Boosting Abstract Submissions & Expanding Global Reach for SfN 2025
Society for Neuroscience Abstract Submission Campaign
To support the Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN) Call for Abstracts, RhythmQ’s Marketing Team (RQ Marketing) executed a multi-channel digital campaign that combined search, display, and social advertising with insights on portal user flow. The campaign exceeded expectations, reaching 111% of the budgeted submission goal.
With conversion-based analytics, SfN was able to understand the user-journey. The campaigns were optimized at every step to maximize ROI.
111%
Abstract submissions exceeded the budgeted target.
65K
Total visitors to the abstract submission page from ads.
2X
The click-through rate (CTR) achieved was more than double the industry benchmark.
Introduction
Industry: STEM
Location: United States
SfN hosts the world’s largest gathering of neuroscientists each year, with abstract submissions forming the core of its scientific program. To ensure maximum participation for the 2025 Annual Meeting, SfN partnered with the RQ Marketing Team to launch a comprehensive digital campaign that combined paid advertising, strategic recommendations, and abstract portal user flow insights.
Objective
Increase awareness and drive engagement with the Call for Abstracts, ensuring strong submission rates and broad geographic participation from the global neuroscience community.
Challenges
SfN needed to expand global reach, drive strong abstract submissions, and stand out in a competitive digital space, all while understanding user flow on an external portal and balancing performance across multiple ad channels.
Maximizing Abstract Submissions
Abstract submissions are the foundation of the Annual Meeting. Driving high portal traffic and ensuring that researchers not only started but completed the process was critical.
Optimizing Multi-Channel Spend
With campaigns running across multiple ad platforms, the challenge was balancing performance across platforms, testing new ad types (like Google Display), and achieving return on investment (ROI) in line with industry benchmarks.
Reaching Global Audiences
SfN needed to expand awareness beyond the United States, engaging researchers across diverse geographic regions while maintaining cost efficiency.
Understanding the User Flow on an External Platform
Since the abstract submission portal was managed externally, SfN and the RQ Marketing Team had to analyze user behavior without direct control over the platform. Understanding friction points, identifying retention patterns, and making informed suggestions for improvements became an important part of campaign insights.
Standing Out in a Competitive Digital Space
SfN’s campaign ran during a period of high digital advertising activity, with many organizations competing for attention among the same academic and research audiences. To succeed, the campaign had to deliver compelling creative, sharp targeting, and urgency-driven messaging that cut through the noise.
Inefficient Optimization Strategies
The optimization of ad creatives and audience targeting strategies lacked sophistication, affecting performance improvement.
Solution
RQ Marketing’s multi-channel strategy combined search, display, and social advertising with testing on niche research platforms, supported by user flow analysis of the external portal to guide future improvements.
Multi-Platform Paid Campaign
The RQ Marketing Team executed an integrated campaign across Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, and ResearchGate. Branded search terms were emphasized for high-intent users, while new Display Ads expanded visibility on YouTube and scientific sites.
Expanding Awareness with Display & Video
Awareness was expanded using the Google Display network over YouTube and science-related sites. These ads introduced the Call for Abstracts to a wider audience, cost-effectively building visibility in neuroscience and related research communities.
Reaching Targeted Academic Audiences
Social media advertising was tailored to distinct segments. Meta focused on university affiliations, job titles, and international audiences, while LinkedIn zeroed in on professionals in healthcare, higher education, and research sectors across key U.S. regions.
Testing New Research Channels
ResearchGate was added as a niche academic platform. Multiple ad variations were tested to refine messaging, with deadline-driven creative proving most effective in motivating engagement among researchers.
Analyzing Portal User Flow
Although the submission portal was externally managed, the RQ Marketing Team provided analysis and recommendations on user behavior. Reviewing each step of the process offered valuable insights into retention and opportunities for improving the overall user journey in future cycles.
Implementation of Conversion Tracking
Robust conversion tracking mechanisms were implemented to seamlessly track user progression and optimize campaign performance.
Geo-Targeted Campaigns
Geo-targeted campaigns were executed to specifically target audiences based on conference locations, enhancing relevance and engagement.
Results
Exceeded Abstract Submission Goals
The campaign surpassed expectations, reaching 111% of the budgeted target for abstracts submitted, ensuring a strong foundation for the Annual Meeting’s scientific program.
Advertising Outperformed Industry Benchmarks
Paid media consistently exceeded expectations. Campaigns across Google, LinkedIn, and ResearchGate achieved strong CTR— the percentage of people who clicked on an ad after seeing it.
Google Search ads achieved CTRs above 5% (surpassing the 3–5% benchmark), LinkedIn delivered a 2.2% CTR (more than double its 1% benchmark), and ResearchGate reached High CTR (nearly double its regional average). These results show that SfN’s messaging and targeting resonated with key audiences.
High Submission Completion
The campaign drove strong engagement with the Call for Abstracts page. Nearly 9 out of 10 users who began a submission completed every step, underscoring a smooth and effective user experience.
Expanded International Reach
Year-over-year growth was strongest in Japan (+287%) and Canada (+72%), while the United States grew nearly 38%, strengthening both domestic and global participation.
ResearchGate Validated as a Niche Channel
Though smaller in scale, ResearchGate Ads recorded a high CTR, nearly double the platform’s regional average, proving effective for specialized neuroscience audiences.
Reporting and Analytics
The implementation of comprehensive tracking solutions facilitated robust reporting and analytics, providing actionable insights for strategic decision-making. With fixed tracking mechanisms, the campaign was able to generate valuable data insights, enabling informed adjustments and optimizations to further enhance performance and drive success.
