Spreckley Partners

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Marketing for a Business Continuity and IT Disaster Recovery service provider in the UK.

For what projects/services did your company hire Spreckley Partners?

At the time, the business had a good reputation for online backup services but was not known for the new services we had added in Disaster Recovery and cloud support.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to re-introduce and reposition the company to the market and primarily to increase awareness. We also wanted to showcase the expertise, knowledge and skill of the team to improve conversion rates at the consideration and decision stages of the buying cycle.

How did you select Spreckley Partners?

We were introduced to Spreckley Partners through our relationship with the Cloud Industry Forum. We had been impressed by their knowledge of our particular niche and the results they had achieved with the Cloud Industry Forum.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The team at Spreckley led us through several discovery sessions to find the expertise in the business and match it to areas of interest from journalists and analysts. We then developed a strategy and plan for activity on the areas we wanted to be known for.

This included: Briefings to update key journalists and analysts to update them on the developments at the company. Preparing the team to be ready to comment on news stories at short notice. Creating in-depth bylined articles. A schedule of news releases. A new PR strategy to expand the reach of our annual research project.

What was the team composition?

Over the duration of the contract we've usually worked with one Account Manager/Director and one or two Executives.

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

Our performance on PR metrics like editorial coverage and share of voice improved drastically. As a specialist, UK service provider, we have been able to out-perform extremely well-funded tech vendors.

We have also been able to shift and repeat successes in new subject areas as the company direction changed. Although we can’t prove the causal relationship of PR to new business wins and customer retention, I strongly believe our activity with Spreckley has had a significant impact on the growth of the business.

Anecdotally, we know from the interactions our technical and commercial teams have with customers and prospects that this activity makes a big difference.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Looking back, we had a bumpy start with some slow months of lots of activity and no results. Then, the partnership clicked and since we’ve had consistent, strong performance since.

We have now developed a real partnership. The team at Spreckely really know the businesses and have input not just at the tactical level but contribute to our marketing strategy.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have had problems finding an agency that really understands the nuances of IT Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity. That skill and understanding is what made us sign with Spreckley.

Since then, every time we have challenged them with a new direction or target they have been able to adapt and surpass the goal.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Any agency relationship that lasts as long as ours will have issues. We have suffered changes in personnel (on both sides) for instance. There are also always peaks and troughs of results, but most importantly whenever we have challenged the team they have responded positively.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a software manufacturer that also helps consumers keep control over their online experience, especially in the digital ads space. We've been around since 2011, and I'm the director of advocacy.

What challenge were you trying to address with Spreckley Partners?

We began working with them as an all-around PR agency. They were helping us with BTC and B2B operations, and anything in between.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, we've narrowed that focus to the B2B side, as our business has changed and our needs have changed. They've gone beyond what a typical PR agency would do, because they've also helped us a lot with our advocacy efforts, and have helped us to make inroads into the industry, to talk to the relevant politicians and other influencers, as well as other key figures in the visual ads space.

They also continue to work with us on typical press agency functions as well, such as marketing campaigns. Anything from product announcements to feature announcements, to talking about changes within the industry that we'd like to see they take care of.  As we got more involved with the advertising, which included getting op-eds or guest pieces from relevant publications, they had a fairly impressive press tour that they had organized for us and we hit all of the correct places in London.

As we switched more to the advocacy and B2B front, they scheduled meetings with people who worked in non-profit organizations and people involved in legislation. They also arranged for us to testify twice before parliament, and we crossed a lot of boundaries with them as far as you can get for a technological company.

What is the team composition?

We've had one main point of contact, as well as a full team of other contacts on their end.

How did you come to work with Spreckley Partners?

They were handed to me as the new PR manager before I even got in. I do know we were on the lookout for smaller more boutique agencies, but can't really weigh in on what particularly swayed us towards them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested £36,000 - £40,000 ($471,000 –$525,000)

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2013, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

They've done a really good job in the UK of connecting us to the people that matter in our industry. Not just journalists, but people who gave us meaningful connections.

How did perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been excellent over the years. There have been very few times when a deadline has been missed. They always give us monthly reports on all of our activities and give us insight into the types of coverage so that we can keep some data internally. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've worked with a lot of PR agencies, and they've been really good at helping us out when we go over there. Anyone from our company can go over there and rest assured that they'll get a very nice briefing or accompaniment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It's generic advice within the PR industry, but make a personal connection with someone who works there and try to stay with that person the entire time. Take every opportunity to give them as much information about your product as well. For example, I've brought them to Germany, where our headquarters are, so they can see where our product is, what makes it go, and where it's made. It's important to remember it's a two-way street.