Ad Grants

At a glance

Location: UK www.samaritans.org

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Mission

Founded in 1953, Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide. To do that, the organisation runs an emotional support helpline which is available for free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on the phone, by email and face to face in 201 branches in the UK and Ireland – a service that’s provided by 20,000 volunteers. The support channels are contacted every 6 seconds and each year the organisation reaches more than half a million people through their work in local communities.

Marketing Goals

Samaritans’ primary marketing goal is to raise awareness of their helpline to ultimately reduce suicide rates. Michael Keating, Digital Communications Manager, explains, 'We are focused on getting our message in front of people who are thinking about taking their lives so that they are aware of the support that we can offer'. As the organisation has become more digitally savvy, Samaritans has also set up conversion goals around fundraising, event sign-ups and volunteer recruitment.

The Approach

Samaritans uses conversion tracking in Google Ads and Google Analytics to measure the impact of their Ad Grants campaigns and make decisions on where to invest their marketing spend. 'Across Google Ads and Analytics, the key things we track are donations made through the website, volunteer sign-ups and email newsletter sign ups', says Keating. Conversion tracking and Analytics data insights help the organisation plan digital spend for their biggest marketing campaigns. Samaritans uses their Ad Grants account to test marketing strategies and supplements the account with a paid Google Ads account over the festive season to boost their fundraising efforts. Michael says, 'Implementing conversion tracking has reassured our organisation that investing in paid Google Ads is worth it. The data shows just how much value this channel can offer.' Over the previous festive season, paid Google Ads campaigns drove the highest value donations for the organisation.

Impact of Google Ad Grants

Conversion tracking and Analytics data insights influence Samaritans’ marketing budget allocation and enable the organisation to reach their marketing goals effectively. In the last year, the organisation’s Ad Grants campaigns drove over $48,000 or 10% of online donations, 11% of fundraising event registrations and 1,769 volunteer sign ups. Michael says, 'Investing in Google Ads helps Samaritans reach more people to offer support and drives more people to support the organisation'.