See how 80/20 Digital's award-winning strategies helped a local childcare centre grow from launch to full enrolment with a strong return on investment.

Key Takeaways

    • 80/20 Digital received a Platinum Award at the 2026 AVA Digital Awards for its work with Pickney Early Learning.
    • The campaign combined website improvements, Google Ads and local SEO to help a new childcare centre increase visibility, enquiries and enrolments.
    • Award recognition highlights the importance of strategic digital marketing that focuses on measurable business outcomes rather than vanity metrics.
    • The campaign achieved strong performance indicators, including increased return on investment, high Google Ads conversion rates and top local search rankings.
    • Successful collaboration between client and agency played a key role in achieving consistent enquiry growth and full enrolment capacity.
    • Data-driven marketing strategies can help businesses accelerate growth by improving online visibility, lead generation and conversion performance.

Another win for the not-so-little campaign that could! We’re pleased to share that our work with Pickney Early Learning has received a Platinum Award at the AVA Digital Awards, marking the campaign’s second win for the year so far.

What the AVA Platinum Award Recognises

The AVA Digital Awards are an international competition run by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. They recognise the thinking and craft behind digital work, from planning and concept through to execution and delivery.

We’ve been fortunate to be recognised by the AVA Awards before, including a Platinum Award for Best SEO Campaign for our work with Showfront, along with three Gold Awards for Integrated Marketing Campaign, Digital Advertising Campaign, and SEM Campaign for Betta Fire Protection. This latest recognition sits nicely alongside those earlier wins and reflects the same steady, data-led approach we bring to every project.

The Campaign: Helping a New Childcare Centre Reach Capacity

In early 2025, Pickney Early Learning was newly established, operating in a competitive local area, and needed enrolments to grow quickly to remain viable. The work started with rebuilding the website so parents could quickly see what Pickney offers, where it’s based, and how to book a tour. Once that was live, we introduced Google Ads and local SEO to drive local enquiries.

How Enquiries and Enrolments Built Over Time

The campaign launched in May 2025, with enquiries and tour bookings starting within the first few weeks. From there, we helped Pickney Early Learning achieve:

  • 8,416%+ return on investment as enrolments increased
  • 9.75%+ Google Ads conversion rate
  • Top 3, immediate page one rankings for key local childcare searches
  • Growth in organic visibility alongside paid activity, supporting consistent enquiry flow
  • Ad spend kept in line with what the centre could realistically accommodate
  • Full enrolment reached by November 2025

Today, Pickney Early Learning’s online presence continues to support steady enquiries beyond the initial launch phase. 

Good Work Comes From Good Collaboration

This campaign worked because both teams were on the same page. The Pickney Early Learning team were clear about what they needed and responsive as decisions came up, which made it easier for us to adjust as the centre grew. Thanks to Pickney Early Learning and everyone at 80/20 Digital who helped bring this campaign to life!

Looking for Digital Marketing With Outcomes Like This?

If you’re ready to grow with a partner who understands your goals and delivers measurable results, it’s time to work with 80/20 Digital. Contact us today for a free consultation!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the AVA Digital Awards?

The AVA Digital Awards are an international competition that recognises excellence in digital marketing, communications, creativity and strategic campaign execution across a range of industries.

A Platinum Award is typically one of the highest levels of recognition, awarded to campaigns that demonstrate exceptional creativity, execution and measurable business results.

Digital marketing can improve local visibility through SEO, Google Ads and website optimisation, helping childcare centres attract more enquiries, tours and enrolment opportunities from local families.

Measurable results allow businesses to evaluate return on investment, understand campaign effectiveness and make informed decisions about future marketing strategies.

Local SEO helps businesses appear in location-based searches, making it easier for nearby customers to find and contact them when searching for relevant services.

Businesses can improve their results by implementing a tailored digital marketing strategy that combines search visibility, lead generation, conversion optimisation and ongoing performance analysis.

Colm MacGowan is a multi-award-winning digital marketer, growth strategist, and Founder of 80/20 Digital. Specialising in lead generation for service-based businesses, Colm helps brands scale through brand-led, data-driven SEO, AI SEO (AIO/GEO), Google Ads, social media, conversion strategy, and commercially focused digital marketing systems. Over the past three decades, his strategies have generated more than $100 million in revenue for clients across Australia, the UK, Ireland, Canada, and the US.