Which company lead generation along the B2B


[PDF]Which company lead generation along the B2B...

1 downloads 118 Views 7MB Size

Which company

energized

lead generation along the B2B customer journey?

CENTRALIZED MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Hermes Creative Awards 2019 Submission Integrated Marketing Campaign | B2B Multi-Channel Campaign | B2B Lead Generation

1

HERMES CREATIVE AWARDS 2019 SUBMISSION Centralized Marketing Campaigns

Situaltional analysis Aligning marketing efforts with the B2B customer buying experience was a top priority for Constellation, a leading national competitive energy provider. The Centralized Marketing Campaigns, in their third year of deployment, already actively delivered year-round qualified leads to its commercial sales team. As in years past, the 2018 Centralized Marketing Campaigns targeted prospective commercial energy buying decision makers—those responsible for the procurement and purchase of power and natural gas supply for their businesses. With deepening focus on segmentation within (but not limited to) verticals including manufacturing, education, health care and the public sector, Constellation desired to drive awareness of its offerings to those not currently in the marketing and sales funnels and create more awareness and engagement with those that already were. All activities focused on effortlessly integrating with existing sales processes and delivering leads with material pipeline opportunity to its salespeople and business development managers in target markets across the country—and, most importantly, contributing to driving profitability for the enterprise. During the second half of the year, the campaigns also transitioned to a new marketing automation platform that allowed Constellation to directly share data points to its customer relationship management (CRM) platform to further align with the sales team. Leveraging their award-winning, best-practice-based—and always evolving—B2B marketing program built in 2016 and expanded on in 2017 by Constellation marketing and their agency Weber Shandwick, the same teams endeavored in 2018 to: 1.

Better align activities with broadened marketing/sales funnel stages: generating demand at the top of the funnel, capturing net-new leads, and converting them to qualified prospects.

2. Learn more about prospects: who they are, how they buy, and what matters most to them. 3. Segment for targeted communication and personalization. 4. Leverage existing and new technology, and better integrate marketing channels and content marketing efforts. 5. Deliver opportunities to evaluate campaign performance and optimize to deliver results. 6. Incorporate Constellation’s new brand messaging and visual identity (also delivered in 2018). 7.

Improve marketing and sales alignment through deeper dialogue between the two teams, improve insight into lead quality, and enhance marketing strategies to produce a more effective and efficient lead generation and sales enablement program.

8. Continue to grow the marketing team’s reputation as a ROI-generator by producing net-new leads, delivering more highly qualified prospects, and providing prospect intelligence on spend, upcoming contract expiration, and demonstrable ROI metrics. 9. Create efficiencies for data flow between the marketing technology system and CRM platform to appropriately attribute prospects and move them from campaign to campaign along the buyer’s journey during Constellation’s digital transformation process in Q3 and Q4.

Research and insights Since launching the first iteration of the campaign in 2016, Constellation has learned much about its prospective customers and their purchase habits. In 2018, new interviews with subject matter experts in key verticals provided valuable first-party data and insights leading to the development of appropriate campaign messaging and delivery of content that would resonate with key audiences. By evaluating data garnered during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns, and optimizing the 2018 program against that data via refined data collection and reporting mechanisms, Constellation continued to learn more about its buyer preferences and behaviors—on and offline. Key performance indicators included uncovering a prospect’s current energy supplier to further understand the competitive landscape, optimal marketing channels to drive desired results, best days and times to execute campaign tactics (and set performance expectations), the right mix and frequency of contact attempts for highest lead conversion, and the ability to align (prospect reported) existing contract end dates and energy spend leading to sales

1

HERMES CREATIVE AWARDS 2019 SUBMISSION Centralized Marketing Campaigns

pipeline opportunity development. The data collected on customer interactions and movements from a prospect to a marketing qualified lead to a sales qualified lead continues to inform future optimizations.

Strategy In 2018, Constellation embarked on redefining its brand to better address, up front, the needs of its diverse customer base. When faced with a complex energy purchase decision, commercial buyers of power and natural gas know it raises a lot of questions—uncertainty about pricing, agreement terms, purchasing plans, and energy portfolio mix, just to name a few. With so much to consider, customers want to know they have an energy company that provides the insight, efficiency, flexible options, and the ability to simplify the complicated buying process. They want a company that will answer all of their questions and give them confidence in their decision. In a sea of questions, it’s the first answer that counts most: Constellation. By highlighting questions specifically spoken through the lens of the commercial energy buyer, and then delivering answers through proof points confirming Constellation’s position as the expert in the field and assuring prospects that Constellation “more than sells to” but also understands its customers’ businesses, the 2018 Centralized Marketing Campaigns aimed to differentiate Constellation’s in-market message, and thereby itself, from its competitive set. Constellation desired to expand upon their systematic way of driving qualified prospects to its business development managers. The 2018 strategy focused on aligning all storytelling and multi-channel touchpoints along the energy buyer’s journey—from awareness through conversion—while simultaneously addressing specific needs of stakeholders in multiple industries with varying business requirements with the ultimate output resulting in highly qualified leads. Personalizing the customer experience via a carefully crafted deployment schedule with each tactic and touchpoint mapping back to the buyer’s journey was critical to the campaign’s success. The Centralized Marketing Campaigns created internal efficiencies for sharing these customer data points with the sales team by optimizing data flow and mapping between the marketing technology and CRM platforms to properly initiate nurture, retention and sales enablement programs.

Execution and tactics Armed with a new creative strategy, the team set forth to deliver refreshed campaign assets that punctuated Constellation’s new branding system: •

Vibrant, dynamic, and energetic vertical-specific imagery infused with strong, saturated color, a sense of motion, and unexpected cropping or geometry provided the perfect backdrop to visually portray “glimpses” into the active and energized world in which Constellation customers work.



Channeling a voice that was optimistic and dynamic, open and engaging, smart and confident, yet grounded and perceptive, the creative asked the hard questions and answered them positioning Constellation as a leader who listens, understands, and responds to the unique needs of its customers.



Email template updates, enhancements and migration for Constellation’s transition to its new marketing automation system to further align with its sales team in transferring data and providing an uninterrupted campaign experience for contacts already in an active campaign.

The first wave of the 2018 Centralized Marketing Campaigns launched in January 2018, followed in succession by waves two through five. By the end of 2018, Constellation launched over 50 unique campaigns addressing the specific needs of ten vertical segments and eight co-branded professional associations who have selected Constellation as their endorsed energy supplier amounting to over 1,200 unique touchpoints. Email and direct mail drove traffic to dynamic web-based experiences that housed a variety of content (where possible) tailored to a prospect’s specific vertical. Interactive content (including games and quizzes), short form content (including articles, testimonials, and infographics) and longer form resources (including white papers, case studies, market trends, and analysis) were all made available to website visitors. Customized telephone scripts expressed through friendly

2

HERMES CREATIVE AWARDS 2019 SUBMISSION Centralized Marketing Campaigns

representatives gave Constellation the opportunity to connect live with prospective customers over the phone. A top operational priority, Constellation needed to keep the program (and all of its components) flexible, adaptable and scalable. Working closely with the field marketing and sales teams—to keep marketing and sales processes aligned with the teams communicating effectively—all activities accommodated the addition of new business development managers enrolling in the program, all involved getting trained on the program, and marketing’s role in delivering qualified leads to those teams. From a technical perspective, the program integrated with Constellation’s data protocols, CRM database, a content experience platform, an email/marketing automation platform that was switched out during the second half of the year to connect with Constellation’s CRM platform, and a call center. The program also required coordination with printing, mailing, and fulfillment services providers. To track impact of the tactical executions and attribute appropriate marketing contribution as a prospect moved from awareness to conversion, the following mechanisms and processes were implemented to combine disparate technological and operational infrastructures and provide a holistic view of campaign performance: •

Data templates to normalize all data inputs and outputs



Nomenclature and taxonomy framework



Rigorous online and offline mechanisms to verify accuracy of data



Integration with marketing automation system for email communications and data collection



Migration to a new marketing automation system that works in conjunction with the CRM platform



Implementation of scripts activities and logging process with call center to maximize call verification and lead generation initiatives



Release of an optimized lead nurture program to improve conversion rates along the customer’s journey



Responsive web and email design and development



Personalized URLs (PURLs) attached to direct mail assets



Process between call center and marketing automation system to capture information about prospects’ current energy spends, contract expiration dates, and specific timeframes for follow-up

Effectiveness and results Specific results—aligned with campaign and business objectives—included: 1.

Wave 1 launched in January 2018 with subsequent waves launching every two months thereafter. By the end of 2018, the Centralized Marketing Campaigns activated over 50 unique streams reaching more than 40,000 contacts.

2. Because data accuracy is key to building a solid prospect list from which all campaigns initiate and evolve, data cleansing and hygiene efforts were significantly expanded in 2018. 3. By aligning all campaign touchpoints along the customer journey, Constellation uncovered new prospect contacts, optimized campaign releases with data-driven insights, and better understood prospect engagement preferences and buying motivations. 4. By gathering important opportunity and qualification data about prospects, Constellation’s marketing team delivered better and more highly qualified leads to sales reinforcing confidence and alignment between the two teams. The campaign offered year-round leads to the sales team, filling the sales pipeline with net-new sales opportunities. Transition to the new marketing automation system that directly connects to its CRM platform continues to provide data efficiencies that optimize the reporting functionality for the success of the email and engagement programs. 5. The Centralized Marketing Campaigns contribute to driving a positive return on marketing investment with material pipeline impact, and we project the return will continue to grow as prospects move through the buyer journey to becoming customers.

3

2018 Centralized Campaign Assets

Dear Energy Buyer:

e. m lin botto h roug yourevery energy dollar youTh You want to maximize . spend and be responsible about the energy you use. e on tegy (MVPe) renc stratoday However, many manufacturing facilities power being wasted by outdated equipment and diffe ingsee their ed sing big Pric rsifi ea rcha lighting tile ak systems, poor insulation, ineffi andvemore. If you don’t have the right resources to tackle r pu cient nm ed di Vola powe g ca mat ize d im sin ize effi ciency upgrades, these projects auto often be delayed or ignored. in ha , can M om inty purc and cust wer certa sa IS) you? r ur po et (F ire ar k fo yo ciency to qu can help ns your De teffi So re who business achieve its budg s ris goals? right ity oach otec lutio for r les facil n is ces appr to pr u incu x So g u en tio ht de rin yo In op Yo efer 2 million businesses e rig e. the les across actu prthan For more nation, the answer is Constellation. We offer tools and ible pply g th enab over tim anuf your aging. Flex r su over Takin , ly. It your ur m d on als er ding sesbusiness to reduce energy powe rv fixed manage usage and meet your t av that can rempower supp at yo , inclu iscosts, base solutions ch rcha inte s th we ns whi r-cos led load r pu plan g po ow lla le tio du ht ur So Efficiency Madesin Easy® (EME) program helps manufacturing al Our award-winning kn lu rig d do sustainability your objectives. sche r so of yo purcha tion g sm the e an age s. larly entage tella akin changes that make powe oose tim ing plants on st energy costs. man implement akimpact regu anpeimmediate rc Cons by m l. re co aged can ch over y to en m er ad at risk mpa man u e wa volatility ressfu larg ing e wh right of lo our u co s, yo plet a st s ’s ag nc r, m m yo s ice an de professionals ra lp will identify the right efficiency upgrades and assist les Constellation’s tage eteam that , co l pr WithhEME, lowe of energy g, m prog confi and he rcen easy t typica plan muc s ar ce®. ses r pe them. hasin ht iceThese sing lighting is an upgrades ionsin implementing choi to chiller and boiler upgrades to building alle crea ains hafrom purc insig could range ram en pr d in decis y sm purc energy ket ity ag prog s; wh inupdates. ty an e mar wer u bu s akes automation facil icesystem a’ g FIS yo m po , id r pr ic a rta ich er Ou turin ram ket lop et ce ics prov n, wh ufac n, Am prog on mar deve yt budg man nsactio d Best of VPe u to no upfront llatio anal upgrades require capital. You can delay payments for up to 24 months and then -termall,s these ic M base tra th yo Conste and long per ol ly wi rithm s adjust ide payen secharges t to through monthly that appearRL on your power bill from Constellation. ly on algo prov PU rval rk clo nies re our lps m/ agem inte ll wo pa With is he e.co ese man n wi com tiojust a. Th ogram hoic e. Th EME one can help you achieve both your strategic financial and environmental llais 100way that Constellation tim vers pr nste tionC rtune vice MVPe s, Cogoals. tella e Fo That’s why two-thirds of the Fortune 100 companies rely on Constellation, America’s energy choice®. . and ce ns th en of Co ions efer irds n at decis ur pr two-th optio r yo y Find singthe right energy efficiency solution for your manufacturing facility at teve ’s wh rcha Wha That r pu ConstellationChoice.com/PURL you. powe for best ur yo Find yer: gy Bu Ener

Sincerely,

y, erel Sinc

ion of tellat Cons e marks C or vic n, LL or ser isio Div marks -Gas trade nergy s are NewE name lation duct nstel d pro r Co s an eithe name se of Brand tho . ion are rein rporat d he Co ibe lon scr Exe . s de s of ted ering idiarie excep s e off bs ion C. Th ate su omiss im s, LL and rce and ult ors sou y Re other ed. Err Energof each reserv es hts Energy Resources, LLC. The offerings described herein are those of either Constellation NewEnergy-Gas Division, LLC or © 2018 lationConstellation nstel ., affiliat All rig 18 Co Constellation , Inc holders. NewEnergy, Inc., affiliates of each other and ultimate subsidiaries of Exelon Corporation. Brand names and product names are 20 © nergy trademarks or service marks of their respective holders. All rights reserved. Errors and omissions excepted. ctive NewE respe ir the

Your Constellation Team

Team tion tella Cons Your

Campaign Assets Developed and launched over 50 unique campaigns amounting to over 1,200 unique touchpoints via:



Custom resources tailored to a prospect’s specific vertical



Dynamic web-based experiences built for responsiveness and fast load times that populate on-demand by prospect verticals



Multi-touch direct mail system comprised of a variety of postcards and letters for brand effectiveness and to attract maximum attention



Responsive email design to accommodate the greatest number of email clients and screen sizes



Custom call center scripts tailored by prospect verticals