Summary
Kaseya’s software automatically monitors, manages and maintains IT infrastructures. Its customers are managed service providers (MSPs) – companies that manage IT departments on an outsourced, remote basis.
Kaseya had reached market saturation of the smaller end of the market where the sales process was relatively simple. But Kaseya soon discovered that the sales process with larger MSPs was much more complex, requiring buy-in from sales, IT and the CEO, resulting in only one deal closed in 2010.
Metia’s campaign, ‘When three become one’, identified the very different imperatives of these stakeholders and targeted them as individuals with a variety of highly tailored approaches. Ranging from traditional direct market, to video case studies, and analyst reports, each step of the campaign was specifically designed to bring the three stakeholders together and create the business imperative to unite in the choice of Kaseya technology.
About the client company
Launched in 2000, Kaseya provides technology to managed service providers (MSPs) –companies that manage IT departments on an outsourced, remote basis.
Strategy
Having succeeded in the smaller end of market, Kaseya’s 2011 goal was to move up the food chain. But Kaseya discovered that the sales process was much more complex at this level, as the decision to go with Kaseya required buy-in from several department heads as well as the CEO. Getting together to discuss deploying enterprise class IT system management tools never seemed high enough on anybody’s agenda to actually happen.
Objective
Kaseya tasked digital marketing agency Metia to create a catalyst that would initiate conversations between the three stakeholders and unite them in a common preference for Kaseya technology. In terms of ROI, Kaseya demanded a steep return of 1:25 (i.e. every £1 of campaign spend to yield £25 of revenue).
Target audience
- Kaseya handpicked 60 UK organisations that matched their dream client profile.
Audience – three key individuals at each company:
- CEO
- Sales director
- IT director
- Generally males, left brain thinking preferences, 35 – 45, tech savvy but conservative and each with their own very different imperatives.
Media, channels or techniques used
Based on our target audience profiles, we did not feel certain social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter would best engage our audience. Instead our approach was to capture the imagination with a deliberately ‘old school’, nostalgic conversation starter that would also require the stakeholders to meet. This would then be followed by highly personalised on and off line mail, spliced with video testimonies and high-value, objective analyst research reports and audits. Each new communication built up the business imperative to meet with Kaseya.
Timescales of the campaign
- Research: One week (September 2010)
- Strategy and concept creation: One week (September 2010)
- Material procurement and creation: One month (October 2010)
- Execution: One month (November 2010) with the campaign running across four weeks so that only 15 companies were targeted each week, to allow for punctual Kaseya follow up.
Execution
It’s a Tuesday morning at a large MSP. Three smartly wrapped parcels arrive – one each for the CEO, Sales director and Technical director. Each one is addressed with a handwritten label and tied with a bow. Intrigued, even the CEO takes a moment to open his package – a Scalextric racing set, one of his favourite toys as a boy!It even has a model car with his name tied to it. But this is only part of the set – where’s the rest? Then he notices a note from a Kaseya account manager. The note draws a strong analogy between what it’s like racing a car and being a CEO and directs him to his head of sales and head of IT because between them they have all the parts they need to put the set together.
The CEO puts in a call to the others and sure enough, they’ve also received Scalextric sets with parts missing. There’s nothing else for it, they are going to have to meet up – the frustration is too much. That lunchtime sees the three execs in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, putting the kit together for the whole company to enjoy.
Back at their desks, that afternoon they each receive a mail from the Kaseya account manager. The mails include links to bespoke video testimonials, each video pertaining directly to that particular stakeholder and from a peer at a successful organisation similar to their own. The video advocates discuss the challenges of their particular role and how Kaseya technology has helped them.
On Wednesday the stakeholders each receives a letter that includes a research report from independent analyst house Quocirca. It discusses the drivers and commercial opportunities for MSPs in the current market – extremely valuable business insight, to be read directly on the train home that night.
On Thursday, they each receive a brief email highlighting the benefits of Kaseya software, relative to their particular roles: richer functionality and time savings for the IT director and his team; new product revenue streams for Sales; and a stronger, more predictable cash flow for the CEO. That afternoon they finally receive a call from the Kaseya account manager who suggests a product demo, which they all agree to; it be churlish not to really.
At the meeting’s end they receive a technology audit from independent analyst house Ovum that endorses Kaseya’s technology for the MSP market. And so it is that our three independent minds start to think as one.
