The ANA B2 Awards recognize the top performing business-to-business marketers, large or small, with a unique focus on driving demonstrable business results.
MILWAUKEE – June 2, 2021 – Nelson Schmidt Inc., a leading independent full-service marketing agency, is a finalist for awards with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) B2 Awards. These honors are on behalf of clients Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and Maytag Commercial. The agency is up for a total of five possible awards:
• Best Omni-Channel Content Program for WEDC “Exporting Expertise” Campaign
• Best Microsite or Landing Page for WEDC “Focus Forward”
• Best Digital Marketing Tools and Programs for the Maytag Commercial Laundry – ROI Calculator
• Best Integrated Marketing Program: Small to Midsize Business for WEDC “We’re All In” Campaign
• Best Social Media for WEDC “We’re All In for Small Business Saturday” Campaign
“We’re thrilled Nelson Schmidt has been recognized by the B2B Marketing Elevation Awards,” said Mike Fredrick, Chief Creative Officer, Nelson Schmidt. “It’s a testament to the creativity of our team and clients that our work is being celebrated on a national level.”
Best Integrated Marketing Program: Small to Midsize Business for WEDC “We’re All In” Campaign
COVID-19 struck Wisconsin fast and fiercely. At no other time in history had our personal health and the health of our economy been more intertwined. The only way to get through this was to work together. Every single person, business and community in the state had to commit to going “all in” against the virus.
Working with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, we created the We’re All In statewide campaign. It let Wisconsinites and Wisconsin businesses in every corner of the state know that to get our lives and the economy back on track, we needed to have each other’s backs.
The campaign continues to evolve as the virus evolves. It’s an agile approach that enables the messaging to stay relevant and helpful as people and businesses navigate the ever-changing phases of the pandemic. And it’s working. Mid-campaign research shows that 75% of Wisconsinites are aware of the We’re All In initiative and 62% want to learn more about how to fight COVID-19 after seeing the campaign.
(Top: Social Media Ad, Out-of-Home Ad
Bottom: Instagram Ad)
Best Social Media for WEDC “We’re All In for Small Business Saturday” Campaign
Like most states, the COVID-19 strike on Wisconsin was fast and fierce. At no other time in history had our personal health and the health of our economy been more intertwined. The only way to get through this was to work together. Every single person, business and community in the state had to commit to going “all in” against the devasting impact of the virus.
This included supporting local businesses to help protect Wisconsin’s economy during the busy holiday shopping season. As part of our overarching We’re All In campaign for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), we designed a week-long mini-campaign to feature small businesses where they and their customers lived: in social media. We knew small businesses already relied on social platforms for marketing because of their ease and reach. Our Small Business Saturday campaign helped extend their reach and expose them to new customers across the state using the popularity our existing We’re All In campaign platforms and the social functionality of tagging their businesses.
In just one week, the mini-campaign earned nearly 350,000 impressions and reached more than 150,000 Instagram users using the platform’s new Guides feature. In fact, we doubled visits to the We’re All In Instagram page compared to average weekly traffic and grew our followers by 14 percent. It was an efficient and highly effective social campaign that helped Wisconsin’s small businesses gain back some of the revenue that the pandemic had taken.
(Social Media Ads)
Best Microsite or Landing Page for WEDC “Focus Forward”
When COVID-19 struck, Wisconsin business owners found themselves in an economic struggle unlike anything they had ever experienced before. Who and where to turn to for help was both confusing and frustrating. While federal, state and local organizations were doing their best to mobilize their own assistance programs, business owners were left to find these disparate resources on their own. It was a time-consuming search for help that took their focus away from the immediate needs of their businesses.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) was determined to deliver a better solution. We worked with them to rapidly develop a single, go-to resource that aggregated all available programs in one, easy-to-digest destination. The Focus Forward microsite packaged together everything a business owner needed – from access to financial assistance to helpful advice and guidance – to ensure they could keep their business moving forward through COVID-19.
And it worked. In just 2 1/2 months, nearly 5,000 business owners filled out a lead-gen form for more information and the microsite experienced a 227% month-over-month increase in subscribers, proving that Wisconsin businesses found it highly helpful.
(Focus Forward Home Page)
Best Omni-Channel Content Program for WEDC “Exporting Expertise” Campaign
Exporting to foreign countries is a foreign concept to many businesses. Fortunately, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) had multiple programs and resources to help businesses take advantage of the benefits of exporting. But Wisconsin businesses come in all shapes and sizes and require very different export strategies, so coming up with a singular campaign idea to get the word out would be challenging.
So we didn’t. Instead, we created three target personas that enabled us to tap into the individual motivations and concerns different types of businesses had toward exporting. Which allowed us to align existing content and create new materials relevant to each persona. Using marketing automation, we got the customized content into the hands of each segment, nurturing each contact in way that fit the specific size and shape of their business.
While COVID-19 forced the campaign to pause, initial results were incredibly impressive, with open and click-through rates that far exceeded industry benchmarks.
(Right: Webinars, Left: Infographics)
Best Digital Marketing Tools and Programs for the Maytag Commercial Laundry – ROI Calculator
The legendary Maytag consumer brand isn’t nearly as influential in the commercial laundry business. So when Maytag Commercial Laundry distributors make sales calls to laundromat owners, they can’t close the deal on the brand name alone. It requires proof that Maytag can deliver the business outcomes needed for an owner to invest in new equipment.
We developed personalized, data-driven tools to deliver that proof. The customdeveloped Store Proforma and Store Replacement digital calculators enable distributors to input customer-specific data and display individualized business outcomes for a laundromat. The functionality is easy for distributors to use and the resulting ROI data is presented in a way that’s easy for laundromat owners to make the decision to purchase new Maytag equipment.
These custom calculators were recently launched at both North American and international virtual distributor events and proved to be popular and much-needed tools. After the events, the online portal that contains access to the calculators saw a nearly 45% increase in international distributor users and a nearly 30% increase in North American distributor users.
(Calculator)
Media contact: Julie Ferris-Tillman, 414.244.0210, jferris-tillman@n-s.com
ABOUT NELSON SCHMIDT INC.
We Deliver Customers.® Nelson Schmidt Inc. is an independent full-service marketing agency with offices in downtown Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. The agency is one of the Top 200 Marketing Agencies of 2020 according to Chief Marketer and serves U.S. and international clients within select considered purchase industries. Nelson Schmidt is a member of MAGNET, the Marketing & Advertising Global Network, ANA and PRSA. For more information visit NelsonSchmidt.com.
