That was the question posed to our underground construction team this summer. Our honest answer was not much, but we were willing to learn as much as we could in a short period of time.
One of our clients, a leading horizontal directional drill manufacturer, challenged us to help them break into this growing market. The client is considered a worldwide leader in the horizontal directional drill market, but was not viewed as a player in the pipeline market.
Our underground construction team conducted extensive research with dealers, editors, and customers to better understand customer needs. We discovered the following:
- This audience is rarely in the office. They are out in the field monitoring projects and building client relationships.
- They prefer a personal touch, especially considering one of these machines can cost upwards of $3 million.
- While they are all competitors, they do share information on best practices and equipment preferences.
- They want to know the companies they work with truly understand their business.
- They are busy and want information in a concise easy-to-use package.
Based on this information we worked with our client to develop a coordinated strategy to engage the audience through media relations, one-on-one sales contacts, and paid advertising. The core of the program was the development of the “Pipeline Binder.” This comprehensive piece was designed to demonstrate our client’s history in manufacturing and their experience in the horizontal directional drilling industry. The piece also provided an overview of the equipment solutions offered by our client and showcased their global support team.
The piece has been well-received in the marketplace and dealer demand for the binders has exceeded their initial goals. Our client also stated it’s one of the best pieces they have ever placed in customers’ hands. The Construction Writers Association also agreed and the Pipeline Binder received a first place award in their Corporate Communications division of their annual communication award program.
