by John Jerome
The formula for success is easy- Take a great product, know your market and play it well. Here is another example of how we drive our clients’ success and how you should think about marketing.
Lensbaby CEO, Jonathan Main, brought us in just over 6 months ago to assist in reinventing their brand leading up to a new product launch that had to be successful financially. Lensbaby makes interchangeable lenses for DSLR cameras, an industry dominated by some very big gorillas.
What they did right was develop something new, something in their niche of creative effect lenses but geared toward a higher end market.
What we did is get them the attention and exposure they needed to drive perception and sales. Through multiple strategic efforts, involving everything from negotiating with potential launch venue organizers for maximum exposure, securing top-tier media reviews, coordinating partner distributor promotions, all the way through the more obvious advertising campaigns and all facets of direct marketing and SEM, we created some serious noise.
The results have been outstanding, with more follow up wins on a daily basis. I can brag about the 36 articles and reviews in publications like PC Mag, Popular Photography, CNET, and Huffington Post to name a few. Or the Shutter Magazine cover feature. How about the video reviews and endorsements from distributors, industry leading photographers and influencers pushed out through multiple channels… let’s just say, it all came together.
But the only thing that really matters is sales, and sales they got. In fact, we delayed the launch to build additional inventory. Within days of product launch, Lensbaby was out of inventory and despite constantly building/shipping more, the product remains back ordered for over a month now.
It’s not magic, it’s doing it right.
Tactics
- Public Relations, including an embargoed release and reviews
- Social Marketing
- A newly designed dynamic and responsive ecommerce web site in multiple languages, customized by country and distributor relationship
- Partner distributor promotions
- National print advertising
- Online Advertising
- Search Engine Marketing
- Relationship Marketing
- A new trade show booth and graphics
- Embedded emails
- Video, promotional and educational materials
Results
- 36 articles and reviews in leading industry publications such as PC Mag, Popular Photography, CNET, Shutterbug, Fstoppers, SLR Lounge and Huffington Post to name a few. (Additional reviews coming) The new lens was used to shoot the May cover of Shutter Magazine (100K+ subscribers) as well as features and Mother’s Day reviews/promotions in Shutter Magazine, Click Magazine and on Photo.net,
- Featured video review and endorsement pushed out through multiple channels https://www.behindtheshutter.com/episode-15-standing-out-from-the-crowd/
- Partner Distributor video review/educational piece (3M audience) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/hands-review/quick-look-lensbaby-velvet-56
- Heavy Social Media campaign during product launch at tradeshow with featured postings and activity on major social sites and blogs
- Immediate purchasing from the installed user base
- Pre-sales, sales and reorders from major distributors