Semrush, a leading B2B brand in the digital marketing industry, faced the challenge of establishing an emotional connection with its clients. Recognizing that people are generally less connected to B2B brands compared to B2C brands, Semrush aimed to bridge this gap with the support of Hey Honey, its lead creative agency, by leveraging emotive lifestyle through the first global campaign of its kind.
B2B brands often struggle to evoke emotional responses from their clients. While Semrush is an essential tool for marketers, it occupies only a fraction of their time at work. This limited exposure may hinder the development of strong emotional attachments to the brand. Hey Honey sought to address this issue by crafting a campaign that emphasized emotional connections through storytelling.
Hey Honey was brought in to work on creative messaging and the production of social media assets for the campaign.
Strategy
To infuse emotional resonance into Semrush’s marketing, Hey Honey built the creative platform around Gabrielle Alias. Gaby, an SEO Analyst by day and a DJ by night, embodied the campaign's central narrative. By featuring Gabrielle as the protagonist, the aim was to portray her personal life and experiences rather than solely highlighting the product.
Content Creation
Hey Honey and Semrush developed an extensive array of content assets, totaling nearly 400 pieces. These assets included:
- Three high-quality production videos: These videos formed the centerpiece of the campaign and were strategically distributed across multiple platforms to maximize visibility.
- Localized landing pages: Landing pages tailored to different stages of the sales funnel, translated into six languages. This localization allowed them to reach a broader international audience.
- Nurture track and remarketing content: A customized nurture track that aligned with the campaign's style and look. This track engaged potential customers with additional content, reinforcing the emotional connection established through the campaign.
- Social media content: In addition to long-form videos, Hey Honey produced short lifestyle videos featuring Gabrielle. These videos showcased her thoughts, tips, and favorite Semrush tools, fostering a sense of authenticity and relatability.
Results
The campaign's success exceeded Hey Honey's expectations, delivering remarkable outcomes:
- 24% increase in payments: The campaign generated 24% more payments than the company's most successful campaign in 2022, indicating a significant boost in customer engagement and conversions.
- Goal exceeded by 41%: The campaign outperformed its initial objectives by an impressive 41%, demonstrating the effectiveness of the emotive lifestyle approach in establishing stronger connections with B2B customers.
The campaign was extended due to the overwhelming success of the campaign, the flight duration was extended beyond the initial five-month plan, enabling Semrush to capitalize on the campaign's momentum and generate further impact.
Conclusion
The approach of focusing on emotional storytelling and using real client narratives proved to be a winning strategy in the B2B marketing landscape. By shifting the emphasis from the product to the customer's lifestyle and experiences, Semrush not only fostered stronger emotional connections but also achieved outstanding campaign results. This case study serves as an inspiring example for B2B brands seeking to establish deeper relationships with their customers and achieve remarkable success in their marketing endeavors.
Acknowledgments: Semrush attributes the success of the campaign to the collaborative efforts of the agency and teams within the organization. All teams played instrumental roles in conceptualizing and executing the campaign. Special recognition was given to Arina Boykova for her leadership throughout the project.