Applying broad-spectrum PR to drive sales
SPL WorldGroup

Abstract:
This case study describes how one company applied the full gamut of public relations strategies and tactics to increase exposure that would influence prospect inquiries and sales in a market where sales were flat industry wide.

Challenge:
SPL WorldGroup (SPL) provides customer management software products and solutions to regulated, slow-growing, but increasingly competitive industries such as energy and municipal utilities.

Prior to their current PR program, SPL was consistently left out of industry media and analyst coverage while their competitors were taking center stage, had limited coverage in technology media and none in business media, and were only obtaining speaking presentations from expensive "pay for play" sponsorships.

This lack of marketplace recognition was hampering SPL's sales and revenues.

SPL looked to public relations to increase prospect inquiries and sales. Understanding that a single PR tactic would fail to achieve the far-reaching results they desired, SPL hired a public relations and marketing firm that offered a breadth of services, excelled at strategic planning, was adept at using many different PR tactics, and had special expertise in creating PR programs for vertical industries.

Approach:
The selected PR firm conducted initial strategy meetings with SPL's marketing and PR staff and designed a long-range plan to support SPL business goals through the communication of key company messages using third-party endorsement of key media, analysts and conference organizers.

A well-rounded PR program should employ a variety of strategies and tactics. To heighten marketplace awareness of SPL's products and services, position their executives as thought leaders regarding how regulated industries can build customer-centric organizations, and support the marketing department in all U.S. initiatives, the new firm recommended and implemented:

• Targeted outreach to business, technology, and utilities media
• Targeted industry analyst outreach, with a dedicated calendar of follow-up briefings
• Research, writing and distribution/placement of bylined articles, white papers, press releases, and marketing communications materials
• Speaker's bureau
• Ongoing strategy and consultation
• Daily research and analysis of competitor media coverage and announcements, plus general clips tracking
  

In hiring PR counsel, SPL looked for a firm with expertise and contacts in the markets they were trying to reach. Concerns about hiring a firm with no clients in the energy or utility industries were overcome by the new firm's long-term vertical industry experience, systematic methodology for entering new verticals, and strong vertical track record. The new firm quickly proved their ability to communicate knowledgably with the trade press about SPL's differentiators, strengths, and solutions for industry needs. The ability to bring fresh perspective contributed to increased interest from analysts, new speaking opportunities, and innovative story ideas that quickly built relationships with journalists. The result was an early wave of placements that has continued to build momentum.

Also important to SPL's strategy was tightly integrating their marketing initiatives and the public relations initiatives their PR firm employed. SPL's PR counsel developed a strategic and well-integrated corporate communications, marketing, and public relations program that was flexible enough to grow and evolve as SPL's industry climate and product offerings changed. SPL also called on the firm's strategic expertise to help design and coordinate SPL's 2003 marketing campaign, which included sponsorship of a "State of the Industry" series of articles in a targeted industry publication.

Results:
What results can be expected from a well-planned and executed PR initiative? For SPL, the results were more than they had hoped:

• 450% increase in media coverage (over their prior agency which specialized in the utilities vertical), including placements in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week, Dow Jones Wire, Bloomberg Wire, ComputerWorld, CRM Magazine, B to B Magazine, Tech Target, Customer Interface, Newark Star-Ledger, Energy Markets, Electric Perspectives
• Fourfold increase in analyst briefings (average of 14 analyst briefings each quarter)
• Eightfold increase in bylined article placements (average of 17 bylined article opportunities each quarter)
• Twofold increase in speaker's bureau opportunities, which were placed based on speaker expertise rather than "pay for play" sponsorship requirements
• Average of 8 executive interview opportunities each month

As it should be.