Michael Calia - 08/28/2024
Summary:
SAX LLP – a top 100 accounting, tax, and advisory firm – holds an annual 4-mile run to raise money for St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital’s Child Life Department, which offers high-impact holistic therapies to pediatric patients. With the main goal being to drive as many registrations and donations as possible for the USA Track & Field (USATF)-certified race and family-friendly charity event, 3E PR implemented social media campaign to raise awareness among key target audiences.
Objective:
Understanding the various types of people who would be interested in the 4 MILER, 3E PR identified 3 main audiences:
- Runners who would be interested in the race
- General public who would be interested in donating and supporting the cause
- Parents of young children who would be interested in a family-friendly event
- Corporate leaders who would be interested in sponsoring the event
Identifying these key groups aided in the overarching mission to drive more registrations and donations, contributing to SAX’s goal of raising $1 million for the Child Life Department.
Strategy:
3E PR created multiple variations of ads to run via sponsored content on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Each ad included catered messaging and imagery to highlight specific aspects of the 4 MILER and appeal to each audience segment.
Ads on Facebook and Instagram focused mainly on driving registrations and donations, as the Meta advertising targeting parameters allow for the creation of audiences closely related to those who would be interested in competitive running, as well as charitable-minded people, including those who have kids between the ages of 2 and 11. The ads included copy highlighting the various attractions featured at the event with images showing participants from previous year to quickly convey the value in attending and participating in the 4 MILER. This would also help ads stand out in feeds by immediately appealing to the audiences’ interests.
One major focus in 2023 was highlighting exactly what the donations would support within the hospital. To encourage donations of all sizes, ads were created to show how even small amounts of money can provide things like birthday cakes or party decorations, music therapy sessions, or arts and crafts materials for young patients who are undergoing intense treatment over long periods of time. This would help convey the idea that anyone can contribute to the cause to make a difference.
LinkedIn ads focused on the corporate sponsorships, targeting local high-level decision makers who would see the value in added brand recognition while helping a worthy cause. Given the business-focused nature of the platform, targeting parameters allowed us to home in on executive-level employees of various businesses in the area, including those who have a demonstrated interest in charitable giving and philanthropy. Targeting also included those who have interacted with SAX’s previous ads throughout the year, reaching professionals who have also expressed some level of interest in the firm itself. This includes the added benefit of demonstrating a positive brand image to nearby business leaders.
Sharing posts during and after the 4 MILER – as well as generating press coverage surrounding the event – helped promote the event’s success by highlighting how much was raised for the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. A video was created featuring quotes and insights from various attendees on the St. Joseph’s and SAX teams, highlighting the 4 MILER’s importance for the Child Life Department, and emphasizing that the act of giving back to their community is a significant part of SAX’s company culture.
Results:
The 2023 4 MILER was the most successful in the event’s 12-year history. Nearly 400 participants, 20 volunteers, 34 sponsors, and 225 donors came together to support the 4 MILER, raising over $125,000 to benefit the Child Life Department of St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital – the largest amount raised in a single year.
Across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, sponsored content generated 618,850 impressions (205% increase from 2022) and 6,264 total clicks (28% increase), with 5,958 being to the landing page (381% increase). The cost per link click fell from $1.94 to $0.52 since the previous year, and the link click-thru-rate (CTR) rose from 0.61% to 0.96%.
