Introducing an entirely new bathing experience.
Challenge
Introducing an entirely new bathing experience. Our job was to position Kohler’s walk-in bath as a new solution in an established category that makes the product that’s already a need a want, too. Kohler offers a better bathing experience than competitors through a more tasteful bathtub design, extra design options and overall superior experience of product designed for better bathing. Marketing these key qualities required a full-service strategy with paid, organic and engagement components.
Solution
Stepping Into A New Market We were tasked with launching a new product to a niche audience in one of Kohler's first direct-to-consumer channel businesses. After a successful limited market test, Kohler enlisted our help to launch the Kohler Walk-In Bath nationally and maintain a full-service marketing strategy with highly competitive lead generation and sales benchmarks. DISCOVERY We started with a discovery phase, where we established the audience and product value proposition. With the benefit of having worked previously with a direct competitor, we also had insights that we could integrate into the new marketing plan. Kickoff included: UX / Persona research Wireframing and moodboarding Establishing visual identity for product Crafting core messaging strategy Developing the product website Establishing a multi-channel marketing plan to generate and nurture leads LEAD GENERATION To sell Kohler's walk-in baths and capture market share from the already established competitors, we needed an aggressive strategy to drive qualified lead calls and form fills across paid and organic touchpoints. To do that, we had to establish how Kohler's product was superior and offered a better lifestyle and design alternative to the competitors. Paid Search & Social We created a national strategy, targeted by geographic region, with specific budgets for each dealer based on demand and sales goals. For primary lead generation, we employed a mix of paid search and paid social platforms. Organic To drive quality traffic, we optimized the website for relevant search queries, specific keywords and rich content that answered questions commonly asked in the consumer's research phase. A thorough linking strategy and technical work that made the site more visible on search engines also fueled this marketing effort. On-site: Keyword optimization, schema markup, technical optimization, interactivity and linking led the website’s organic optimization strategy. Offsite: This strategy called for link building, applying for listings on product review and ranking sites, posting relevant content to Google My Business and requesting reviews from customers. Video Integrating a mix of live action and animated videos on the website and landing pages as well as emails and social ad campaigns further nurtured leads in consideration. Customer Story: Showing customer experience with product Installation: Illuminating what happens on installation day Specifications: Demonstrating how it will fit in the bathroom Price Promise: Communicating price, a sensitive and complicated topic, in an approachable way LEAD NURTURE To keep the KOHLER® Walk-In Bath top-of-mind throughout the consumer's decision-making and buying process, we provided time-sensitive and relevant content across email and remarketing channels. We developed assets and touchpoints to nurture leads down the purchase funnel and identify holes in the buying cycle to recapture leads that would have otherwise been lost. Email A robust mix of campaigns and automations using customer data from our CRM nurtured customers throughout the buying cycle, such as: Drip campaigns to educate customers on key product features after signup Emails based on status triggers (appointments set, after quote appointment, etc.) Campaign-based emails centered around relevant themes (Bath Safety Month, new offer announcements, etc.) Remarketing Display and social ads retargeting past visitors aimed to recapture their consideration. Assets include: Videos (explaining installation and specifications, highlighting features that outperform the competition) Social lead form ads Ads featuring real customer reviews Third-party print and digital buys All-Time Performance The first year of TriMark's partnership with Kohler focused on scaling up a strategy to serve a national audience and ensure that we could max out performance by the start of the second year. This included scaling budgets, targeted markets and overall marketing strategy. We monitored customer perception by reading reviews, social media comments and third-party websites to stay ahead of brand messaging and reputation management. We also paid close attention to the mix of leads coming from each channel to learn the nuances of the consumer shopping experience for this niche product. Our strategists took these learnings to fine-tune the marketing plan to perform better than ever before by Q1 of year two. By moving swiftly and using data to drive decisions and action, we are poised to create, modify and replace any part of our strategy to adapt to the marketplace.
Results
44% Increase in Lead Volume YOY 20% Decrease in Cost Per Lead 46% Increase in Sales YOY 86% Increase in Organic Lead Volume 7,800+ Ranked Keywords 108% Increase in Sessions YOY 53% Optimized Video Cuts 23% Decrease in Social Cost Per Lead 15% Email Average Open Rate $1MM Sales Generated 44% Increase in Lead Volume YOY $64MM Sales Generated 46% Increase in Sales YOY 20% Decrease in Cost Per Sale
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