TOPdesk
Demand generation project
STANDING OUT IN b2B TECH.
Market Research • Targeting Strategy • Partnerships • Performance Measurement
In 2020, market research conducted by TOPdesk Canada and the U.S. revealed low brand awareness and retention among key target audiences in North America. Facing strong competition, TOPdesk struggled to maintain a steady sales funnel and establish a digital presence in the right places at the right times.
Our objective was to be highly strategic in brand placements, focusing on accessing external digital ecosystems where our target audiences were active. Additionally, we aimed to create optimized content that could be repurposed across multiple stages of the marketing funnel.
Project Goals
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As a European IT software company, TOPdesk faced the challenge of standing out in the American B2B tech market. Our key goal was to expand brand awareness in Canada and the US.
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Develop versatile, value-led content that was easily adaptable for multiple touchpoints and omni-channel compatibility.
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Strengthen engagement and conversion rates. Establish a strong feedback loop with sales to develop a strong marketing-sales funnel.
STRATEGY
To execute this campaign, I conducted market research using a third-party behavioral marketing tool, SparkToro. Leveraging multiple search criteria, I compiled shortlists of key websites, social accounts, and trending topics among our target audience.
After analyzing the data separately for the U.S. and Canada, I identified prime opportunities for paid placements on news and media sites with proven audience traffic. I then initiated partnership outreach with these key websites to explore investment opportunities that would maximize value, reach, and asset reusability.
KEY PARTNERSHIPS
Campaign DETAILS
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Each brandpost is one 500 word TOPdesk provided article hosted and promoted for 3 months on CIO.com.
Article 1: Are tech layoffs inevitable, or can your company avoid them?
Article 2: Top 5 features your ITSM solution should have.
Article 3: Proving your worth: Strategies to validate and elevate your IT department.
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Sponsorship of one IDC Comm editorial video/podcast series episode.
Episode 1: Subway’s CIO Donagh Herlihy on 5 turnaround strategies
Episode 2: Campbell Soup’s CTO Julia Anderson on upskilling talent
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Panel of industry leaders with TOPdesk expert and 100% mindshare sponsor and TOPdesk branding on episode. Includes promotional article, video, eblast, and promotion on VB social.
Episode: How to leverage Automation to future-proof your service desk.
Article: How human-centered automation adds value to IT service desks.
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Launched on July 1, with 12 months licensing rights for promotion and distribution. Includes a TOPdesk spotlight and provided article, and content syndication with 300 leads guaranteed.
Report: Empower Business Users with Self-Service Analytics
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Launched on October 1, with 12 months licensing rights for promotion and distribution. Includes a TOPdesk spotlight and provided article, and content syndication with 300 leads guaranteed.
Report: State of Data Privacy and Management
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One sponsored content article, written by the globe. Features an interviewed expert at TOPdesk, with 100% SOV advertising on the article.
Article: The cybersecurity risks of ‘work from anywhere’ and how to address them.
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One integrated content article, written by the Globe. TOPdesk will have a quoted segment in the story but not full control of content, with rotational SOV on ads.
Topic: Solving Canada’s workplace productivity problem
RESULTS
304,775
12,444
792
In 2023, during this initiative, TOPdesk transitioned from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 and implemented strict GDPR compliance. These changes significantly impacted our ability to quantify campaign success due to limited attribution data. However, we continued to monitor key page traffic and conversions around the time of product launches to assess impact.
Despite attribution challenges, the content developed through this initiative remains live on our sponsors' websites, providing ongoing inbound marketing benefits and improving long-term brand awareness.
As a retrospective on this investment, our next steps included a greater emphasis on quantifiable, lead-generating content. While this campaign focused on pre-planned assets developed by our partners, future efforts will prioritize more custom, TOPdesk-oriented materials with extended distribution lifespans. Additionally, we implemented enhanced KPI tracking and performance measurement protocols to ensure a more data-driven approach in future campaigns.
