Background

FreeAgent CRM is a work management platform that helps B2B sales teams achieve faster cycle times, happier customers, and more time back in their day. Despite having raised $25.9m in funding, breaking into the CRM space was no easy task. 

Challenge

With over 800 tools listed in the CRM category on G2, standing out from the crowd was a daunting task. Sales teams are battling longer sales cycles, users are experiencing tool fatigue, and CFOs are looking to cut costs through tool consolidation.

Strategy

In response to these challenges, FreeAgent CRM decided to employ a product-led marketing strategy that focused on converting free trial users into paid customers. With a lean sales team, the company relied heavily on SEO to drive the majority of its growth.

Ranking for competitive terms under the CRM umbrella required a considerable effort, which led FreeAgent CRM to choose a combined SEO, social media, and paid ads strategy to fill the funnel and drive consistent pipeline growth.

The SEO content was designed to target end users directly. It included comparison guides, strategy articles, and tool reviews. Paid ads on Google and LinkedIn were used to capture demand and drive traffic towards the company’s landing pages.

Execution

Over the course of a year, we produced more than 50 long-form articles and over 700 social media posts for FreeAgent CRM. Each article was tied to brand-appropriate keywords such as CRM, sales team management, and account management. 

The in-house creative team worked on creative visuals to augment each article, and these creative assets were repurposed across social media. To ensure each article was fully optimized, we used market-leading SEO tools like MarketMuse and Copyscape.

Results

The results of this strategic effort were impressive. The SEO content drove a 71.38% increase in blog traffic and a 25% growth in the LinkedIn audience. The content also drove word-of-mouth referrals to the platform, which helped the company close deals faster. The company’s internal writing capacity and quality also improved dramatically through content marketing mentorship.

Takeaway

FreeAgent CRM’s strategic approach to breaking into the CRM space demonstrates the power of a well-executed SEO and social media marketing strategy. By targeting sales teams with tailored content across search and social media, they were able to build brand affinity and drive pipeline growth.