National Park Trust - Building Support and Awareness Through Digital Strategy for Small Nonprofits

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Case Study: National Park Trust

Crafting a digital strategy for small nonprofits can accomplish lasting results. Our primary goal for National Park Trust’s first-ever Facebook ad campaign was to increase its supporter base and build awareness of its preservation and environmental education work through lead generation. Given this was our pilot campaign, we also sought to understand who NPT’s ideal target audience is. Our strategy for this consisted of three parts:

Using strategic targeting parameters

Testing strong messaging and imagery

Inspiring individuals to take action

VISIT SITE

As a result of our five-week campaign, National Park Trust gained 1,792 new leads.

20.7%

email list growth

97,306

people reached through our ads

17.2%

increase in Facebook page likes

Bringing on a digital strategist was a brand new concept for us, but we knew we needed professional expertise to get the word out about our mission and successful programs. Thanks to Media Cause, in a matter of months we have seen rapid growth of our email list and social media followers -- and our staff has a greater understanding of how best to utilize our platforms.

Grace Lee, Executive Director, National Park Trust

Strategy

Discovery and Analysis

Before we can achieve a client’s goals, we need to know the lay of the land. Our discovery process allows us to assess existing efforts, successes, and opportunities before we dive in.

Build & Engage Communities

Our clients need help to change the world. Getting the right supporters on their side, and keeping them involved with the mission is critical to creating impact.

Captivating Words & Images

Powerful work deserves powerful communications. Copywriting, infographics, email headers, landing pages–the list goes on–all help you move communities toward organizational goals.

Implementation

Build & Engage Communities
As we developed this digital strategy for the small nonprofit, given this was National Park Trust’s first Facebook ad campaign, we began with broad demographic targeting of individuals interested in all things outdoors and parks. With close monitoring of engagement, we strategically optimized our targeting parameters, which drastically decreased our cost-per-lead. Throughout the duration of the campaign the CPL dropped from $6.68 to $2.79, a 58% decrease in cost.
Captivating Words and Imagery
National Park Trust’s image library is outstanding, and we used a variety of shots in our ads. We tested ad variables, including messaging and imagery, to see which generated the most leads. The data we gathered allowed us to optimize our ads using the highest converting variables, while collecting critical insights to inform our future ad and organic social media strategies.

Results

Using strong, mission-focused messaging and National Park Trust’s outstanding imagery, our pilot Facebook campaign resulted in 20.7% email list growth in five weeks and a wealth of insights about National Park Trust’s target audience.