Value creation and demand generation for technical businesses

We help technical businesses uncover value and define strong products that connect with their ideal customers.

Who we work with

We work mostly with businesses that make technical or industrial products for other businesses.

We are experts at sifting through the complexity to find the value propositions your customer is dying to hear.

CASE EXAMPLES

  • Revenue between $1M and $50M, fewer than 500 employees, focused on 1–3 product areas.

    Goals: Transition from mom-and-pop to world-class; expand market reach; prepare business for acquisition.

  • Revenue of $50M or more, over 500 employees, multiple business units in similar or different markets.

    Goals: Launch a new product or business unit; refine marketing for an existing business unit; maintain brand consistency.

  • Funding of at least $1M, established leadership team, single product with limited variations.

    Goals: Launch or scale up a new product; establish clear and consistent messaging; set and maintain brand standards.

  • Corporate leadership at any company seeking ongoing marketing leadership or to fill a “fractional CMO” role.

    Goals: Establish and maintain good marketing or branding practices; coach existing marketing staff; keep an outside perspective on hand to advocate for the customer.

How We Work

Our approach is divided into three main phases:
value creation, marketing strategy, and marketing assets.

PHASE I

Value Creation

Turn your technical strengths into real business value and define products to achieve the best market fit.

Value creation is the foundational work that positions your business for success with customers, investors, and other stakeholders. Even if your company has been around for some time, a fresh perspective on these fundamentals can breathe new life into existing pipelines.

  • Diagnose problems with product positioning and messaging so you can make informed decisions about what to do next.

    Includes a thorough review of sales and marketing materials and a report with comments and recommendations.

  • A thorough and relentless mining expedition to learn everything about your product and uncover all the value propositions that may be hiding beneath the surface.

EXAMPLE PROJECTS

PHASE II

Marketing Strategy

Anchor marketing activities to a consistent strategy for greater efficiency and confidence.

Marketing strategy is a blueprint for deployment of your messaging. By anchoring marketing activities to a strategic plan, you will save time and money and create a more consistent customer experience.

  • Get an outside perspective on existing strategies and tactics for a product or service.

    Involves a thorough review of activities across marketing channels and a report with recommencations.

  • Create a 12-month marketing roadmap for a product or service that aligns with your goals, culture, and resources. We help you find the marketing tactics that you can sustain without overcommitting and burning out.

    Involves a thorough review of current marketing strategies and creation of a 12-month marketing plan with activities broken down by channel and a list of marketing assets that will need to be created.

  • Ongoing access to an outside perspective on your marketing.

EXAMPLE PROJECTS

PHASE III

Marketing Assets

Generate demand and streamline sales with compelling marketing assets.

Your marketing materials will be the first interaction many customers have with your company. Make the right impression with materials that effortlessly communicate your value to audiences of all stripes.

  • Build a library of expert-level content that draws customers to you. Examples include monthly blog posts, quarterly white papers or ebooks, regular video series, and more.

    Add an ongoing content marketing program to your marketing strategy to maximize your reach.

  • Design aids comprehension, which can make all the difference when closing a sale. Show your customers you mean business with clear design that keeps the focus on your technology.

    We’ve worked with everyone from the lab to the C-suite on websites, fliers, presentations, trade show graphics, folders, ebooks, and more.

  • High-quality photos are a staple of modern website design and marketing collateral. Showcase your products, employees, and corporate events in a way that communicates your expertise and professionalism.

  • Video is an incredibly powerful tool for explaining difficult technical concepts. Use it as a supplement to your written content campaigns or as a standalone marketing channel . . . or both! From simple projects with a single camera to full production crews, we have you covered.

EXAMPLE PROJECTS

Working with us

We offer a range of engagements from entry-level diagnostics to advanced ongoing strategy and implementation. Although some clients have been with us for over ten years, no long-term commitments are required to get started.

Contact us with questions or to set up a call »

 FAQs

  • While we can’t speak for every agency, generally, we focus more on clarifying value and product definitions before engaging in marketing tactics.

    Even with a decent strategy, marketers can unintentionally spend a lot of time and resources broadcasting a fuzzy signal to the market. The result tends to be a pipeline full of the wrong leads and an eventual breakdown of trust.

    We help de-risk your marketing investment by ensuring the signal is clear before spending a lot of money to amplify it.

  • Absolutely. If the product has already been commercialized, we simply apply the same methods we would use for a new product and do a “soft relaunch.”

    Fundamentally, our work is about finding all relevant value propositions for a product or business and bringing them to the surface. This can be done at virtually any stage.

  • Not at all! Our shortest engagements can last just a few weeks. If we’re a good match for each other, we can explore opportunities to continue working together.

  • Although it may be tempting to start with a small piece of marketing collateral, we know from experience that a piecemeal approach creates a confusing and disjointed experience for the market.

    It’s a bit like building a single wall of a house — without a blueprint.

    To get the most out of any piece of marketing collateral, it needs to be part of a larger context. The value proposition and business model need to be thoroughly understood with well-defined products and messaging at the core.

  • Discovery, ongoing consulting, and fractional CMO services are billed with a monthly fee.

    Additional projects may be billed on a per-project basis or rolled up into a larger agreement as part of a long-term engagement.

    Additional work (such as design or web development) that is not covered under an existing project agreement may be billed on an hourly basis.

    We do not sell “blocks of hours” as a retainer.

Find the gold hidden in your business.

Want to know if there’s untapped potential in your technical business? Let’s talk!

Reach out to us with any questions or to set up a consultation. All inquiries welcome!