SoundGuard Product Launch
Challenge
SoundGuard is a building materials start-up that has developed a state-of-the-art soundproofing paint for use in commercial applications such as reducing the sound transmission between rooms in hotels, apartments, and office buildings. The company is creating a new product category and intends to introduce their product to the owners, operators, and managers of various real estate assets. Building awareness and overcoming skepticism within the architect & design community is also of the utmost importance. In support of the launch, SoundGuard is working on raising a $1.5M seed round to build a team and support the go-to-market strategy. THE GOAL Product awareness was a primary focus for SoundGuard since both the company and the type of product were unknown to the market. They needed to introduce the product to as many potential buyers as possible, and do it on a shoe-string budget. Sales leads are absolutely essential both to feed a growing sales team and to support investor relations activities. With a limited budget, SoundGuard must be creative in how they acquire new customers. Generating dealflow is the ultimate goal. The sales leads that are generated bust be targeted, qualified, and then nurtured until a deal is closed. Managing the sales & marketing function is essential to success given the long sales cycles in their target markets. For example, hotel renovations can take several years to come to fruition. Building partnerships is also a top priority to provide product distribution and channel sales support. Establish KPI’s and detailed reporting to measure deal flow & overall program success.
Solution
Mobile Responsive Web Design was a logical starting point, and improving the company website to make it clean, modern, and fast was one of the first actions taken. It also had to work perfectly on mobile devices and incorporate features to capture leads such as dynamic forms and pop-ups. Search Engine Optimization is a key component to SoundGuard’s digital marketing strategy. On-page and technical SEO must be addressed to build a solid foundation, followed by content strategy based upon keyword data and user intent. Content Marketing provides fuel for inbound marketing & SEO. Blog posts and articles to address key questions about the product using keyword research on informational and product discovery searches that are more transactional in nature. Datasheets and Sell Sheets need to clearly explain the features & benefits of the product and show the overall value of the product or solution. Each vertical has unique needs and collateral must be adapted to speak to each persona. PDF files published as trackable media with unique links for each channel. Landing Pages should also be matched to each vertical and persona and use personalization when available. Landing pages clearly outline the features, benefits, and value of SoundGuard and provide literature for download via dynamic opt-in forms. PPC Advertising targets B2B-focused keywords (commercial market) and sends traffic to the matched landing page to provide a source of leads that is measurable and predictable. Social Media drives targeted visitors through organic posts and provides opportunity for highly-targeted social advertising on platforms such as LinkedIn. E-Mail Outreach is a cost-effective strategy for generating awareness and leads when paired with a comprehensive database and good copywriting. Outreach lists should be developed using Account Based Marketing principles and contain elements for highly-personalized messaging. Tradeshows & Partner Events play a key role in developing the channel as well as building awareness and generating leads. Remarketing Ads are used to re-engage various audience segments that were built through email outreach, paid advertising, SEO, and social media marketing. SharpSpring Marketing Automation & CRM software orchestrates the capture, scoring, and nurturing of marketing and sales leads as well as providing comprehensive reporting on cost-per-lead and the sales pipeline. Analytics & Reporting through both SharpSpring and Google Analytics provides comprehensive reporting on all aspects of the digital marketing program.
Results
-8,100 visits from email outreach representing 36% of traffic to the company website and landing pages. -8,000 visits from organic search representing 35% of traffic to the company website as a result of content marketing and SEO efforts. -3,000 visits from Google Ads (PPC) representing 14% of traffic. -1,700 visits from social media (primarily LinkedIn) representing 7.5% of traffic. -The remaining 8.5% of traffic was generated from direct traffic and other referral sources. -Roughly 22,000 visits in 1 Year. -2,500 leads generated within 8 months. -766 leads from email outreach, 806 sales generated leads, 150 inbound leads (SEO), -100 PPC leads, 100 tradeshow leads – 45% of all leads were generated by marketing which translated to 30% of the $7M pipeline.
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