Case study: a joined up approach works wonders for Xancam
Joining the dots: Xancam deploy the power of joined up marketing to create a spectacular lead generation process that sparkles
Talent Management experts, Xancam Consulting, always have their ear to the ground and their finger on the pulse when it comes to understanding their market-place and listening to their clients’ needs. They understood that leading organisations were increasingly recognising their talent as a source of significant competitive advantage and had a need to create meaningful talent management processes to engage and develop their key people. As experts in the field Xancam were being called upon more and more to support these businesses with developing and implementing effective talent strategies that would deliver real value to the bottom line.
Xancam’s commitment to thought leadership in their market generated a debate within their company to find out “What is it really like out there for organisations trying to leverage their talent?” Dr Maria Yapp, Xancam’s CEO, comments, “We consistently differentiate ourselves as thought leaders in the talent space. While we are already in regular contact with our clients, we wanted to engage further with the debate to ensure that we were fully up to speed with the challenges that organisations face regarding talent today. .”
Having grown extensively through successful referral Xancam realised it was time to pick up the pace by reaching a wider audience. As experts in their field Xancam were looking to target like-minded, intelligent organisations dedicated to the identification and development of their future stars. So they turned to Onefish Twofish, to help them design a process that would help them take their ideas to the marketplace with maximum impact, and sustained success. Maria continues, “The vision of Onefish Twofish shaped our sales and marketing strategy for the whole year. We came up with the concept of what we were interested in based upon our clients’ challenges, and Onefish Twofish created a structure to enable us to deliver results. Carrie worked with us to create a programme of activities for the whole year so we knew what was going to happen at each stage and could see how it all came together.”
Onefish Twofish energetically set to work using the key principles of attractiveness; trust and credibility, in other words they knew that when the chips are down people ultimately buy from companies that they trust and like. The result was a series of 6 solid stepping stones.
Six Stepping Stones to Success:
1. Solid, innovative research
2. Sweating the research – pay per click
3. Clear and thorough follow up
4. High profile newsletter
5. A compelling, well-attended conference/event
6. Structured working groups
The research project set about exploring the reality of linking talent management strategy to the bottom line - entitled “Talent Strategy for Real Business”. Carrie Bedingfield, Managing Director, Onefish Twofish explains, “Insightful, thought provoking research should always be the foundation of your structure. Every research project we do is designed to have at least three solid outcomes – 1) it provides the company with fantastic information on the marketplace, 2) it opens up conversations with people you wouldn’t normally speak to, 3) it generates a uniquely valuable report and data that you can use going forwards as a promotional tool either with the press or potential clients.” Onefish Twofish ensured the resulting report was placed prominently on the Xancam website and that it was optimised for a huge range of search terms which yielded an incredibly high click-thru rate. In order to ensure a slick follow-up process so that nothing fell through the cracks and all Xancam’s consultants were clear and confident about what was required from them, Onefish Twofish created a Lead Generation follow-up pack to provide the team with everything they would need to respond quickly, consistently and effectively.
The newsletter showcased and capitalised on the high profile individuals that Xancam had become acquainted with throughout the research process. However, the star of the show was undoubtedly Xancam’s Talent with Sparkle event. Onefish Twofish took great pains to ensure that the collateral and branding for the event were right on target, that the speakers were supported and prepared, and that all bases were covered. Nothing was left to chance. Maria comments, “The conference was spectacular! Onefish Twofish gave us fantastic speakers, slick production and faultless project management from start to finish. We were even able to maximise our partnership with them to the point that they filmed the event and created a series of webinars which were placed on our website alongside other event materials and presentations to create a superb promotional tool. The success of the conference reinforced the professionalism of the entire process.”
Finally, Onefish Twofish worked with Xancam to create a series of working groups to sustain momentum with those people that attended the event. This provided Xancam with yet more opportunities to talk to people. Carrie explains, “One third of the people that attended the event originated from the research project. By taking part in the research, attending an event or a working group, people are self-selecting into the lead generation process. We simply have to provide them with the right opportunities and the right incentives which means demonstrating that we understand what they need right now.” The success of the working groups was illustrated as all three groups were double booked after just one email invitation! Overall the lead generation process generated a number of new strategic relationships for Xancam, and the event brought existing relationships to fruition, converting good conversations into actual new business. Maria comments, “This process was undoubtedly instrumental in us winning a project with retail giant, Marks and Spencer, and gave us access to other leading names. We gained at least 15 brand new relationships and were able to add another 100 people to our ‘warm’ list.”
Maria concludes, “Onefish Twofish’s commitment is always above and beyond the call of duty; we really feel that they work with us, not just for us. They are totally committed to growing our business, and this is consistently demonstrated. Carrie has enabled us to achieve an impressive return on our investment with a coherent marketing strategy. We have a high-trust, collaborative relationship and know we can rely on Onefish Twofish to deliver every time.”