For International schools, deciding where to invest advertising budget can feel like a guessing game. With so many platforms competing for attention, Facebook, Google, TikTok, Taboola, X (Twitter), Reddit, it’s not always clear which will deliver meaningful enquiries and which will simply raise awareness.
We recently ran a campaign for an international school in Bangkok, with a considerable budget. The client goal was to generate school tour bookings, with awareness and visitor quality also tracked as internal measures for monitoring. Using a bespoke landing page, UTM tracking, and multiple ad types across six platforms, we measured not only leads but also cost per click (CPC), impressions (CPM), and time on site.
The results below, taken from the first month of the campaign, highlight how each platform performed and where future campaigns can be fine-tuned for even stronger outcomes.
Campaign Overview Across Six Platforms
The campaign ran over two months. The primary KPI was cost per acquisition (CPA), with school tour bookings as the main conversion. Secondary measures included impressions, reach, video views, and time on site to judge visitor quality. A bespoke landing page and UTM form was used to attribute every lead accurately across platforms.
Below is a snapshot of performance from the first month, which provided valuable insight into how each platform delivered and where future campaigns could be refined.
These numbers reveal some clear differences: Facebook delivered the highest number of leads, Google Ads, X and to some extent, Taboola, drove highly engaged visitors, and platforms like TikTok and Reddit produced fewer leads but useful awareness.
Facebook Ads for Schools and Targeting Insights
Facebook was the strongest performer in this campaign, generating 41 leads at an average CPA of just over ฿2,100. While its cost per click (฿21) was not the lowest, the combination of reach, targeting, and lead volume made it the most scalable channel.
One strength of Facebook is its targeting options. Radius targeting around Bangkok allowed us to narrow in on relevant families, which is particularly valuable for schools. However, targeting students themselves is less effective because interest-based filters are limited for lower age groups. This can make campaigns broader than ideal when schools want to reach both parents and older students. If you want to layer Thai nationality with interest-based targeting, the audience must be set at 20 years or older.
Despite competition from emerging platforms such as TikTok and X, Facebook continues to offer a balance of lead generation and audience size. For this international school in Bangkok, it was the channel best positioned for both immediate results and future scalability.
Google Ads for Schools and High-Intent Searches
Google Ads produced 9 leads in the first month, with a CPA of around ฿4,500. While this was more expensive than Facebook, it delivered the most engaged visitors, time on site averaged 45 seconds, far higher than any other channel. CPC was also the lowest at just ฿5.56, showing that Google can bring traffic cost-effectively.
One advantage of Google Ads is the variety of formats available. For schools, search campaigns targeting competitor names can be particularly effective, reaching families already comparing their options. This international school in Bangkok benefited from that approach, though a proportion of leads were brand-related, likely influenced by awareness generated from other platforms.
Overall, Google Ads worked best as a complement to Facebook, capturing high-intent users actively searching for international schools. While the CPA was higher, the lead quality and engagement levels suggest strong long-term potential.
TikTok Ads for Schools and Branding Potential
TikTok delivered just 1 lead in the first month, with a very high CPA of more than ฿27,000. The average time on site was only one second, showing that while users engaged with the ads, they did not take the next step of exploring the school in detail.
There are also practical hurdles to running campaigns on this platform. New TikTok accounts are sometimes disapproved automatically, and advertisers need to go through an appeal process to start running ads. On top of this, TikTok campaigns rely heavily on strong video creative to capture attention. The platform is better suited to broad awareness rather than lead generation.
For schools in Bangkok, TikTok may be useful as a branding tool to build visibility among younger audiences, but it is not an efficient option for driving school tour bookings.
Native Ads (Taboola) for Schools and Placement Checks
Taboola brought in 9 leads at a CPA of just under ฿4,800. While the conversion volume was limited, the platform stood out for its ability to deliver low-cost traffic, as the CPC was just ฿2.20 and CPM only ฿10, making it a cost-effective way to generate exposure. Visitors also showed reasonable engagement, spending an average of 33 seconds on the site.
Unlike fully self-serve platforms such as Facebook or Google, Taboola requires direct contact to set up campaigns, and there is usually a monthly minimum budget (around ฿50,000). Targeting is broader compared to Facebook, though city-level targeting is possible, which can work for schools focused on families in Bangkok.
After a campaign has launched, one of the key optimisation steps in Taboola is to review site and placement performance. The platform allows you to check metrics for each publisher, making it easy to spot underperforming placements. For example, sites generating high CPC, high CPM, or no conversions can be paused to improve overall efficiency (see example below).
In this campaign, Taboola functioned best as an awareness channel, placing ads on premium publishers to build visibility at scale. For schools with larger budgets, it can play a useful supporting role in the marketing mix.
X (Twitter) Ads for Schools and Cost-Effective Leads
X was a surprise performer in this campaign, generating 11 leads at the lowest CPA of around ฿1,536. Engagement was strong too, with an average time on site of 43 seconds, suggesting the platform reached a highly relevant audience despite its smaller user base in Thailand.
Running ads on X, however, is not as straightforward as other platforms. An account must be verified with a Premium subscription, which carries a monthly fee but can be cancelled if not required long-term. Ad accounts are tied directly to user profiles rather than a central business manager, which made setup less efficient. Campaigns also faced delays due to initial disapprovals, and customer support is limited to direct messages.
Even with these challenges, X delivered cost-effective leads and quality engagement. For schools looking to diversify beyond Facebook and Google, it can be an effective addition, provided the extra admin and verification requirements are factored in.
Reddit Ads for Schools and Niche Targeting
Reddit produced just 3 leads in the first month, with a high CPA of about ฿7,169. Despite the small lead volume, the quality of enquiries was quite good, and CPC was reasonable at ฿5.17. Average time on site was 15 seconds, showing moderate engagement.
The platform offered some unique opportunities. A promotion at the time matched £500 in ad spend if used within two weeks, which helped reduce the effective CPA. Targeting worked well for specific keywords that aligned with relevant topics, but the major drawback was location settings. Ads could only be targeted at a country level, not a city. For a Bangkok-based school, this was manageable, but it would not be ideal for schools outside the capital.
Reddit should be seen as an experimental channel. It can add incremental reach and generate good-quality leads in niche cases, but its limitations in scale and targeting make it difficult to recommend as a primary driver of enquiries.
Key Learnings from Testing School Ad Platforms
Testing six platforms side by side gave us a clear picture of what works best for schools running digital campaigns in Bangkok.
- Facebook remains the most dependable option. It delivered the highest number of leads at a cost that makes scaling realistic for both small and large budgets.
- Google Ads brought the most engaged visitors. Time on site was far higher than any other channel, highlighting its value for capturing families actively researching schools.
- X performed better than expected. Despite the extra steps needed for setup, it delivered cost-effective leads and good engagement.
- Taboola proved valuable for awareness. With low CPM and CPC, it provided broad exposure on premium publishers, though conversions were more limited.
- TikTok and Reddit showed the challenges of niche targeting. They provided useful insights into audience behaviour but were not cost-effective as lead generation drivers.
Finding the Right Mix for School Marketing in Thailand
This campaign for an international school in Bangkok highlighted just how differently platforms perform when tested side by side. Lead generation, awareness, and engagement all require different channels, and structured testing is the only way to know which combination gives the best return. Facebook proved the most scalable for enquiries, Google Ads captured highly engaged families, and X outperformed expectations with cost-effective leads. Taboola played a strong role in awareness, while TikTok and Reddit showed limited value for lead generation but offered insights into audience behaviour.
For schools and service-based businesses, the key takeaway is that no single channel will deliver everything. A balanced strategy, built on structured testing, ensures budgets are invested where they deliver the best results.
At Phoenix Media, we help businesses in Thailand cut through the noise of digital advertising with campaigns that are data-driven, measurable, and scalable.
Published September 22, 2025 · by Robert Wee
