A Steady Stream of Leads with Parallel Campaigns

The latest product launch from Zacks Investment Management is a uniquely flexible and cost-effective investment solution called ZECP+. 

This Chicago-based firm is known for their independent research and has built up a large repository of advisor contacts who have accessed Zacks resources at one time or another. When tasked with marketing their new offering, we knew that this would be a good place to start. But we also knew that our message would lack relevance if we were to paint this entire group with the same brush. 

So we launched two separate campaigns, run simultaneously within distinct sub-groups of their network.

Campaign #1: Product Introduction to Existing Advisor Clients

The first sub-group was a list of advisors already offering one or more of Zacks’ products to their clients. Individuals in this group are at least somewhat familiar with the firm and are seeing value from their funds, strategies or services. 

This meant Campaign #1 could focus on Zacks’ new product offering directly, as an item of interest for a target market. Our primary drip campaign presented the unique features and advantages of ZECP+, and leads from this campaign were prompted to access additional materials or speak with Zacks representatives.

Following an initial review of lead actions from this series of emails, we created new campaigns that were even more targeted. Segmenting this group into (1) active leads and (2) dormant leads, we were able to home in on those who expressed the most interest in the product, while still dripping on those leads who weren’t yet ready to take the next step. 

Campaign #2: Thought Leadership for Advisor Contacts

The second group of advisors knew Zacks Investment Management only through their research or market commentary. News about new Zacks products might be less likely to catch their eye, but exclusive access to a new report proved to be of interest.

We decided on a topic that would have relevance for this group, but would also serve as a natural precursor to the ZECP+ value proposition. After creating an original white paper, designing a landing page and building a database to capture lead information, we launched a separate email campaign promoting the content as an exclusive offer. 

Similar to Campaign #1, this resulted in two streams of leads: those who willingly provided their contact information in order to access the white paper, and those who showed some interest but did not take action.

So we created follow-up drip campaigns with distinct messages that would help nurture active leads as well as generate new interest. 

A Unifying Suite of Product Collateral

Surrounding these two campaigns is a suite of collateral designed to present ZECP+ in a polished and consistent manner. With items like fact sheets, product literature and case studies, this collateral also supports Zacks representatives through these early relationships with warm leads. 

This means that whether a lead reaches out via Campaign #1 or requests more information via Campaign #2, they will experience a consistent series of branded touch points leading them toward a commitment decision.

All the moving parts that make up this two-pronged initiative are deployed and coordinated as part of our ACC Digital Ad Marketing service, which results in a completely custom, adaptive cycle of acquiring leads, capturing interest and converting new business.