Zyxel Communications used a strategic shift from 100% in-person canvassing to a digital lead nurturing communication platform to increase growth in Europe and the Middle East (EMEA) by 30% per year over the past two years, equivalent to an ROI of 228. The magic formula was super-precise campaign execution from a brand platform that stood out significantly in a conservative market by drawing attention to nature and the largest predators. It put its pawprint on success!
Route to success
Zyxel
Data paid off for “survival of the fittest”
Zyxel Communications operates in a niche market, which across Europe and the Middle East (EMEA) includes only around 1,500 IT service providers, each with at most five key decision-makers. In other words, it involves selling routers to a target group of fewer than 7,500 often conservative engineer types across about 80 relevant countries.
Gaining traction in that market and creating new business was therefore quite a challenge. This was further complicated by the fact that the leaders and specialists who actually needed to make decisions were often effectively “guarded” by consultants and administrative staff in the procurement department.
Meanwhile, all competitors in the market used the same approach, focusing on bits & bytes, despite the fact that the products themselves were very similar. Although sales figures at Zyxel Communications were increasing, this was primarily due to additional business with existing customers.
If Zyxel Communications wanted to generate leads and expand its business, it was necessary to think in entirely new ways with data as the central focus. Fifteen countries were chosen as a test market, where 2,500 permissions were initially collected. The goal was to qualify and, through marketing automation and nurturing flows, nurture 250 leads over the first year. Of these, 10% were expected to result in meetings with the right decision-makers, which ideally would lead to a sale. At the same time, the ambition was to optimize business with existing customers, including increasing the number of contacts within the respective companies—again, based on data.
Case video. The International ECHO Award 2022
Initially, customer and contact data in the CRM database were analyzed. The results showed that out of a few hundred companies, only some were customers. But the analysis also revealed a pattern in titles and roles within the decision-making process, which contributed to new insights for building audiences. This paved the way for extremely precise targeting, primarily on LinkedIn and Xing – taking into account the right definition of companies and including titles of the key individuals who were highly likely to be involved in the decision-making process.
Due to the fragmented market and the limited amount of data, the initial process was primarily handled manually. It simply wasn't possible to use machine learning models. Nevertheless, the data generated volume both in terms of impressions and visitors to various campaign sites. This, in turn, made it possible to automate remarketing and look-alikes on Google's and Facebook's platforms, ensuring constant visibility to the audiences.
The data insights about each person's role also helped ensure relevance in the communication. Based on different conversions for specialists and managers, it succeeded in generating more leads than in any previous Zyxel campaign. With qualification and interaction data driving the lead nurturing flow first and the sales dialogue later, Zyxel Communications created a pipeline of potential customers that had previously been out of reach for dialogue.
The aim was to shift from 100% in-person canvassing to a digital strategy that could open doors for sales through lead qualification and nurturing. Tactically, Zyxel Communications focused on much more targeted efforts toward IT service providers, while data insights paved the way for super-precise digital campaign execution in the selected EMEA countries.
The creative strategy was to change the perception of Zyxel Communications among IT service providers by focusing on business opportunities and benefits rather than technical product features. The communication emphasized that Zyxel understands your business, your needs, and your situation – and how you will benefit from a partnership.
The creative concept was sharp and became the foundation for a new, strong brand platform to communicate from. The overall promise was that Zyxel Communications "is keeping service providers ahead of the competition." The visual expression, in Zyxel’s blue color, stood out significantly compared to the usual in the conservative industry.
The communication clearly acknowledged the competitive landscape. For IT service providers, it was "survival of the fittest," highlighted by drawing attention to nature and the largest predators. In the context of the campaign, it was about humans versus nature. In some cases, it was man against man, visualized through sports and games, culminating with the message that, through partnership with Zyxel Communications, you would put your competitors in checkmate.
These focused campaign efforts were enhanced by the opportunity to download White Papers and customer cases and to order test kits with relevant routers. The greatest impact was achieved through a lead nurturing flow, where the collection of qualifying data paid off – both in terms of communicating individual relevance and ultimately in sales!
Resultater
Zyxel Communications generated 4 million paid and earned impressions to a niche audience. 20,000 permissions were used to build qualification data and develop the intelligent data-driven lead nurturing.
Increased Growth
The overall marketing effort has generated more than 500 qualified leads for sales, including some of the industry's biggest players – plus hundreds of others indirectly derived from the campaigns. Thanks to the bold creative concept and aggregated data, the pipeline and sales have increased growth for Zyxel Communications in EMEA by 30% per year over the past two years, equivalent to an ROI of 228.
Awards
The campaign was shortlisted in the categories: ‘Technology & Communication’, ‘Business Products and Services’, and ‘Best B2B Campaign’ at The ANA International Echo Awards 2022.
