1% for the Planet: Testing LinkedIn ads

1% For The Planet is a global network on a mission to accelerate smart environmental giving and prevent greenwashing—a PR strategy to persuade people that an organization’s products and policies are environmentally friendly. It was founded on the belief that a company is responsible for giving back for using our planet’s resources. Their funding model invites organizations to become members and commit to donating 1% of annual sales to environmental organizations. 

Overview

In 2022, 1% For The Planet received financial and strategic support from Progressive Multiplier to grow its individual members and set out to test LinkedIn advertising's capabilities to reach a diverse audience and bring new voices into its global community.

Unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn Advertising lets organizations target ads by career level, job titles, and even specific organizations and philanthropic interests so that  1% for the planet can target the type of donors they need—donors who think about the infrastructure of the environmental movement rather than tangible opportunities such as removing plastic or planting trees.

The Experiment

1% For The Planet set up their initial ad on LinkedIn and quickly noticed that they would need to refine their initial plans. This experiment ran four tests:

1. Test 1- Initial ad launch with the key performance indicator of converting the target audience into members

2. Test 2 - Noticing initial results were not moving in the right direction, they switched to test  ads that revolved around their Planet Impact Fund. A new program that combines the power of philanthropy with a robust portfolio of environmentally-focused investments to support nature-based solutions and other vital strategies for our planet and future generations.

3. Test 3 - Conversions were still stalled, so this time, tactics were changed to test direct donations before realizing they needed to operate further up the marketing funnel. 
4. Test 4—The final stage of the project saw 1% For The Planet reorient their efforts to generate new leads through targeted ads. 

Phase 4 became the most successful of all the ad tests. 1% For the Planet was flexible and adaptable during their experiment. As a result, they were able to make several adjustments to correct the course and lean into real-time data to make informed decisions on how to pivot for the most impact. 

The Takeaway

1% for the Planet learned where Ads fit into the marketing funnel. What 1% For The Planet does is abstract, requiring a lot of brand awareness and education to attract individual donors to this kind of work.

This project helped them reassess their systems and the marketing infrastructure needed before placing ads. Because of the nature of their work, it is imperative that additional content be in place in order to nurture and educate the leads generated into donors.