St John Ambulance
Various Roles
Modernizing a 900 Year Old Brand
St. John Ambulance (SJA) is an organization with a rich history and traditional roots. SJA provides training, equipment, and volunteer support for a wide range of emergency and community health services. However, in recent years, the organization found itself at a crossroads, needing to modernize its approach to remain relevant in an increasingly digital and competitive market.
🌟 My time at St John Ambulance was very much marked by digital transformation. I started as a Digital Marketing Specialist and worked my way up to Marketing Director and sat on both the national web and marketing committee. Along the way, I helped SJA embrace a digital first approach, delivering:
A new e-commerce platform, resulting in quadrupled sales
Implementation of a new Learning Management System (LMS)
A streamlined donation process through a modern charitable giving platform
Multi-channel digital marketing campaigns that significantly expanded reach and engagement
Crafted and executed a comprehensive paid advertising strategy, maximizing ROI
Sat on the national web team, contributing to the development of a centralized national website
Overview
The Challenge: Bridging Tradition and Innovation
When I joined St. John Ambulance, our digital presence was fragmented and outdated. The provincial website allowed for little customization and was largely non-responsive, while our e-store lagged far behind best practices and was leaving money on the table. Recognizing the immense potential for improvement, I championed a comprehensive overhaul of our digital infrastructure, working to bring the charity the modern tools they needed to succeed.
Key challenges included:
An outdated online presence
Limited e-commerce capabilities
A provincial website that allowed for limited customization
Lack of a cohesive digital strategy
A struggle to meet an increasingly younger audience
Strategic Solutions
A Powerful, User Friendly E-commerce Platform: We overhauled our e-commerce platform through cross-departmental collaboration, resulting in quadrupled sales and an enhanced user experience.
Strategic Microsites: To overcome main website limitations, we launched targeted microsites coupled with press releases and campaigns, generating quality leads and supporting the buyer's journey for high-ticket items.
Modernized Charitable Giving: Delivered a new platform with CRM integration, customizable donation forms, and peer-to-peer campaign capabilities, driving donor engagement and streamlining relationship management.
Paid Marketing Strategy: Conducted a deep dive of our paid marketing efforts, and developed targeted paid marketing campaigns across, Google Ads (search, display, shopping) and Meta (FB, Instagram)
National Website Transformation: Sitting on the national website committee, I helped deliver a centralized website that enhanced usability, improved SEO, and met diverse business needs.
Data-Driven Optimization: Leveraged web analytics, A/B testing, and regular reporting to continuously improve user experience, key messaging, campaign performance, and demonstrate impact to stakeholders.
Content Strategy Overhaul: We shifted focus to high-value, audience-centric content, emphasizing real-life survival stories and impactful testimonials.
Digital Performance Metrics: Established key performance indicators (KPIs) across our digital properties, enabling data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
Sales and Marketing Alignment: We created resources and educational content that drove lead generation for offline sales, effectively bridging digital and traditional channels.
Outcome
A Digitally Transformed Organization
By the time I departed St. John Ambulance after 3.5 years, the charity had undergone a remarkable digital transformation, positioning it strongly for the future:
Secured stakeholder buy-in: Demonstrated how adopting modern tools and improving conversion rates, even modestly, could yield substantial gains for the charity. Collaborated across departments to build consensus, aligning diverse teams around a unified digital vision.
Digital Infrastructure: We successfully overhauled our digital presence, implementing a modern e-commerce platform, responsive website, and integrated CRM system. This new infrastructure provided a solid foundation for growth and engagement.
Younger Demographic Reach: Through strategic use of social media, targeted content, and digital marketing techniques, we successfully expanded our reach to younger audiences, ensuring the continued relevance and sustainability of the organization.
Enhanced Communication: Our revamped content strategy and multi-channel approach allowed for more effective and meaningful communication with diverse audience segments, increasing engagement and brand loyalty.
Integrated Marketing Engine: We fostered a holistic approach to align sales and marketing efforts. This integration led to more efficient lead generation, improved conversion rates, and better support for both charitable and commercial objectives.
Fundraising Support: Our digital initiatives significantly boosted fundraising efforts, providing new channels for donor engagement and making it easier for supporters to contribute to our cause.
Data-Driven Decision Making: By implementing robust analytics and reporting, we created a culture of continuous improvement and data-informed strategy across the organization.
