Case Study
Aptean
Enterprise software
Messaging
Website
Digital marketing
Aptean teams with Arketi for integrated marketing strategy across diverse industries
Aptean, a leader in enterprise software, had no shortage of potential customers – insurance companies, timber producers, wire and cable manufacturers, to name just a few. The challenge was effectively marketing to them. After all, it can be difficult to convince an insurance broker their best option for customer service software comes from a company they know as a manufacturing specialist.
To overcome these perceptions, Aptean knew it needed to rethink its branding. With some 30 software products covering the needs of 13 business functions, and applications across 26 industries, it planned to restructure its marketing efforts in a way that could sell its core, industry-agnostic benefits, while still offering its salespeople industry-targeted messaging. Aptean turned to Arketi to develop this message and take it to market.
Starting with a clean slate, the Aptean marketing team began by dividing the software portfolio into two groups. This allowed the enterprise software provider to streamline the 26 verticals to five industries that would be the focus of new marketing activities.
Arketi developed a comprehensive integrated marketing strategy to launch the new brand, covering everything from a new website, organic and paid search, multi-vertical public relations efforts and ongoing demand generation and lead nurturing activities.
Arketi surveyed the company’s customers to understand their buying processes. In parallel, we conducted a thorough review of Aptean’s marketing activities and existing assets. We used the results to guide how we structured the website, outbound campaigns and to frame the media relations team’s strategy.
With clear inputs and a defined strategy, Arketi executed a new version of aptean.com. The old site, though attractive and content rich, had several issues: it lacked calls-to-action; products made it confusing to navigate; the Sitecore content management system was difficult to update; and the site was not responsive.
In parallel to building the new website, we developed several lead generation initiatives to deliver leads into the sales funnel – and to create tools that the sales team would use in guiding leads through the buying process. These campaigns all leveraged the new message and brand established around the concept “Aptean: Where Software Works.”
In tandem with the marketing initiatives, the Arketi media relations team secured Aptean coverage and bylined articles for public relations in numerous trade publications across the company’s key verticals, including Credit Union Journal, Manufacturing Business Technology, Bank Systems & Technology and Software Magazine.
In addition, our team generated inbound traffic through a tightly targeted paid search campaign focused on those markets where the company’s products had less awareness.
$M
SALES PIPELINE
attributable to marketing activities
INCREASE
in site traffic year over year
ROI
on email campaign for Aptean Respond solution
WILL HARAWAY
Global Analyst & Public Relations Director
Aptean
Aptean unveiled the website at its user conference, Edge, in Las Vegas. Other components of the campaign kicked off at the same time, and Aptean achieved results within weeks.
Over the course of the 6 months following the launch, the integrated campaign generated a $21 million sales pipeline, which Aptean was able to directly attribute to marketing activities. Arketi earned Aptean media coverage in the form of 32 key media placements from bylined articles, interviews and editorial calendar pitching. Media interviews conducted at the user conference resulted in additional articles.
The new website and our search engine optimization efforts placed Aptean on the first three pages of Google results for 71 percent of the company’s targeted ERP keywords. Total traffic to the site increased 37 percent year on year.
The initial email campaign to launch Aptean Respond, a software platform to capture and manage customers’ feedback or complaints, exceeded industry averages for email opens, click-through and conversion. The campaign generated 837 leads, resulting in a campaign ROI of 820 percent.
WHERE MARKETING GENERATES REVENUE
When you work with Arketi Group, you collaborate with expert marketers, writers, designers and strategists to create transformative marketing programs that deliver real business value.
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