The transforming power of ABM
At a glance:
- Challenge: Establish BlueBotics brand as a major player in its field
- Solution: Blended ABM strategy to build awareness and generate sales conversations
- Results: $4.5m+ pipeline opportunities and $1m+ in closed-won revenue
Meet Matt Wade, VP of Marketing at BlueBotics
Matt's journey with the company began in 2019 when he became the first Marketing hire.
With extensive experience in B2B tech marketing, he immediately recognized the transformative potential of marketing for BlueBotics, not only for the brand but also for its future growth.
Prior to Matt's arrival, BlueBotics had primarily relied on a sales-driven strategy for its growth. As a "Marketing department of one", Matt understood the importance of aligning with the already successful Sales team.
What better way to achieve this alignment than by adopting an Account-led strategy, focusing all commercial efforts on the most crucial target accounts?
For this journey, Matt chose strategicabm as the ABM agency to accompany BlueBotics.
strategicabm was my team before I had a team so we could 'grind' quicker together. Matt Wade | VP of Marketing | BlueBotics
BlueBotics
BlueBotics, a leader in autonomous navigation solutions, pioneers cutting-edge technology that automates manual and robotic machinery. Established in Switzerland in 2001, this ambitious tech firm has spent two last decades evolving its natural feature navigation technology (ANT).
ANT has been a game-changer, simplifying the installation and operation of on-site robotics. BlueBotics has developed numerous ANT-driven mobile robots and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
Described by Matt as "essentially a software business," BlueBotics provides manufacturers and plant operators with a platform to create customized robotics solutions.
Currently, BlueBotics boasts:
- Over 4,500 ANT-driven vehicles in operation
- Over 1,000 end-user installations
- Over 10,000,000 kilometers driven by ANT
The Challenge
BlueBotics had secured investment for business growth based on its innovation and expertise.
The company was poised for expansion, necessitating a go-to-market strategy to meet this growth challenge.
Matt faced five primary commercial challenges:
- Limited brand awareness: Few target accounts were familiar with BlueBotics.
- Outdated messaging: The value proposition needed a refresh to align with the company's evolution.
- Building trust with the Sales team, which had never worked closely with Marketing.
- Strengthening and broadening customer and key target account relationships.
- Collaborating closely with strategicabm to leverage their expertise and resources to drive the ABM strategy.
The Discovery
The planning phase was pivotal. strategicabm worked closely with Matt to review BlueBotics' tech stack, existing content, and go-to-market strategy. Addressing messaging was a priority, with a new customer-centric value proposition developed for the ABM program.
With the buy-in from Sales, Matt launched an awareness-driven One-to-many ABM campaign targeting a carefully selected group of 400 global accounts.
Building on this success, 12 accounts were promoted to a One-to-few program with deeper personalization and more targeted campaigns.
Both programs employed a multi-channel approach to increase brand awareness and communicate the new value proposition.
The One-to-few program focused on driving sales conversations and pipeline growth.
The Change
Both ABM programs exceeded expectations and worked in harmony to generate sales conversations and pipeline.
One-to-many ABM program
- Reputation: 21,000 ad impressions
- Relationships: Approximately 160 new relationships developed
- Revenue: 6 new clients won
One-to-few ABM program
- Reputation: 100% engagement from 12 target accounts
- Relationships: 15 conversations generated
- Revenue: 2 new clients won
In total, more than £4 million ($5 million) of opportunities were generated, resulting in revenues exceeding £750,000 ($1 million).
The ABM program successfully attracted major multinationals, including Michelin, Toyota Forklift, ABB, Creform, and Yaskawa Electric Corporation.
Jack Rawlings, strategicabm's Head of ABM, collaborated closely with Matt on the strategy and execution of the campaigns.
Jack emphasized the importance of building connections, relationships, and conversations that lay the foundation for future work, highlighting that ABM is about long-term success, not isolated campaigns.
The Future
Matt views the present as the starting point for BlueBotics, especially within the context of the rapidly growing warehouse automation and robotics market.
The global pandemic has accelerated the need for automation in various industries, and BlueBotics is well-positioned to capitalize on this trend.
Long-term relationship building, enabled by an Account-based approach, is crucial. ABM aligns perfectly with BlueBotics' objectives and business model.
As Matt aptly concludes, they've embarked on a journey of learning how to become even more well-placed for future success.
Note: Data correct at the time of strategicabm and BlueBotics’ presentation at the 2022 Global ABM Conference.
