CASE STUDY

The Challenge:

The days had just begun getting shorter in the fall of 2008 when Mr. Beams, maker of energy-efficient LED lights, approached 4GreenPs. While the company was receiving positive consumer feedback about its lights on amazon.com and other websites, traffic to their own website —and corresponding sales—were below company goals.

Mr. Beams wanted to position its brand as “the premier provider of wireless lighting.” To do that, it needed to build awareness and increase its website traffic and sales.

The 4GreenPs Approach:

Before making any specific Promotional recommendations to Mr Beams, the 4GreenPs team studied the Mr Beams Product attributes, Pricing vs. competitors, Place (Distribution options including online reseller sites, retail outlets, catalogues and direct sell via the Mr Beams website), as well as current market conditions.

Among our findings were:

1. Mr Beams’ LED lights were superior in brightness, color (the highly desirable pure white) and long lifetime vs a vs competitive offerings;

2. The shrinking economy meant consumers were looking to get more value for their money—both for themselves and for those on their holiday shopping lists. Remember 2008? Forecasts were calling for the worst Christmas shopping season in decades – and indeed it was.

3. Mr Beams was not targeting green consumers. Key search terms such as “energy efficient lighting” did not result in highly placed Google results for Mr Beams products, despite the fact that LED lighting technology is far more energy efficient than compact fluorescent lighting, which at the time was garnering a lot of buzzin the growing greenconsumer segment.

4. Mr Beams was responding to blogger inquiries, but was not actively targeting the bloggers, websites and e-zines which influence eco-conscious consumers’ purchasing decisions.

After consultation with the Mr Beams Management Team, 4GreenPs used these findings to develop and implement a “fall push” marketing and communications plan. The plan included the development of new brand messaging emphasizing the energy-efficiency of LEDs and the value/cost savings, which were key messages for outreach to both the female consumers who drive 80% of all household purchasing, as well as to the growing eco-conscious consumer segment.

The 4GreenPs plan also included recommendations for website enhancements and the creation of media materials designed to attract green shoppers, in addition to the two key consumer segments Mr Beams was focusing on: senior citizens who risk falls at home due to inadequate lighting and home improvement enthusiasts.

Execution:

4GreenPs took advantage of seasonal opportunities to promote Mr. Beams lights for daylight savings time and as an ideal Christmas gift. A free shipping code was developed and distributed through both social and traditional media channels, and two press releases were issued: one targeted at seniors, and one focused on green consumers.

4GreenPs used solid pitches to engage bloggers and other media just as they were preparing their green holiday gift guides. Twitter and other special promotions drove additional traffic from eco-conscious consumers and Digital Moms.

Results:

Traffic to mrbeams.com increased more than three-fold from September to November! December traffic statistics showed a record number of visitors. Mr. Beams lights began to appear on the first page of Google search results for “bright, energy efficient LED lights.” Most importantly, sales for Mr Beams lights doubled from September to November, surpassing the client’s goals.

Media campaign coverage was all positive and included holiday reviews and product giveaways. Online coverage included valuable web links to mrbeams.com. During the critical Christmas shopping season, when bloggers were inundated with review offers, 4GreenPs’ savvy in the green social media space helped Mr. Beams shine through.

Here’s what David Levine, President of Mr Beams, said about the campaign:

“Lynn just completed a project for our company with a goal of driving more traffic to our LED Lighting website www.mrbeams.com. In 3 months our website traffic tripled. Lynn accomplished this through recommending changes to our website, focusing our messages, launching press releases and targeting influential blogs in the categories of Moms and Green Lifestyle. Lynn is diligent about setting measurable goals, developing an execution plan and then measuring the results. Lynn is a great communicator and a consummate professional. She has developed an expertise in marketing to the Green lifestyle.”

Does your online store need help building traffic and sales? Are you targeting the right audience? We’d love to help you reach your goals.   Please contact Lynn Miller of 4GreenPs and tell us about your needs.

Company Case Study Update:

While 4GreenPs focused on the fall promotional push, Mr Beams Management was freed up to focus on funding and distribution issues — instead of evaluating public relations and blogger relations programs. During this time, Mr Beams landed several important new distribution deals with leading lighting catalogs. By the conclusion of the program, Mr Beams had secured $400,000 in funding from the prestigious JumpStart program. Despite the tough financial times we’ve faced since then, Mr Beams has landed additional capital infusions. And to further its reach in the green consumer market 4GreenPs opened to them, Mr Beams is planning the launch of greenestlight.com

Mr Beams later referred 4GreenPs to kajeet (case study coming soon) and kajeet referred 4GreenPs on to NCC (case study coming soon). Do you see a trend? 4GreenPs excellent client service and clearly measurable results lead to true word of mouth: referrals from satisfied customers.

What’s Your Tough Marketing Challenge? Let’s Solve It!