When More Leads Don’t Mean More Students
If you run a university, e-learning platform, or academy, you know the story.
At first, growth feels exciting — more interest, more applications, more leads.
Then one day, it starts to feel… messy.
That’s where The Film Scoring Academy of Europe (FSAE) found themselves.
Hundreds of enquiries came in every month from talented students around the world.
But the systems behind the scenes couldn’t keep up.
The bottleneck? Fragmented data and manual processes.
- Enquiries sat in spreadsheets and inboxes.
- Follow-ups depended on memory, not triggers.
- Marketing couldn’t see which channels produced suitable students.
- Admissions couldn’t quickly spot intent to enrol versus casual interest.
The issue wasn’t getting leads — it was keeping track of them.
Marketing, admissions, and operations all worked hard, just never from the same view.
Without a connected system, good opportunities fell through the cracks, and growth became hard to manage.
The Proven CRM Framework to Score, Nurture, and Enrol
That’s when FSAE restructured their process around a connected CRM system — built on HubSpot, implemented by Catmedia, and guided by Edgehub on strategy and execution.
The goal wasn’t another tool. It was a setup that made marketing, admissions, and data finally work together.
What Changed (the part that actually moves the needle)
- Lead scoring that works. The CRM automatically ranked leads by engagement, location, and programme interest. Admissions could finally focus on students with real enrolment intent — not just anyone who filled out a form.
- Smart email journeys. Personalised emails went out automatically, guiding students from their first enquiry to application — with less manual work for the team.
- Automation that saves time. Reminders, follow-ups, and internal notifications triggered automatically. No leads were lost, and no one had to chase manually.
- Real data feeding campaigns. HubSpot synced with Google and Meta, sending back actual enrolment data so ad campaigns optimised for quality, not clicks.
Why This Worked (and keeps working)
- The system prioritises fit and intent, not volume.
- Automation removes busywork, not humans.
- Media gets real outcomes, so algorithms learn who becomes a student.
- The team runs one flow — marketing, admissions, and operations — with clear handoffs.
FSAE’s Playbook (steal this)
- Centralise before you automate. One robust CRM. One truth.
- Prioritise for suitability and intent. Not all leads deserve the same follow-up.
- Automate the boring parts. Humans for conversations, systems for repetition.
- Feed ads the truth. Send enrolment and offer stages back to ad platforms.
- Measure outcomes, not activity. Enrolments and applications > clicks and leads, always.
The Bottom Line
HubSpot wasn’t the destination — it was the bridge.
It connected marketing, admissions, and data into one system that actually works.
FSAE now spends less time chasing and more time talking to the right prospects.
Want the full playbook? Discover how FSAE used HubSpot CRM to connect data, automate admissions, and drive a 200% increase in enrolments.
Download the complete case study here.
Written by Andrés Rodríguez
Head of MarTech at Edgehub
