Six stories of supporter engagement CASE STUDIES BY Welcome to IN NUMBERS Immediate Immediate Media is an award-winning No.1 special interest content company, with membership and loyalty offices in London and Bristol. content agency You’ll know some of the much-loved magazines and media brands we publish, including BBC publications and websites such as BBC Good Food, Radio Times and BBC Wildlife. 12 But we also have a wide-ranging portfolio household name charity of clients across not-for-profit, charity and and membership clients membership sectors. We help our clients meet their marketing goals through editorial and design expertise, digital flair and strategic insight. And we build long-term relationships by listening carefully and delivering results. 1m Our content focuses on the passions of Loyal subscribers – the UK members, readers and supporters. From market leader in print wildlife to history, motoring to opera, we deliver content that engages, excites – and matters. In the next few pages we outline some of our recent work for clients in the third sector. 87m Eagle House, Global visitors to our Immediate’s landmark For more case studies, please visit our building in central Bristol website at imcontent.co.uk websites in April 2020 alone Case study: Butterfly Conservation A beautiful and efficient digital 75% members’ magazine of Butterfly Conservation Many charities and membership ‘bolts on’ to the organisation’s members who read the print magazine said they organisations have printed main website (requiring no in- wanted the digital edition magazines, but want a digital house development) and houses to continue home for this valuable content too. all articles from their magazine. After all, some supporters prefer Entry to the site is via a login, using to receive content digitally – for members’ individual numbers. Once convenience or over environmental in the site, members can browse concerns. And there are other features, columns and news like an advantages to digital too: the online newspaper. Video content, ability to link to online articles graphics and longer articles can all 80% from member emails and social be added to the site, adding value media, for example; or to use some to the print edition. content to attract new members. of survey respondents Launched during the coronavirus rated the digital Traditionally, online magazines lockdown, the digital edition has execution highly, with have been delivered as PDF-style proved immediately popular with new members rating it page-turners, but in a mobile-first members. A reader survey showed especially positively. world these are both challenging 75% wanted the digital edition to to read (lots of pinch-zooming) and continue, and respondents rated make it hard to surface content. the edition highly for convenience, cost-efficiency and impact. Instead, our solution for the charity Butterfly Conservation is To explore the site yourself, email an elegant, simple microsite which [email protected] Case study: Boundless An award-winning PR and membership 115 campaign pieces of national, local The bi-monthly magazine for our be involved in the magazine, we and online press coverage for the campaign, client Boundless is a much-loved enabled them to vote on their including the Times, Daily benefit of membership, covering favourite drives from the list of 50. Mail, Sun and inews motoring, leisure and public sector issues. In 2019, though, we wanted Our commercial team worked to take its enagagement levels closely with Boundless’ long- Working with with both members and the wider standing partner, LV=, to create Immediate is public – through digital and PR native sponsorship of the feature, a real highlight of my channels – up a level. and we created press releases to job. Our business is regional and national media. We quite complex and we Our concept was a special issue created four different covers for value the input they which would name and celebrate the magazine, highlighting routes offer, from ideation to the UK’s 50 Greatest Drives – the in the four British nations. And we creating the content – best road trips in England, Wales, upscaled the print feature into a we know that the end Scotland and N Ireland. We chose rich, in-depth online feature which result will be fantastic. a longlist of routes by combining is now one of Google’s top-three They are now seen insight from motoring experts and hits for ‘great British drives’. as an integral part of the well-travelled members we our business, on hand were writing for. Our contributors The result was a multi-faceted and daily to help members, including TV presenter Vicki Butler- industry award-winning campaign answer questions, Henderson, Top Gear contributor which yielded an estimated £150k and build layers into Dan Read, and Boundless motoring of media value, record page our strategy. group leaders. Then, knowing views to the online feature, and Hannah Raymond, that Boundless members love to incredible member feedback. Content Manager, Boundless Case study: English Heritage Bringing history to Reaching life in supporters’ 969k own homes members with a suite of Our work for the charity English Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11) – the membership comms across print, web, Heritage covers a wide range largest segment of the family social and video of supporter and member membership. Lively illustrations, communications, including videos, colourful copy and a host of activities, print magazines and craft projects come together in commercial partnerships. a magazine that encourages kids We have to get out to EH properties (when worked Attracting and retaining members they can) and learn at home (when very closely with is the lynchpin for revenue growth they can’t). Immediate to develop and sustainability. Retention is our member retention strongly influenced by how often The magazine is accompanied and communications members visit EH sites, and how by a dedicated area of the EH strategy. Notable strongly connected they feel to website and a YouTube channel successes over the the cause: our content has to offering videos and downloadable last year include deliver on both metrics. activities, inspiring them to engage a successful and with England’s story. engaging GDPR A key area of focus has been campaign, the launch appealing to families – a strategy This content is driving engagement, of a members’ rewards which bore huge dividends as retention and huge reach: videos on programme, and people tried to home-school EH’s ‘What Was Life Like?’ YouTube video content that is Journalist Phoebe history during 2020’s coronavirus channel have over a million views. attracting record views Smith experiences on YouTube and social. rough justice on a Saxon lockdown. Our Kids Rule! magazine battlefield – from English is full of fun, engaging history Explore more at english-heritage. Tersia Boorer, Senior Heritage Members’ content relevant to educational org.uk/members-area/kids Content Marketing Magazine, October 2018 Manager, English Heritage Case study: RSPB Driving growth and cost-efficiencies 14% for the RSPB of readers made an Our partnership with the RSPB has them afresh on a new content additional donation to the RSPB as a result of delivered major achievements, management system. On social reading the magazine driving demonstrable increases in media, we have helped the RSPB member engagement and income. engage a mass audience with their Big Garden Birdwatch and Big Starting with a relaunch of their Wild Sleepout campaigns, and we I have worked flagship magazine, Nature’s Home, continue to develop social assets with the we have broadened our scope to to build their online audiences. Immediate Media produce nine different publications Branded Content and a range of digital content, Drawing on our established media team on the portfolio targeting age groups from toddlers sales relationships, we have of RSPB supporter to retirement. We work closely increased advertising revenues publications, including with the in-house editor-in-chief by over 20%, increasing yields, our flagship member to deliver content that engages attracting more brand advertisers magazine, Nature’s serious birdwatchers, as well as and accessing agency schedules. Home, for over three reaching out to new audiences And as external postage costs years. It has been an including families and children. have risen, we have benchmarked incredibly productive RSPB’s total member numbers multiple operators to ensure the and enjoyable now stand at over 1.2 million. most economical distribution. relationship and I’m looking forward to In 2017, we completed a major Across the board, we are helping many more years of working with them. ‘The Science of content migration project on the ensure that as much as possible Migration’. Taken from RSPB website, assessing over 7,000 of RSPB’s revenue goes where it is Mark Ward, Editor-in- RSPB Nature’s Home content pages and optimising most needed: to conservation. Chief, Nature’s Home magazine, winter 2018 magazine, RSPB Case study: Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Increasing supporter 5x revenue for response Battersea rate increase in response to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is a journalists’ featured in an fundraising ask following the magazine’s redesign world-renowned institution, caring online video series. A feature on for over 7,000 animals every year. ‘Battersea through the ages’ Their supporter magazine, Paws, demonstrated how the charity has is a key way of communicating adapted to the needs of animals with over 18,000 stakeholders, and is ‘here for every dog and cat’. Immediate galvanizing support for campaigns, works with raising money and finding new The magazine’s carrier sheet, Battersea on our homes for animals. which includes the fundraising ask, supporter magazine was also re-designed with a larger and annual impact In 2018, Battersea launched a new and more impactful hero shot of a report, with very brand identity.