How SPARK tested the effectiveness of a cold mailing campaign in the mechanical parts manufacturing industry

Client

SPARK is a technology company specializing in intelligent systems for monitoring and managing utility consumption in buildings and industrial infrastructure. Their solutions support organizations with remote meter readings (energy, water, gas, temperature), real-time data analysis, and cost optimization. The client mainly operates in the industrial sector, and their technology is especially attractive for companies with high energy consumption.

Challenge

The campaign’s goal was to test how the mechanical parts manufacturing market in Poland would respond to SPARK’s offer. The main challenges included:

• Reaching the right decision-makers: production hall directors, managing directors, and production managers.
• Convincing prospects that optimizing utility usage is not only about cost savings but also an easy-to-implement solution supporting ESG standards.
• Building an initial base of insights on who is truly responsible for energy optimization decisions in production halls and how to segment the market for more effective communication.

Solution

Target: Production Hall Directors

In the preparation stage, we focused on defining the ICP (ideal customer profile). The database included only companies with more than 50 employees, operating in the mechanical parts manufacturing sector. The final database covered 308 plus an additional 112 new prospects (over 420 contacts in total). All contacts held roles related to managing halls and production.

Testing Deliverability and Content

Initially, we observed lower email deliverability. To optimize this, we launched a second, parallel campaign on a fresh group of prospects. This step naturally improved deliverability from 91.1% to 99.1% and slightly increased the response rate.

4-Message Sequence

The campaign consisted of four emails forming a coherent storyline:

• Opening email - highlighted the real problem: high energy consumption and operational costs in production halls. Included a short introduction to SPARK and a question about current challenges.
• Follow-up #1 - expanded on the topic, presenting SPARK’s added value: easy sensor installation, no infrastructure interference, and fast ROI.
• Follow-up #2 - included reference examples and numbers (e.g., savings at the level of several percent), adding credibility. This email also mentioned industries where SPARK is active.
• Follow-up #3 - soft close, where instead of a hard sales pitch, we asked for the right contact person and openness to follow up at a convenient time.

Insights

1. The decision-maker persona for sensor-based utility monitoring solutions in manufacturing companies is typically the Real Estate Manager or Facility Manager.
2. Companies with more than one location show the highest need for utility monitoring solutions - the more sites, the stronger the demand for centralized monitoring.