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A multinational tech company had first-hand data that small businesses weren’t answering their phones — despite calls still being a critical driver of business. So it set out to solve this problem with an AI-based phone technology, introduced through its incubator program.

The product’s sponsor (a previous Alloy client) called on us to create an entire brand identity and marketing foundation in just four months to get the product in-market by Small Business Week.

Despite a crowded field of competitors, our goal was to build this product into the premier small business phone technology by gaining a deep understanding of customers and developing an engaging customer journey. We knew SMB owners were wary of AI and afraid of de-personalizing the customer service experience with tech, so our messaging had to assuage these fears and immediately build trust.

  • Creating a brand foundation with a ring to it

    We started with in-depth research into the competitive landscape and stakeholder sessions to understand the product vision. From there, we mapped out buyer personas detailing the challenges, decision-making criteria and influencers for key SMB audiences. We then created a brand messaging suite and corresponding website that got to the heart of what mattered most to these buyers and where this product could differentiate from competitors — prioritizing the experience of the SMB customer.

  • Stealth-mode testing

    With this audience understanding and messaging in-hand, we went into stealth mode to seed the market prior to public launch, testing the types of images, value propositions and calls to action that would resonate. Throughout this testing phase, we curated a list of earlier adopters who were first in line for the product once it officially launched. Using the results of the testing phase, we funneled the launch budget to the most effective channels and messaging

  • Buzz-worthy launch

    We chose to launch the product during Small Business Week to capitalize on the national attention given to local businesses during the first week of May. However, we knew that decision would come with serious competition, so we embargoed the news to key top-tier media outlets to get ahead of other announcements. We also had a heavy cadence of social, blogs, videos and paid media launching throughout the week. The approach worked, with TechCrunch breaking the news, followed shortly by Forbes, VentureBeat, Fortune, Engadget, ZDNet and more.

  • A rolling thunder of momentum

    To keep up the initial buzz, we maintained a steady stream of owned and earned news, including customer stories, case studies, gated and ungated content, a 2.0 product launch and influencer partnerships. We coupled this awareness-boosting program with email nurture content and sales cadences to close initial prospects into customers.

With use cases for a variety of SMBs, from services like plumbing and HVAC repair to hospitality venues like bars and restaurants to healthcare facilities like dentists and physical therapists, we knew speaking to each owners’ unique challenges was key to building trust. We developed a verticalized content program, including creating tip sheets, case studies, ad campaigns, sponsored content, email nurtures and media angles unique to each business type. Mentions in highly targeted media outlets like Independent Retailer, Modern Restaurant Management and Furniture World drove highly qualified customer conversions.

pieces of earned media coverage
s
of digital conversions
M+
video views
%
positive media coverage sentiment

Alloy successfully launched an SMB tech product during one of the busiest times of year thanks to our strategic marketing plan — propelling the brand to handle hundreds of thousands of calls per day.

A learning framework for audience testing

Narrowing in on the primary use cases for the product was a key secondary goal of our program. We tested interest and role based targeting, as well as focusing on those who owned business profiles on social media - ultimately identifying restaurants as a fruitful target and Facebook as the best way to reach them.

A social persona with a personal connection to SMBs

Knowing that small business owners tend to make decisions much like B2C audiences do, our social channels needed to have a voice they could relate to. We developed a social persona to guide our writing - that of the daughter of an SMB owner on a mission to make life easier for her parents - that guided all content.

A multichannel media mix

Small business owners are stretched, so we had to stay in front of them through a variety of mediums. We mixed social media, trusted industry publications, top-tier business media, video, customer ambassadors, display advertising and more to quickly build awareness of and affinity for the product.

DON'T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

“They're more than just a partner, but an extension of our team who always work diligently to build our audience, craft and distribute our core message.”

— Founder
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