case study

educationwise

brand building, logo design, social media management, digital marketing strategy, website creation.

by george taylor

introduction

educationwise is a dedicated apprenticeship provider based in the uk. before founding socialogy, i (george) spent 15 months working there as marketing manager. during that time, i saw a clear and persistent gap in the market: small to medium enterprises (smes) were consistently underserved. they were forced to choose between hiring junior marketers who lacked the necessary experience or turning to large agencies that charged exorbitant fees while failing to provide the personal level of consumer care smaller businesses truly need. this experience was the catalyst for launching socialogy.

crafting a winning strategy

my first and most critical step was to cut the dead weight and focus our efforts where they would have the maximum impact. i crafted a bespoke, comprehensive marketing strategy entirely from scratch. this involved a deep dive into all aspects of digital marketing, including social media, the website, and email communications. crucially, i undertook thorough competitor research to identify the precise gap in the market we could exploit. this research defined our target audience, which in turn dictated the most effective digital platforms and creative approaches we needed to adopt to reach them.

we had a clear, focused plan.

a new identity: pulling educationwise into the future

before beginning any mass outreach, i felt it was pivotally important to develop the brand itself. the existing branding was outdated and lacked impact; it translated poorly across different media, making it almost illegible. this was a major hindrance, particularly for the sales team who found the washed out colours and difficult to read logo undermined their professionalism during presentations.

i created a brand proposal deck based on extensive research into colour theory and a review of competitor brands. to play off the "wise" in the company name, i proposed an owl as the new logo. the colour palette was overhauled, focusing on a rich, dark green and bright green, colours instantly associated with wisdom, growth and education.

furthermore, we strategically dropped "academy" from the name. the business was more than just an academy, it was a developer of young people and a changer of lives. the new identity was built to be encompassing and impactful.

before

  • Colorful graphic with four horizontal stripes in blue, green, yellow, and light green, each containing the text 'EDUCATIONWISE ACADEMY' in white, outlined font.
  • Text reading 'Educationwise Academy' on a blue background.
  • A colorful pop art style image with four quadrants, each featuring the letter 'E' styled with parallel lines, in different background colors: green, blue, yellow, and light green.
  • Green background with the text 'Educational Wise Academy' written in blue, stylized font.
  • Four squares with stylized letter 'E' designs, each in different color schemes: top left blue on white, top right green on black, bottom left yellow on black, bottom right green on white.
  • Yellow background with the text 'Educationwise Academy' written in blue, stylised font.
  • Vertical rows of the text 'Educationwise Academy in different colors and styles: green on black, blue on white, yellow on black, and teal on white.

after

  • Digital illustration of an owl face in four different color schemes: teal on dark green background, teal on white background, grayscale on white background and white on black background.
  • Digital illustration of a stylised owl with large, circular eyes wearing goggles and blue horns on a dark green background.
  • A set of four digitally illustrated owl logos with glasses and the words "Educationwise" beneath each, on different background colors: dark teal, white, black and white.
  • A stylized owl face with large eyes wearing round glasses, set against a black background.
  • Four variations of a logo with the words "Educationwise" in bold text, each with different background and text colour schemes.
  • Digital illustration of an owl with large eyes, a small beak, and black and gray colors.

website design: building the platform to convert

with the new brand identity implemented, the next step was the website.

there is no point in heavy social media promotion if the platform visitors land on is unable to convert them into customers, this simply becomes a wasted effort. adhering to the mantra of "you can only make a first impression once", we prioritised patience to ensure the platform was professional and correct, which is especially vital when servicing local communities without huge reach.

i completely refreshed the company website, implementing the new brand identity.

i rebuilt all the apprenticeship pages and, most significantly, built a catalogue system that allowed courses to be sold directly on the website, without the need for initial consumer interaction. this process was automated to free up staff members time, allowing them to focus on other core duties.

ultimately, i built the foundations for educationwise to run sustainably for years to come. by establishing templates, the team could create new pages with minimal work output, eliminating the need for constant infrastructure development.

this is vital for small businesses

before

  • Website homepage showing two women, one with red hair smiling at the camera, and the other with dark hair smiling and working on a laptop. The text overlay reads 'Educationwise Academy' with the tagline 'We offer bespoke training solutions.' There are buttons labeled 'Discover More' under 'Individuals' and 'Employers'.
  • A group of seven diverse smiling people standing together indoors, with their arms around each other, in front of a wall. They are dressed casually and appear to be having a positive conversation. Overlay text reads 'About Us' and a section titled 'Who We Are' explains their focus on skill development and personalized course content.
  • Ofsted logo.
  • Website homepage with a colorful, geometric background, featuring a call to action to learn about apprenticeship programs and a contact button.

after

  • A webpage from Educationwise showing a list of apprenticeship programs.
  • Website page titled 'Personal Training & Gym Instructing' from Educationwise, detailing course features, certifications, program duration, pricing and course summary.
  • Webpage titled 'Educationwise' with a navigation menu including Home, About Us, Apprenticeships, Qualifications, CPD and Insights Hub.
  • Screenshot of Educationwise 'About Us' webpage with a chat window showing a message from 'Eddy Support Bot (AI)'.
  • Screenshot of a website page titled 'Continued Professional Development' with information about courses, prices, and bundles related to employee training, featuring a navigation menu, a chat support widget, and a logo in the top left corner.

social media: targeted outreach & measurable growth

once the brand and website were robust, we moved onto the outreach phase.

i created new branded assets, meticulously optimising them to better perform on their relevant platforms. our focus was primarily on instagram for engaging smaller and medium enterprises (smes), and linkedin for targeting larger partners. this two-pronged approach was designed to get different types of businesses on side and registering apprenticeships, then using their established audiences and local presence to get learners on board.

the results spoke for themselves over one calendar year:

  • instagram grew in followers by 52%.

  • link clicks improved by 1300%.

  • page visits increased by 100%.

  • reach was boosted by 633%.

  • linkedin followers grew by 35%, rising from 2242 to over 3000.

  • the brand generated over 403,000 impressions across the year.

before

  • Certificate recognising the employee of the Month at Educationwise Academy.
  • Children in school uniforms participating in an outdoor activity, climbing a wall, supervised by an adult, at a school playground.

after

  • A laptop on a table near a window showing a field and sky outside, with a Starbucks cup and a notebook, and overlayed text and search bar for 'Apprenticeships Near Me' on a website with a logo that says 'Educationwise' and 'Outstanding Provider'.
  • A promotional flyer for the AEPL Exchange, featuring images of people engaging in conversations, with a quote about the importance of the AEPL Sport & Physical Activity Sector Forum.
  • A graphic with a dark green background showcasing a large percentage '98%' at the top, the 'Education Wise' logo, and a quote about employer satisfaction with education-related training for apprentices. At the bottom, there is a black-and-white photo of young boys in sports jerseys and a coach or adult, hugging in a sports setting.
  • Infographic highlighting two remote job positions: Content Creator (Level 3, 12 months, funded, developing marketing talent skills) and Sales Executive (Level 4, 15 months, funded, building sales and client relations).
  • Colorful text spelling 'Pride' with rainbow-colored letters and small decorative stars around it, on a white background.
  • Blog post titled 'Why RPA Players and Staff Are Choosing Apprenticeships with Educationwise' with logos of Ofsted, Matrix, and Rugby Players Association at the top and a background image of a rugby stadium.

summary

in my 15 months, i completely revamped educationwise's digital and, by default, their in-person presence. from marketing collateral to uniform design, i pulled the brand from the past into the future and gave them a robust, sustainable platform for continued growth upon my exit. this systematic overhaul provides a blueprint for how socialogy approaches marketing transformation for all of our clients.

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