Finding balance in lead generation activities

When Element Three first began working with Assmann, they were facing several key challenges:

• Inefficient Media Spend: A significant portion of the media budget was allocated to low-priority geographies with limited sales presence.
• Over-reliance on Print Media: Assmann was heavily invested in traditional print media, particularly for supporting their distributors, but this was not delivering strong results, especially in national publications. Their overall marketing lacked balance, with limited focus on digital lead generation.

Element Three needed to implement a more efficient media mix while still supporting Assmann’s core distributor network, ensuring they could generate quality leads and grow the business.

Corporate-owned awareness with a lower-funnel focus for distributors

Element Three developed a comprehensive marketing strategy for Assmann that balanced national visibility with local distributor support, while focusing on bottom-of-the-funnel tactics to drive leads.

National Brand Awareness and Content Creation: To build brand recognition at the top of the funnel, Element Three launched national display campaigns targeting key publications in industries relevant to Assmann, such as chemical engineering and water and wastewater. The goal was to keep Assmann’s brand in front of their prospective customers, building broad awareness and ensuring they were top of mind when prospects entered the buying process.

The content created for these campaigns was designed to appeal to Assmann’s core audience in highly technical sectors. Display ads were crafted with strong messaging around Assmann’s capabilities in handling chemicals and water treatment, ensuring the brand resonated with the right decision-makers.

Localized Distributor Support and Print Media: Assmann’s reliance on print advertising for distributor support was not without merit, but it needed refining. Element Three helped Assmann redirect print advertising dollars from ineffective national publications to more targeted, regional industry journals. These included water and sewer publications in regions where Assmann’s distributors were active, such as Texas and surrounding states. This provided local brand support to distributors, ensuring marketing aligned with the territories where sales were likely to occur.

Paid Search for Bottom-of-the-Funnel Lead Capture: Paid search campaigns were a crucial part of Assmann’s marketing strategy, capturing leads actively searching for solutions in the chemical and water treatment industries. By focusing on search engine marketing (SEM), Element Three ensured Assmann was present when potential buyers were closest to making a purchase decision. This bottom-of-the-funnel approach became the most results-driven aspect of their media mix, generating high-quality leads at a lower cost per lead.

Alignment to business strategy and goals

The success of this strategy stemmed from Element Three’s ability to align Assmann’s marketing efforts with their business goals, focusing on:

Maximizing Marketing Efficiency: By shifting budget away from ineffective print buys and towards targeted digital campaigns, Element Three ensured Assmann’s marketing dollars were spent where they would generate the most impact.

Supporting Distributors Effectively: Print advertising was still part of the mix, but Element Three ensured it was focused on areas where Assmann’s distributors were active, supporting local efforts while reducing waste.

Driving Lead Generation: Paid search campaigns consistently captured high-quality, in-market leads at a reduced cost per lead, creating a steady flow of prospects for Assmann.