Brief overview:
I developed a comprehensive Digital Marketing Strategy for a Canadian B2B high-tech design agency, Initiate Marketing, that works with clients such as Blackberry QNX, SAP, SS&C, Calian, Trend Micro, Entrust, and more.
Together, we launched Initiate Marketing’s new website, activated their social media channels, and ‘initiated’ consistent content marketing.
About the company:
Initiate Marketing is a 15-year-old design agency headquartered in Silicon Valley North, Ottawa’s Kanata tech park.
Tightknit and talented, this team of experienced Canadian designers creates memorable brand identities, effective marketing collateral and sales tools, powerful video & motion creative, and award-winning websites for tech companies such as SS&C, Calian, and Nokia; private sector such as Harmonic Arts; government organizations such as the City of Ottawa, and the non-profit sector.
The Problem:
Through the years in the business, Initiate enjoyed continuous success through word-of-mouth and referrals—they never had an expansive website or active socials, until now. They didn’t really need them. But the world doesn’t stand still and Initiate recognizes how vital it is to have an active online presence for a company in the digital age. How important it is to be able to reach new customers and talent online. So, they decided to revamp their placeholder website and show the world just how beautiful and impactful their work is.
The Solution:
As a design agency, Initiate developed a strong visual identity for their brand. The COO, Jennifer Herman, came to me to help launch Initiate’s digital presence.
To complement the new design, I created a compelling Brand Story to present Initiate’s brand to the world. I completed a deep discovery—which I call Reconnaissance—to unearth the true story of the company. I analyzed their competitors, audited their proposed website structure, and created a Social Media Strategy and a detailed Digital Marketing Plan. Today, we continue to work together on Content Marketing Strategy.
Digital Marketing Strategy for B2B Agency
My unique approach:
After initial meetings and onboarding, I began the project with the first step: I completed Reconnaissance with an on-site visit in the summer of 2023. I met the team, interviewed management, and interviewed the core staff. I understood the existing client base, the ideal potential customers, and the target audience.
Brand Story Development
I carefully crafted the Brand Story, using my findings from the interviews. I wrote the Founder Story, worked closely with management to create an aligned Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Values for the company, and presented staff perceptions, client perceptions, and positioning. The result is a brand personality as unique as Initiate. Now, every piece of content is rooted in these foundational elements.
New Website Review
I completed a thorough Website Review, analyzing the UX, SEO, and content. I ensured the marketing messages reflect the clients’ pain points. Initiate, being a design agency, took care of all the web design, and the result is beautiful!
Social Media Marketing Strategy
I created an extensive Social Media Strategy, choosing appropriate social media platforms for the company to utilize, specifying brand positioning differently for each platform, and recommending what social media content to post, where, and how often. The purpose is both brand awareness and lead generation. Today, a social media partner manages the channels and we work together to cross-post content and ensure the true essence of Initiate shines through photos and videos.
Digital Marketing Strategy for B2B: a Plan
I developed a Digital Marketing Plan, analyzing the opportunities available on the market (from email marketing to paid advertising (ppc ads on both social channels and Google ads)) and customized a plan of action for Initiate to move forward with, including timelines and specific action items.
Competitor Analysis
I completed a detailed Competitive Analysis, reviewing each specified competitor’s website (from technical items like loading speed to visuals and design), SEO, social media, Google My Business, and providing key takeaways.
Content Marketing Strategy
I created a Content Marketing Calendar to publish new articles consistently and work closely with individual team members to assign, edit, and schedule stories, which you can read here. A content calendar is one of the most effective ways of planning out your relevant content for the upcoming months.
The Work, Live
Armed with the carefully crafted Brand Story, I wrote the website copy on Initiate’s website to represent their down-to-earth yet professional vibe on the following pages and helped develop the copy on the other pages. I am also contributing to the development of key case studies, as required.
- Home page: https://getinitiated.ca/
- Agency page: https://getinitiated.ca/agency/
Working together, we set forward a clear plan of action, rooted in foundational elements such as the Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Values of the company. After the website launch, we are working on analyzing our results with data from tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Amplitude to gain a better understanding of our efforts. I can’t wait to see how much more we will accomplish together!
What’s the Next Step?
Our future marketing efforts include continuous search engine optimization to deliver valuable information to the target audience and to attract new potential clients. The team works on maintaining an active social media presence and contributing blog posts. Using social media analytics, we share fun short videos mixed with educational content. Ongoing, consistent effort is an integral part of this digital marketing strategy for B2B design agency, Initiate.
Want to chat about your digital marketing strategy for B2B? Let’s do it.