Australian Institute of Management (AIM) : SEM
From Lead Volume to Pipeline Power
The Australian Institute of Management (AIM) is one of Australia’s most recognised education providers, known for its industry-leading Short Courses, MBAs, and executive training programs. Together, we’ve helped AIM evolve from a challenger brand into a national category leader. With Connected driving performance marketing, AIM has turned media into a core business growth engine. But with scale comes complexity — and a new kind of challenge.
Challenge
As lead volumes surged, so did pressure on AIM’s inbound sales team. The business was generating more leads than ever — but not all of them were sales-ready.
The risk? Operational strain. Inefficient spend. Stalled growth.
It was time to shift from volume-based marketing to value-based demand generation — optimising not for traffic, but for actual revenue outcomes.
Objectives
To protect ROI and support sustainable scale, we realigned success metrics with the sales funnel — and worked across teams to redefine performance.
Core KPIs:
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Reduce cost per Sales-Qualified Lead (SQL)
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Increase monthly Sales-Accepted Leads (SALs)
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Improve ROI through better attribution and offline alignment
Strategy & Execution
We expanded performance reviews to include the CMO, CFO, creative leads, and even the CEO — turning marketing data into a business-wide growth discussion.
Then we rebuilt the performance engine.
Key strategic shifts:
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Relaunched Performance Max to capture full-funnel demand
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Integrated CRM stages and assigned monetary values to SQLs/SALs
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Imported offline conversions for value-based bidding
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Worked hands-on with the sales team to overhaul tracking and ensure CRM accuracy.
Instead of bidding toward empty leads, we optimised for those that drove real pipeline progression — and ultimately, revenue.
Results
SQL
-19%
Drop in cost per Sales Qualified Leads
SAL
+49%
Increase in Sales Accepted Leads
ROI
+29%
ROI uplift, driven by better data, targeting, and alignment
"The work we've done with Connected Media has changed how we think about performance marketing. It’s not just about volume — it’s about value. Together, we’ve built a model that aligns sales and marketing around commercial outcomes. Their ability to translate complexity into clarity — and action — is what makes them a true strategic partner. Our teams are more aligned than ever, and we’re seeing the results where it matters."
