In this week’s edition of the Goodness Report, we are shining a spotlight on Discover Freemasonry, a digital campaign aimed at attracting new members while also instilling a sense of fraternal pride within Masons of California fraternity members. Recognized at the prestigious PRSA Los Angeles PRISM Awards as the 1st place Not-for-Profit Marketing campaign of 2023, Discover Freemasonry’s resounding success serves as a true testament to Idea Hall’s strategic planning, thoughtful execution and commitment to exceeding expectations.
The Need to Discover Freemasonry
In 2022, the Masons of California entrusted Idea Hall with crafting a digital campaign that would serve two key purposes: pique the interest of potential new members and foster a sense of pride within the fraternity. The campaign was anchored by three primary objectives:
- Drive awareness and membership interest in the Masons of California.
- Generate a minimum of 2,000 new member leads.
- Exceed industry benchmarks with a click-through rate above 1% and a cost per action below the Facebook benchmark of $18.68.
What It Means To Be a Mason
Rooted in Idea Hall’s strategic problem–solving approach, the team jumped into action conducting research and analyzing data to anchor the campaign’s messaging, look and feel, and strategy in data-driven insights. As a part of this process, the team navigated legal intricacies surrounding private club membership campaigns and developed a strong creative concept that aligned with traditional Masonic imagery and language, while also resonating with a younger demographic.
The campaign, titled “Discover Freemasonry,” encouraged potential Masons to go beyond the surface of what they might already know or have heard about Masonry and get to know the organization on a truer, deeper level. To do this, the campaign highlighted some of the key, but perhaps lesser known, benefits of joining the Masons of California – including friendship, social events, leadership and personal growth. The imagery selected to convey these core values showcased the diversity of the organization by featuring a mix of stock photography representative of current membership and images and stories of real-life fraternity members.
With the creative in place, the Idea Hall team developed a comprehensive content and media buy strategy, including the creation of a trackable landing page for the campaign and a 12-week media flight plan to guide implementation.
Real Time Adjustments & Exceeding Expectations
The first 12-week campaign utilized both prospecting and retargeting tactics. Prospecting focused on building a lookalike audience curated from page engager attributes and lead form submits. The campaign also included a specific pillar focused on the Latino audience.
Continuous monitoring and analysis during the campaign provided crucial insights, guiding strategic adaptations and optimizations in real-time. Funds were judiciously reallocated to the most effective channels, tactics and creative executions, ensuring optimal results and maximum new member leads.
The “Discover Freemasonry” Campaign not only met but surpassed all objectives of the campaign.
- Awareness and Interest: Garnering over 1.2 million impressions and 19,000 clicks, the campaign successfully drove awareness and membership interest.
- New Member Leads: A remarkable 3,778 potential new member leads were generated, surpassing the set target.
- Click-Through Rate and Cost-Per-Action: The campaign’s click-through rate reached an impressive 1.60%, exceeding the industry benchmark of 1%, while maintaining a cost per action of $7.94, well below the Facebook benchmark of $18.68.
Reflecting on the success of the campaign and the impactful results it has brought them, Emily Limon, Chief Communications Officer of Masons of California, perfectly captured the sentiment of the Masons of California upon the campaign’s conclusion:
“Idea Hall guided us through our first social media membership development campaign from start to finish. Our teams worked together seamlessly to build authentic, impactful, creative, and Idea Hall’s thoughtful media buying and adjustments along the way gave us results that exceeded our expectations.
Through this campaign, we realized that we’ve only scratched the surface, and are now replicating this campaign in smaller geographic areas throughout California. Prospects come to our organization to make true friends, and to improve themselves and the communities they live in. The more we can spread that message, the more good we can do in our local communities. We couldn’t be happier with our results!”
If you’re interested in igniting similar success for your organization, or want to explore how your organization can partner with Idea Hall, please contact Michelle Ruiz-Ponce at michelleRP@Ideahall.com or Rebecca Hall at Rebecca@ideahall.com.
