We know when you speak to the right audience, you see measurable results. Your sales team meets with more qualified leads. More event attendees become residents or join your expansion interest list . But we also know you’re skeptical, unlikely to take our word for it. We also want you to know we believe in transparency and accountability. That’s why we ask our communities to share their data with us, and in turn, we share our data with them. We know someone is looking at your numbers and your results. That’s why you need to start with the best data. And why we’re sharing our latest McLean case study results to show you real results as a result of speaking to the right audience!
In 2024, we published 4 case studies with actual, measurable data from four LifeSpire senior living communities in Virginia. In 2025, our new case study for McLean, a not-for-profit community in Connecticut, offers real, measurable data that exceeded expectations. AND they ended their 2024 campaign a month early because they surpassed their goal one month early!
The McLean Campaign
Sabal Strategy partnered with our friends at Illumia to supercharge McLean’s proposed expansion campaign. The results have been terrific. As of mid-July, they are currently 34% over their goal, having grown the Vantage Membership by 258.1%. The McLean sales team has a 33.7% attendee-to-depositor conversion rate as of July. And they saw a 20% savings in event costs.
Smaller mailing lists to the right audience deliver stronger conversion rates & lower costs.
How did we make this happen? The Illumia team began with a deep dive into the CRM data, pulling all the relevant data. Then they conducted an in-depth analysis to really understand who the audience should be for this campaign. This data formed the basis of a custom MicroModeling Report. The top three deciles of qualified prospects formed the initial mailing list of 17, 054.
The Right Audience
The Sabal prospecting list was used for six event mailers, which were followed by two email blasts and supported by digital and social ads. The campaign saw:
- 91 new waitlist depositors joining the Vantage Program.
- This was a 33.7% attendee-to-depositor conversion rate.
- In November, Sabal’s list was responsible for 17 new depositors, the highest number for one month in the 2024 campaign.
- The Illumia team ran a matchback analysis for the names of new Vantage Program depositors.
- 68.6% of the depositors were matched (name+address) to the Sabal list.
- 68.5% of new Vantage Program members represent the highest match to prior depositors and recent residents of Sabal’s modeled list.
- The average age of new Vantage Program members is 75, which is lower than expected.
The successful events in 2024 are why McLean continues to rely on our data for 2025.
Matchback analysis helped our data team refine and build the best audience. As of mid-July, the McLean marketing team has added 565 new leads to their CRM. And the entire campaign has grown Vantage Program membership by 258.1%. Not only is their pipeline healthy, the expansion project’s potential membership exceeds the proposed number of new homes and apartments by a healthy margin.
Overall, the McLean sales team has more than exceeded the industry’s benchmark for converting new leads. Currently they’re seeing an overall 33.7% conversion rate for attendees to depositors. For events with attendees solely from Sabal’s list, they have a 35.9% conversion rate for attendees to depositors. And although they enjoy a 100% occupancy rate, they’ve added 38 new people to the community’s existing independent living waitlist. That’s a 29.9% new lead to deposit conversion rate for any waitlist!
Real Results
At Sabal, we believe sharing real results helps everyone understand the process and possibilities that begin when you choose the right partners. We’d like to extend our deepest appreciation to the McLean marketing team who tracked the hard numbers and shared them with us. Instead of looking at only the number of people who attended. They can now calculate a more accurate ROI based on attendance to new leads and attendance to depositors.
If you’d like to be in a position to convert nearly 30% of an audience, you need to speak to the right audience. You need to email Angela or give Maribeth a call! Because when you choose the right partner (Hello Illumia and Natalie!), your outcomes can be just as good as these are for McLean.
