VERMILION: BUILDING VALUE FOR A MAJOR TRADE SALE
- Our fractional CMO triggered an uplift in brand awareness for Vermilion
- We focused on growing overall brand visibility through a new, responsive, SEO-friendly website design
- Our strategy efforts encouraged an uptake of new leads and increased organic discovery
About the client: Vermilion
Vermilion Software is a leading client reporting and communications software firm with offices in London, Boston and Singapore.
The firm contacted us regarding outsourced marketing support at very short notice, due to a sudden internal departure. The request came at a pivotal point for the business, as a major trade sale was approaching, and the team needed to build value while working to a limited timescale. The US market was the main focus for growth.
The challenge
Russ Bryan, our fractional CMO, began working onsite in London as an outsourced Marketing Manager for one day per week, with his team providing additional remote back-up.
A number of marketing programmes were already in play, such as research projects, webinars and pending award submissions, all requiring immediate attention and management.
Our approach
We started the project by creating a range of original content, and used this as the basis for a PR campaign involving blogs, opinion pieces, features, press releases and white papers. We also wrote and designed an array of factsheets, case studies and other collateral in multiple languages.
As well as these efforts, we designed a suite of sub-brands for software modules. Our digital work involved the following scope:
- Social media management across LinkedIn and Twitter
- Developing a new multi-lingual website, and producing supporting onsite copy
- Managing Google Ads strategy and spend
- Production of a corporate video in English and French
We were hired on an initial three-month basis, providing our services until a new Marketing Manager could be recruited. After a month, we were requested to work two days per week and subsequently three days per week. Ultimately, the support continued for three years, through to the successful trade sale of Vermilion to global software firm FactSet. The Marketing Manager role was never filled, and it was our strategic direction that led the business to this resultant success.
What we achieved
Our output for Vermilion was award-winning, receiving recognition from major industry awards in Europe, the US, and Asia. Our strategy also secured media coverage in global publications, and we were featured in the following financial titles:
- Asset Servicing Times (U.S.)
- Banking Technology (UK)
- JiJi Press (Japan)
- Fund Technology (U.S.)
What the client said
Simon Cornwell, former Global Sales & Marketing Director at Vermilion Software commented on the work executed:
“Portfolio has been an invaluable partner for Vermilion over the past three years. Russ and his team had all the domain experience we needed to deliver all of our company’s marketing requirements, from copy, design and award submissions right through to social media.”
Stuart Mitchell, Corporate Finance at Quest Corporate also shared his thoughts on working with our expert fractional CMO:
“Russ joined Vermilion at a critical time for the company, in the run-up to a trade sale. He quickly made an impact, winning three major industry awards in his first three months, as part of his brand awareness drive. His team also built a new website, for which he wrote all the copy, and delivered an excellent corporate video, which Russ scripted, storyboarded and produced.
Russ revamped all of our marketing collateral, going from two basic factsheets to over 30 case studies, factsheets and business driven information sheets, in multiple languages. He also grew our brand awareness significantly in the U.S. and Asia, through PR, exhibitions and thought leadership.
In total, Russ won 12 major industry awards for Vermilion in three years, in Europe, the U.S. and Asia – in some cases breaking records. He can work at a strategic level very comfortably, but can also roll his sleeves up and get the basics done very well. Strong domain knowledge and excellent writing skills are key features of his work.”
We’ve accelerated growth plans for an array of fintech firms, so if you’re ready to see the uplift you’ve been waiting for, contact us today.