SoftBank Robotics: An autonomous vacuum sweeper
Challenge
The Situation: SoftBank Robotics Looks to Content to Spur Sales and Create Awareness for an Autonomous Vacuum Sweeper No matter how inventive a robotics solution may be, one thing’s for sure: cutting through the noise of today’s digital marketplace to spread the word can feel daunting. That was the case for SoftBank Robotics, a company dedicated to developing interactive solutions that augment the workforce and optimize Human Robotic Interaction (HRI). The company’s US team was eager to create awareness for an autonomous vacuum sweeper designed to give carpeted facilities a higher quality, more efficient clean with proof of performance. To help them reach their aggressive sales goals, SoftBank Robotics recognized the need for content --- LOTS of it, and fast. A content program needed to be created from the ground up, with the right content getting in front of qualified leads. But where to even begin? The Challenges: The Unexpected Circumstances of COVID-19 Prompt a Sudden Shift in Strategy With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the globe in 2020, Mid-March brought about major shifts for just about every business. SoftBank Robotics and its customers were no exception. While a few months of content creation had established SEO traction and helped spur demand, an adjusted messaging strategy was now necessary to reflect the marketplace’s sudden shift in thinking. Cleaning companies, healthcare, higher education institutions and other target verticals shift now had new buying motivations and different pain points. PMG worked with SoftBank Robotics to revamp plans. PMG adjusted marketing plans accordingly, assembling a COVID-19 resource page, industry-specific business-reopening guides, and an ongoing series of timely, topical webinars. Paid ads were reworked and re-promoted to reflect the new messaging angle.
Solution
The Approach: Develop Content for Every Stage of the Funnel, Amplify with Paid Ads, Optimize with Tools After the SoftBank Robotics team shared its goals with Precision Marketing Group (PMG), a series of initial steps and “quick wins” were put into motion. Additionally, plans were laid and KPIs were established for a multi-tiered growth strategy that put content at its core. To start, PMG did a baseline analysis of “what’s working.” SoftBank Robotics already had a polished website, a strong domain authority, a handful of existing content assets for the autonomous vacuum sweeper, and well-documented buyer personas for select verticals. What was missing was a long-term content strategy that would attract and nurture qualified leads throughout the Buyer’s Journey. The success of this approach would rely on a few critical strategies, which PMG outlined as follows: A content roadmap. First, create content tailored for SoftBank’s “priority” personas; then expand to other personas/verticals over time. Establish content topics for searchers all stages of the funnel: top, middle, and bottom. Ensure a mix of content formats, including blogs, webinars, downloadable guides, and SEO-rich ‘pillar’ articles. An SEO deep-dive to identify the search terms, topics and phrases being used by autonomous vacuum sweeper prospects. A hyper-granular Paid Ad strategy to leverage keyword research and get new educational content in front of a targeted pool of prospects. An optimal mix of right marketing tools to create more targeted content, and track, measure and build on performance analytics. PMG recommended tools including: HubSpot (marketing and sales automation platform) SEMrush (for keyword research) Metadata.io (AI-powered tool for streamlining ads across multiple platforms) Google ads & Google search console LInkedIn/Facebook ads
Results
The Results: An Increase In Organic Traffic, a Spike in Qualified Leads, and an Army of Autonomous Vacuum Sweepers Sold Soon after the engagement with PMG, the aggressive content plan started showing results. SoftBank Robotics saw a dramatic jump in organic traffic, an increase in inbound contacts, and a strengthened sales pipeline. From the initial engagement with PMG, metrics were tracked and measured according to the following KPIs in July 2020 compared to the same time last year: Organic traffic jumped from hundreds to thousands. Website sessions increased 845% An 800% increase in customers The Conclusion: Staying the Course with Content & Embracing Tools and Training to Optimize Performance The partnership with PMG and SoftBank Robotics continues to thrive. Thanks to a long-term, evolving content strategy, a strategic SEO plan, and a paid ad strategy that put SoftBank Robotics’ solution in front of the right buyers, inbound marketing has helped generate interest and awareness for the autonomous vacuum sweeper. Additionally, PMG’s ongoing training and coaching on the recommended marketing tools -- particularly for metadata.io and HubSpot -- have helped the SoftBank Robotics streamline processes and optimize both marketing and sales efforts for results in a way that continues to exceed expectations.
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