Clearlight Saunas’ lead generation triumph in Germany with culture-driven strategy

Clearlight® aimed to significantly increase its lead generation efforts in Germany, where the market for infrared saunas was still in its infancy. The company faced several challenges: strong competition from established sauna brands, a cultural preference for traditional Finnish saunas, and the premium pricing of their product in a market sensitive to economic fluctuations.

Additionally, the lack of widespread awareness of the benefits of infrared saunas made it difficult for Clearlight® Saunas to capture the interest of potential customers. Therefore, they needed a strategy that would not only generate more leads but also reduce the cost per lead, making their marketing efforts more cost-effective in a new and challenging market.

To tackle these challenges, we initiated a comprehensive market entry analysis for Germany, forming the foundation for our GTM and marketing strategies. We conducted workshops with the Clearlight® Saunas team to design a detailed customer journey map, develop a competitive SWOT analysis, and create in-depth Buyer Persona profiles. By identifying key target audiences and incorporating cultural insights from Hofstede and Hall’s studies, we tailored our messaging strategy to resonate with the German audience. 

Recognizing that Germans score high in uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation, we focused on creating content that would eliminate any hesitations. Acknowledging that German consumers are highly educated and thorough in their research, we ensured that both the website content and ad materials were meticulously crafted to address their concerns.

Our strategy centered on developing targeted communication segments tailored to the specific needs of various customer groups. We emphasized the long-term health and wellness benefits of infrared saunas, highlighted the superior quality of Clearlight® Saunas’s products, and directly addressed any uncertainties potential customers might have. This carefully crafted messaging was seamlessly integrated into our Google Ads and Meta Ads campaigns, with asset groups designed to align with each communication segment.

The implementation phase involved putting our carefully crafted strategies into action. We took operational control of Clearlight’s Google Ads account, launching new campaigns, while on Meta Ads, we essentially started from scratch. We organized asset groups based on the three main communication segments identified during our research, targeting those who could afford a premium product.

• On Google Ads, we employed a variety of campaigns, including search-based targeting for both brand and generic phrases. Additionally, we utilized advanced formats like Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns to reach diverse audience segments, such as customer data lists, affinity groups, and custom interests. We focused on specific demographics, particularly high-income individuals interested in health and luxury, and segmented keywords by product categories. Our objective was to provide the campaign system with a wealth of data to enable precise targeting and optimize ad spend.
• On Meta, we implemented a multi-layered targeting strategy using Custom and Lookalike Audiences. We built remarketing campaigns based on website visitors, mailing lists, and video viewers, with a particular emphasis on detailed geotargeting within Germany, focusing on regions with higher disposable incomes. The campaigns were continuously monitored and adjusted to ensure they resonated with the target audiences and achieved the desired performance metrics.

We took over the management of the campaigns in Q3 of 2023 and achieved impressive results. 

• Within just 5 months, our campaigns significantly enhanced efficiency, reducing the initial CPL by nearly 42% period over the period (PoP), while the number of leads surpassed our initial goals. 
• On Meta, we delivered exceptional performance, scaling the budget tenfold while maintaining strong efficiency. 
• For Google Ads, we nearly tripled the number of new users compared to previous benchmarks.