The Client
The Illinois Saint Andrew Society, now known as the Chicago Scots, is the oldest charity in Illinois and one of the world’s largest Scottish cultural organizations. In addition to offering a range of elder care services, they also offer scholarships and organize events and initiatives to educate, entertain and promote both traditional and contemporary Scottish culture, such as the annual Scottish Festival and Highland Games. For the 33rd Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games, the goal was to maximize ticket sales through the use of social media.
What We Did
Knowing that Facebook was the best way to reach to Chicago Scots’ core demographic, we used that platform as the sole platform for social media advertising. We implemented ad campaigns that targeted men and women who expressed interest in the Scottish Highlands, heavy athletics and were Scottish expats, located in the Chicagoland area.
Once the ads were live, our Facebook event page seamlessly integrated with Eventbrite, which allowed people to easily purchase their event tickets without leaving Facebook. As a result of this one-click experience, fewer people dropped off before purchasing their tickets, leading to a stronger conversion rate.
The Results
By posting various types of content such as things to do at the fest, various vendors that would be attending, event info, etc. mixed with hyper-targeted ads, we were successfully able to increase sales through an untapped channel that Chicago Scots has never utilized before. After implementing 5 various ads with A/B testing and close monitoring, Chicago Scots saw a 683% return on ad spend and continued with the same strategy year after year.
