Positioning a SaaS Brand with Strategy-First PR to Grow Market Awareness and Champion Technological Innovation.
Encompass Technologies digitally connects the beverage and food supply chain from end-to-end, providing comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) SaaS solutions uniquely designed for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers that are primed for transformation and know that technology is the key to unlocking business growth in a fast-changing and unpredictable market.
With the launch of several new products on the horizon, Encompass Technologies needed to position itself in the marketplace as a proactive industry leader on a mission to push past the “this is how we always did it” mentality to a mindset that embraces innovation, creativity, and transparency.
Just as Encompass takes a non-conformist approach to innovation, Avocet deployed a progressive, strategy-first PR and media relations initiative that told Encompass’ story and uniquely positioned the brand in the fast-moving but technology-resistant three-tier beer and beverage industry. As a challenger brand, the fact that Encompass champions the open sharing of data is unheard of in the industry, as was their message that technology is the key to unlocking significant growth opportunities for the Bev/Alc marketplace.
The foundation of our strategy-first approach was built on several content pillars:
Our objective was to help Encompass challenge the industry status quo and create relevancy through creative storytelling and thought leadership with proactive PR/media relations strategies that targeted key industry publications
Marketing SaaS companies such as Encompass requires a slightly different POV than the strategies that we might deploy for a B2C or retail client. Most SaaS platforms are focused on lead generation, a part of the funnel that Encompass’ sales team has well in hand. By choosing to focus on PR/media relations and thought leadership, Avocet executed a comprehensive program that supported the sales team’s efforts and elevated brand awareness.
From Day One, the goal of our PR program was two-fold:
We deployed strategies that included:
Thought Leadership: Researched, drafted, and placed regular placements of thought leadership/contributed articles in key industry publications that addressed timely issues and positioned Encompass leadership as experts.
News Releases: Drafted and distributed regular news releases announcing new partnerships, products, and suites of solutions to the marketplace to key publications and outlets.
Industry Event: Orchestrated and managed an industry-wide event hosted at Encompass headquarters that brought customers, partners, potential clients, industry leaders, and the media together for a week-long conference where attendees were introduced to the Encompass platforms and to the brand’s solutions for growth and success.
In less than a year, Avocet had been able to help Encompass realize remarkable success, including an earned media value that was three times the investment.
Our media relations strategies resulted in the placement of seven thought leadership/contributed articles in our most important industry publications, such as Brewbound, Craft Brewing Business, and Beverage Industry magazine. In addition, these publications regularly included Encompass product and partnership announcement news releases.
Media coverage highlighting Encompass’ culture and community involvement was featured in local and trade publications, as well as in national news outlets, such as National Public Radio.
Positioning of Encompass as a leader and innovator across the three tiers of the beer and beverage supply chain was heightened by the orchestration of an industry-wide event, the Connect 2022 Conference. Over 300 customers, brewers, distributors, manufacturers, partners, potential clients, and media attended the Connect Conference in person, and nearly 200 attended virtually. National and local news outlets covered the event. Included in the event’s agenda were two media-only events as well as several one-on-one interviews with Encompass leadership with key editors.
Encompass secured feature coverage in numerous national and industry publications such as:
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