What if your best-performing ad didn’t ask people to buy anything at all 🤔?
For the Dominican House of Studies, the goal was simple: to build a donation database so that when big asks came up, there would be more potential donors to reach out to. And the winning strategy centered around the opportunity to receive weekly devotionals and even submit a personal prayer request—a win-win for all involved.
With the right message, targeting, and follow-up system, that simple invitation generated extraordinary results in only 30 days. And we did it with a selfie-video as the creative.
🙏 3,705 total leads
📈 40% conversion rate
💰 AND Just $1.56 per lead
The campaign didn’t rely on a discount, flash sale, or high-pressure pitch. It succeeded by offering genuine value and giving thousands of people a reason to begin a lasting relationship with the Dominican House of Studies.
Here’s how we built it.
The Ad Lesson: Give People a Reason to Connect
Many businesses make the mistake of asking for too much, too soon.
“Schedule now.”
“Buy today.”
“Request a quote.”
These calls to action can work when someone is already prepared to make a decision. But most people who encounter your brand on Facebook or Instagram aren’t ready to convert into customers or donors immediately.
They need a compelling first step.
For the Dominican House of Studies, that first step was an invitation to receive spiritual encouragement from Father Petri and the Dominican friars. Users could submit their prayer requests through a Facebook lead form and sign up for weekly devotionals via email and text.
About the Dominican House of Studies
Located in Washington, D.C., the Dominican House of Studies is a Catholic institution dedicated to the intellectual and spiritual formation of future priests and theologians.
Its friars also provide prayerful support and spiritual guidance to people seeking comfort, encouragement, and a deeper connection to their faith.
A Targeting Strategy Built For Relevance
Reaching thousands of people is only valuable when they’re the right people.
To find an audience likely to connect with the Dominican House’s message, our team developed a layered Facebook targeting strategy that included:
🎯 Custom audiences based on previous interactions
🔍 Carefully selected interests and demographics
📊 Ongoing performance analysis and audience refinement
This approach allowed us to reach new people while keeping the campaign focused on those most likely to respond to an offer of prayer and weekly spiritual guidance.
But targeting was only one piece of the strategy. We also needed to discover which creative format would make the message feel the most authentic.
Three Creative Formats Entered. One Clear Winner Emerged.
We tested three distinct ad formats:
Single-image graphic: A sincere, straightforward design featuring the question, “Can we pray for you?”
Carousel graphic: A collection of visuals introducing the Dominican House’s prayer ministry and the people behind it.
A simple video: A personal video featuring Father Petri walking through the church and showing viewers the prayer boards where the friars read and respond to requests.
While the static designs helped us test different ways to present the message, Father Petri’s video became the campaign’s breakout performer.
Why?
Because people connect with people.
THE RESULT: 3,705 LEADS IN 30 DAYS
This number demonstrates what can happen when an ad’s message, offer, audience, and creative all work together.
More importantly, every lead represented an individual seeking prayer, spiritual guidance, or a closer relationship with the Dominican House of Studies.
Why the Follow-Up Matters Just as Much as the Ad Content
Generating a lead is only the beginning.
Without an organized follow-up process, even an outstanding campaign can leave valuable relationships sitting untouched. That’s why we integrated the Facebook campaign directly with the Dominican House of Studies’ Salesforce CRM.
As soon as someone completed the lead form, their information was entered into an automated email and text message workflow. Each new subscriber received:
✉️ A welcome email introducing the Dominican House and devotional program
📖 Weekly devotionals from Father Petri
(proper emoji, lol) Regular text messages reiterating the holy mission of the Dominican House
🙏 Continued reminders that the friars were praying for their intentions
From Lead Generation to Long-Term Support
Through consistent devotionals and meaningful follow-up, the Dominican House can continue strengthening its relationship with thousands of new subscribers. That foundation will become especially valuable as the organization approaches its annual fall appeal.
What Can Your Small Business Learn From This Campaign?
You don’t need to be a religious organization to apply the same strategy.
The most effective introductory offer is often something that helps your audience before asking them to make a major commitment. Depending on your organization, that could be:
💡 An educational guide
🎥 A helpful video series
📋 A checklist or assessment
📬 An exclusive newsletter
🎟️ Access to a workshop or event
🧠 Expert insights delivered by email
The right offer gives people an easy, valuable way to enter your world.
Jax Digital Marketing Agency Fable Heart Media is Ready to Help
At Fable Heart Media, we pair creative storytelling with precise targeting, conversion tracking, and automated follow-up systems to help organizations turn attention into lasting engagement.
Whether your goal is to generate leads, grow your donor community, book more appointments, or build an audience for future campaigns, we can help you develop a strategy grounded in your goals.
Book a complimentary consultation with our team today, and we’ll show you how to find the offer your audience can’t ignore.
