Ladder.io

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of product marketing at Nuxeo, an enterprise software company producing the leading next-generation content services platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ladder.io?

We needed to build a growth strategy prior to launching a new product that’s very different than our existing offering. We wanted Ladder.io to build buzz and some demand in advance of the release.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we set goals for acquiring trial users and then identified opportunities for messaging and advertising as we built the whole end-to-end acquisition funnel. Ladder.io then created and posted ads on multiple social media channels, targeting multiple audience profiles and segments on those platforms. Since the product didn’t exist yet, so we couldn’t talk about its benefits or show screenshots, we tested pain points to capture people’s imagination prior to the launch.  These ads drove traffic to a new Unbound landing page that Ladder.io created. The team then tested follow-up engagements, copy and functionality, which included waitlists and user referrals. Since January 2018, thousands of people have signed up for the new product, and it hasn’t even launched yet! To keep the audience engaged and gather further demographic information, the Ladder.io team distributed a Typeform surve. We used this data to plan re-engagements and short demos to gain user feedback. In total, Ladder.io deployed over 50 marketing tactics in just 5 months to target various audiences and platforms.

What is the team composition?

At first, we worked with one strategist. Ladder.io then brought in strategy directors to help ideate tactics. We worked closely together to iterate and perfect messaging and design, and Ladder.io implemented it seamlessly.

How did you come to work with Ladder.io?

We wanted a vendor with a growth hacking mindset. I reached out to a few companies via referrals and spoke with about three sole proprietor agencies. One of them suggested Ladder.io, which I hadn’t heard of at the time. Ladder.io had a reassuring methodical approach that distinguished them from the competition’s use of ninja tactics, which don’t always succeed.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The cost per lead was one-tenth of our initial projections. We spent less money and generated way more leads than anticipated. Since then, we’ve adjusted metrics to improve the quality of leads without increasing the cost too much. We’re now seeing great progress with that effort.

Far exceeding our original expectations, we received a lot of interest very quickly, which created new challenges to keep the audience engaged. During this process, Ladder.io didn’t have any trouble keeping pace or evolving with the changes. That flexibility has made them a great partner. To that end, the team has made several improvements by trying different approaches without being restricted to a core philosophy.

How did Ladder.io perform from a project management standpoint?

Our ideas evolve quickly and Ladder.io is able to translate them into action. As a team, they’re responsive, clear, and timely with their communications. Our side can’t always keep pace with them. We use an external channel on our corporate Slack to interact with them. Ladder.io also has Ladder Planner, an internal communication tool we use to monitor tactics for creative executions and audience definitions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have this portfolio of tactics, but aren’t limited to those approaches. The team pitches new ideas and later refines them based on our feedback. We have a collaborative partnership in which both sides enjoy the co-creation process. Everyone on the team is fantastic and I hope with can find more ways to work with them across our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their proposed tactics in the Ladder Planner need to be communicated more clearly and intuitively. Occasionally, I lose track of the team’s process and reasoning because we try so many things. Having a clearer through-line, in addition to day-to-day tactics, would help crystallize the narrative for overall strategy and progress. We would then be in a better position to request more budget from our executive team to accelerate the partnership.  

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients will get out of the engagement what they put into it. To get the most value, treat Ladder.io as part of the internal team and meet with them regularly to discuss ideas and ask questions. Specifically, ask them what they’re doing and speak up when something doesn’t make sense. The process will be enjoyable and very fruitful!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Travelex is a world leader in foreign exchange services. I am a digital project manager for the launch of Ditto Bank, a multicurrency, French-based bank. It allows anyone to open currency accounts anywhere around the world. Ditto Bank was launched in 2018 by the Travelex group. Ladder.io helped us with that launch.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ladder.io?

We were launching a brand new banking product for the group. We had to redesign our focus on the audience we wanted to reach.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At first, we asked them to only test our hypothesis advertising tests. We were looking for an agency with a test and learn approach to validate our hypothesis through advertisement testing. They did exactly that. They did such a good job that we gave them more and more responsibility.

Ladder.io built a marketing strategy to reach our audience. Ladder.io also helped us build our in-house team and processes to execute this strategy. We are currently deploying it.

We initially ran some Facebook and Google AdWords studies in order to understand and construct the audiences that could be interested in our product. We did tests and iterations, and progressively built a full acquisition strategy, not only focused on digital advertising, but on the whole marketing mix. Ladder.io helped us find the perfect set of tools to correctly attribute performance to our marketing channels. Specifically, we built our strategy around the apps layer, but we have a number of tools that can help us monitor different marketing channels.

We’ve worked on Google AdWords and organic SEO, and we also leveraged ad networks and Facebook ads as well. We tested other platforms but chose not to go forward with them.

What is the team composition?

I’ve mainly been in touch their growth strategist and their co-founder and COO.

How did you come to work with Ladder.io?

We started the definition of our value proposition with another marketing agency way before the launch. They directly referred us to Ladder.io for the operational side of marketing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ladder.io in February 2017. We plan to work with Ladder.io more in 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

One of the most successful aspects of our collaboration was the building of a performance attribution model. The analytics behind performance attribution were quite challenging. We reached the hypothesis in our acquisition model and have gone way beyond it. We surpassed our goal by 50% since we’ve started advertising.

How did Ladder.io perform from a project management standpoint?

They are currently our main partner for building our marketing strategy. They work in our office and were directly embedded into our marketing team from the beginning of the project. They delivered and performed well. In-house, we see them as an extension of our team. We shared responsibility for any problems we had from a project management perspective.

We met in-person with their strategist on a regular basis. We also met with co-founder and COO twice per month.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a truly scientific approach to advertising which allows us to make decisions confidently. Ladder.io always bases decisions on measured data. This approach is why we’ve extended their contract for so long and why we plan to extend it further.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve had a lot of turnover since the beginning of the project, especially strategists. It would have been more practical and efficient to have the same strategists from the beginning of the project for as long as possible. We’ve worked with at least three different strategists since the beginning.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Making sure that the test and learn approach is aligned with the internal culture of the enterprise. As we were launching a new project, it was easy to learn from Ladder.io and build our processes around theirs. They are very specific, so I would suggest that more established clients verify the alignment of the marketing approach.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Data Room Services for M&A transactions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ladder.io to accomplish?

• Build Digital Funnel

SOLUTION

How did you find Ladder.io?

Online Search

Why did you select Ladder.io over others?

High ratings, Other

What was the size of Ladder.io’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Hired them to help us build our digital funnel, both organic and paid. Gave them a full remit

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• No measurable result.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Positive: They were responsive
• Negative: They did not deliver, they process management was a mess, there were no results both in terms of overall objectives and work areas.

What was your primary form of communication with Ladder.io?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The way they talk. They talk as a startup, as someone that cares. This is not followed up with real results. They only seemed concerned with letting another month lapse and continue to charge.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Ladder.io could have done differently?

Dont overpromise. Get the actual work done. Follow up on agreed commitments. I had to act as their project manager. Very disappointing

Company Responses

The vendor responded on April 20, 2023.

Over the course of our 10-month partnership (February - December 2020) we actively worked across 4 channels in 2 languages, drastically improving both lead volume and cost per lead and developing custom comparative landing pages and white-papers to maximize value to prospective users and improve the overall prospect journey.

After COVID hit, the client’s business was at risk of going under. Despite dealing with our own struggles as most businesses were doing at that time, we agreed to continue working without service disruption at an ~80% reduction in cost simply to help this founder and his business survive.

After ~5 months we could no longer sustain the level of (severe) over-servicing, which also included several staff citing abusive and toxic attitudes from the client. We told the client we would need to pause the relationship. Further, at his request, we facilitated finding a low cost freelancer for him to transition to.
 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a luxury e-commerce and cashback marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ladder.io?

Ladder leads our growth marketing. The stood up the program and actively run, manager, and optimize all of our growth marketing channels.

What were your goals for this project?

Ladder is responsible for all performance based new customer acquisition. We also work close with them to develop systems, tracking, and reporting to help our business scale.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Highly recommended from another tech startup.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Ladder takes full ownership of our performance marketing. They're involved in ad creation, optimization, reporting, strategy and overall digital marketing strategy.

What was the team composition?

Ladder has a full suite of individuals - led by an account manager that supports each account.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We've been able to run dozens of test to help us optimize our marketing.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. They're solid communicators.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Data driven, industry specific expertise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A