Maximising reach with creative marketing
A creative and integrated approach to marketing is enabling UAP to boost brand awareness and reach broader target audiences. Kamila Kasperowicz, Marketing Director for UAP, explains why and how
As a specialist in locks and hardware for doors and windows, UAP operates in an industry that tends to lag behind in marketing. Integrated campaigns featuring multiple tools are few and far between. We wanted to change that trend and explore how a more creative approach could build brand awareness and improve engagement with a broader range of potential customers.
The average business-to-business customer has at least eight interactions with a brand before buying. There are obvious touchpoints such as a website, email and advert, but we recognised the potential to integrate more channels into our marketing and strengthen our presence. This saw us become an early adopter of video, launching our own YouTube channel in 2008. We began by adding ‘how to’ videos for locksmiths and have since evolved the strategy to include podcasts on our testing processes as well as content on maintenance and troubleshooting. This approach has seen the number of subscribers rise to more than 3,800, including DIY enthusiasts.
Maximising reach
YouTube forms just one part of our wider social media strategy which aims to reach a diverse target market, including fabricators, locksmiths, hardware suppliers and end users. Although some of these audiences are currently not active on social media, that will change in the future, and we want to stay one step ahead. That is why UAP is now active across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Our campaigns are carefully targeted to the audience of each platform and continue to evolve. On Instagram for example, we are seeking to partner with a DIY influencer to help promote our products while TikTok is entirely focused on brand awareness. To appeal to the platform’s young audience, we are developing short videos linked to the wellbeing benefits of our business, including the ‘doggy day care’ that we offer on site for our staff’s pets. We also use social media along with Google adverts, online publications and email to drive our target audiences to tailored landing pages on our website relating to new products, including their unique selling points. This enables us to create a hyper relevant experience for each target audience with consistent messaging.
Social media is complemented by creative design which is also tailored to different audiences and products. Rather than just focusing on product pictures, we take a more innovative approach to catch people’s attention and communicate the benefits in a more engaging way.
Our recent ‘game-changing security campaign’ is one example of this. Designed to be visually engaging, the highly targeted campaign has been developed to build awareness of our Kinetica+ K4 Euro cylinder.
Our messaging was centred on the Kinetica+ K4 offering game-changing security and reliability. This messaging enabled us to bring a variety of sports visuals into our promotional materials making it visually more creative and supported by associated phrases such as ‘packs more punch.’
Bespoke template
A bespoke template was created for email marketing, featuring key creative elements from the campaign, as well as the product’s USPs to drive people to find suppliers, or complete a desired call to action.
Internally at UAP, the product was introduced to the sales team with the help of a sum wrestler from the British Sumo Federation, which helped generate excitement around the product and reflected the game-changing sports theme. The image of a sumo wrestler also features throughout the promotional campaign.
Key to the campaign’s success is the use of unique, promotional boxes which have been designed to spark conversations about the product. Containing a free sample along with branded merchandise all aligned to the game-changing theme, the boxes have generated extensive, positive feedback, helping to build brand awareness and drive sales. For example, after sending a group of 22 locksmiths the promotional box, they served as powerful influencers, sharing their feedback on social media and locksmith forums.
In a fast-paced industry, driven by new product development and innovation, it is vital that marketing strategies do not get left behind. There are many tools that can be implemented collectively to build brand awareness and we should not be afraid to use them. Creative and strategic thinking can open the door to more effective marketing – and new customers too.
Tel: 0161 796 7268
E: marketing@uaplimited.com
