ’s commitment to a long-term partnership, including monthly strategy calls and bespoke solutions tailored to Rendcomb College’s evolving needs.

Chris summarised the decision: "UBIQ’s focus on data and adaptability made them the clear choice. They offered us a roadmap to not only modernise our website but also to make smarter, data-driven decisions about our marketing we felt other providers couldn’t match."

The Solution

"UBIQ’s advanced DXP (Digital Experience Platform), stood out from the competition by offering robust behavioural insights and targeted data tracking. Through UBIQ’s solutions, Rendcomb College gained a holistic view of visitor demographics, user journeys, and actionable marketing metrics, delivering clarity and depth not found in competing solutions."

The UBIQ team collaborated closely with Chris and the senior leadership team  to ensure that the College’s unique marketing needs were fully understood.

Within three months of implementation, UBIQ had transformed the schools digital marketing capabilities. The platform provided real-time insights into visitor demographics, user journeys, and campaign performance, empowering the marketing team to make informed decisions with confidence that other providers couldn’t match.

• Audience Segmentation: UBIQ’s DXP enabled precise targeting, allowing the marketing team  to tailor content and calls-to-action to specific audience segments, such as families relocating to the Cotswolds.
• ROI Tracking: The integration with iSAMS allowed the team to connect digital campaigns directly to enrolments, demonstrating clear ROI for the first time.
• Campaign Optimisation: With UTM tracking and detailed reporting, the team could identify which campaigns were driving conversions and allocate their budget more effectively.
• Personalised Content Strategy: Real-time behavioural data revealed user interests, enabling the creation of customised user journeys that enhanced engagement and conversions.

"The platform gave us insights we never had before. We could see exactly what worked and what didn’t, and that clarity was a game-changer for our strategy." CHRIS ELLIOTT-JONES

The Results

Since implementing UBIQ, Rendcomb College has achieved remarkable outcomes, including significant growth in website traffic, enhanced engagement with prospective families, and a clearer understanding of their audience’s behaviour, all contributing to the overall success of their marketing strategy. Some of those remarkable achievements include:

• Doubling Website Traffic: Monthly traffic has grown from 55,000 to 110,000 visitors over a 28-day period.
• Event Success: With enhanced visibility and targeted audience our open house events now consistently reach full capacity, thanks to targeted engagement strategies.
• Enhanced Tracking and ROI Demonstration: UBIQ’s DXP has provided detailed reporting that clearly links marketing spend to new enrolments, enabling the justification of future budget requests with measurable ROI.
• Campaign-Specific Insights: With DXP tracking and UTM integrations, Chris and the marketing team  can now pinpoint the exact campaigns driving conversions. This precision enables them to allocate the budget more effectively and demonstrate ROI with even greater clarity.

• Behavioural Insights in Content Strategy: Real-time data has revealed user interests, enabling Rendcomb College to tailor content more effectively, personalise calls-to-action, and craft customised user journeys that resonate with specific audience segments, thereby enhancing conversions and user engagement.

Through these results, Rendcomb College gained a comprehensive understanding of its audience and is now positioned to adapt quickly to shifts in user behaviour—an essential element in today’s competitive education landscape. Furthermore, the College can clearly demonstrate a true return on investment, providing justifications to support future campaign budget requests and enabling ongoing growth.

Chris highlighted the impact of UBIQ’s approach: "We’ve gone from guessing to knowing. The data we now have access to has not only improved our marketing but also enabled us to build trust and confidence within the wider school community."

Collaborative Effort

A Partnership Beyond Expectations

The relationship between Rendcomb College and UBIQ continues to thrive, with monthly strategy calls and ongoing enhancements ensuring the platform evolves to meet the College’s needs. UBIQ’s commitment to collaboration and bespoke solutions has solidified the partnership as a cornerstone of the school's digital strategy.

"UBIQ didn’t just give us a website; they gave us a toolkit to transform how we drive the marketing strategy," Chris reflected. "Their support, expertise, and willingness to go the extra mile have been invaluable."

Through their partnership with UBIQ, Rendcomb College has set a new standard for how schools can leverage behavioural science and data-driven insights to drive website engagement and achieve meaningful results.

‘’UBIQ didn’t just give us a website; they gave us a toolkit to transform how we think about marketing. "Their support, expertise, and willingness to go the extra mile have been invaluable’’ - Chris Elliott-Jones

Are you ready to transform your school’s digital marketing with behavioural insights and data-driven strategies? Contact UBIQ today to discover how our innovative DXP solutions can help you achieve your engagement and enrollment goals.

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