NAES - Turning Digital Engagement into 778% ROI

The Challenge

Drive registrations for the NAES Biennial Conference through digital marketing while maximizing ROI within a highly targeted audience.

NAES engages a distinct community of Episcopal school leaders and decision-makers nationwide, including heads of school, administrators, chaplains, trustees, and faculty. This audience is both highly specialized and limited in scale, making broad-based digital strategies inefficient. Success depends on a more sophisticated approach—leveraging precise targeting, strategic remarketing, and messaging that aligns with both professional needs and mission-driven values.

The Solution

MGI built a targeted, multi-channel campaign designed to influence prospects across the full decision journey.

Remarketing to re-engage high-intent audiences
Paid Search to capture active demand
Facebook advertising to expand awareness
Geofencing at key industry events to increase visibility among qualified prospects
Phased campaign approach aligned to early awareness, early bird, and final push

The Result

The campaign ran from May through October, with a strategic summer pause and a renewed push during peak registration periods. Messaging evolved to highlight early bird incentives, key benefits, and urgency as deadlines approached.

Remarketing served as the foundation, reinforcing consistent visibility and driving prospects back to complete registration.

Results

MGI delivered strong, measurable performance:

138 registrations directly attributed to digital efforts
$102,860 in revenue
$13,202 in ad spend
778% ROI

Channel Highlights:

AdRoll Remarketing: 85 registrations, 1409% ROI
Google Search: 24 registrations, 354% ROI
Facebook: 29 registrations, 294% ROI

The omnichannel approach also supported additional registrations beyond direct attribution by maintaining consistent exposure to NAES messaging.

Why It Worked

Right channel mix: Prioritized high-performing remarketing while supporting with search and social
Data-driven optimization: Continuous learning and budget adjustments improved efficiency
Audience alignment: Campaign timing matched school-year engagement patterns
Sustained visibility: Multiple touchpoints reinforced the decision to register

What This Means for Associations

A focused, omnichannel digital strategy can drive measurable event revenue–even with modest budgets–when it’s built around audience behavior, strong retargeting, and disciplined media optimization.