Challenge
St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity wanted to execute a data-driven Christmas Appeal campaign to exceed its overall £1.3m fundraising target and help with their mission to ensure everyone experiencing homelessness can secure, and keep, a safe place to live. The charity needed to build trust and confidence among internal stakeholders, to build the case for investing in digital more seriously. However, with a reduced spend compared to the prior year the campaign needed to efficiently engage both warm and cold audiences during the peak charitable giving season. The charity also wanted this campaign to set robust benchmarks for future campaigns and provide them with learnings they could integrate in future.
Solution
To maximise impact, a dual-channel approach was implemented, focusing on Paid Search (including Google Grants) and Meta platforms. Audience segmentation was refined to improve campaign efficiency, particularly for warm and remarketing audiences.
To capitalise on an annual Radio 4 broadcast related to the charity and its mission, the search strategy incorporated branded and Radio 4 related terms which contributed significantly to donations with over £85,000 coming directly from the Radio 4 related terms during the campaign. Radio 4 related terms had been absent from prior campaigns in terms of keyword groupings.
On Meta, we tested creative both static and video formats and various cold and warm audience segmentations. We brought the client into this process thoroughly, incorporating their deep knowledge of the brand and their audiences into test ideation, along the way showcasing why and how we would implement the chosen tactics. Our approach also involved reallocating budget mid-campaign to prioritise high-performing audiences and channels, particularly during Radio 4 broadcasts when conversion rates spiked.
A/B tests on landing pages revealed that pages with more donation buttons drove a 92% higher conversion rate than simplified variants. These findings informed ongoing adjustments to maximise results.
Through continuous testing, data-driven decision-making, and strategic reallocations, we successfully met and exceeded campaign goals.
Impact
The campaign generated over £340k, achieving a 193% income increase year-on-year. Conversion rates across channels rose dramatically, with search campaigns reaching 36% and Meta campaigns achieving 4.39%. These improvements were critical, especially as the campaign’s overall budget was halved compared to the prior year.
The campaign also solidified trust among stakeholders, demonstrating the value of targeted and adaptive digital strategies. Lessons learned included the efficacy of remarketing strategies, optimal timing around broadcasts, and the impact of clear, audience-tailored creative.
Most importantly, we were able to help our partners at the charity tell the story of the value of digital marketing with greater confidence, helping to unlock conversations with senior budget holders about continued investment in the channel to grow individual giving.