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. Although sales were strong on amazon.com and other websites, traffic to the company website —and corresponding sales—were below company goals.

The 4GreenPs Approach:

The 4GreenPs Approach puts solid research and strategy ahead of execution, focusing on the 4Ps of Marketing (Product, Price, Place and Promotion).  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 sales 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 versus the competition; 

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 effectively 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.

4. Mr Beams was responding to blogger inquiries, but was not proactively targeting the most influential bloggers, websites and e-zines that can sway 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 LED lights and the value/cost savings. These two messages were important to the 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 target green consumers, as well as the two consumer segments identified by Mr Beams: senior citizens and home improvement enthusiasts.

Execution:

4GreenPs leveraged its large digital footprint to engage the most influential bloggers and trade journalists at just the right time - as they were preparing their holiday gift guides. We crafted highly customized letters to a select list of influential targets, rather than taking the scattershot, spam approach used by many PR firms. We crafted two press releases: one targeted at senior citizens and one at green consumers, and we distributed the releases selectively (no spamming). Finally, a free shipping code was developed which we promoted broadly on retail coupon sites as well as to bloggers and directly to Digital Moms.

Results:

• Traffic to mrbeams.com increased more than three-fold from September to November.  Traffic continued to increase, with a record number of website visitors in December.

• For the first time,  Mr. Beams lights appeared on the coveted first page of Google search results for “bright, energy efficient LED lights.”

• Most importantly, sales for Mr Beams lights doubled from September to November, exceeding the client’s sales goals.

• Media campaign coverage sentiment was all positive. Coveted spots were won in important holiday product review guides. Online coverage included valuable web links back to mrbeams.com 

Client Feedback: 

“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.”

David Levine, President, Wireless Environment

What About You?

Does your business need help increasing web traffic and sales? Are you targeting the right consumers? We’d love to help you reach your goals. Please contact Lynn Miller of 4GreenPs.

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 and secured a $400,000 investment from the prestigious JumpStart program.  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.  Our work with NCC was recognized by prestigious trade journal PR News with the 2011 PR News Award for Best Non Profit Fundraising Campaign of 2010.   

Do you see a trend? 4GreenPs excellent client service and clearly measurable results lead to true word of mouth: referrals from satisfied customers.

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