surefoot

surefoot optimizes websites for ecommerce brands and SaaS companies through A/B testing and personalization. Prior to hiring Forberger Communications, the boutique growth marketing agency never had a PR partner but knew they faced an awareness challenge.

They were tired of being known as a “secret weapon” because, well, not enough prospects at specialty retailers and purpose-driven tech companies knew about the agency. Visibility was an issue.

The optimization specialist team wished to build brand awareness through a vertical-heavy thought leadership program, which required the development of a modern communications strategy and customer interviews to be completed.

But when COVID-19 took over the news, Forberger Communications had to swiftly change the PR strategy to focus on providing action items that benefitted ecommerce brands during the crisis.

Conduct executive interviews to identify timely topics the press would like and ways to stand apart

Launch surefoot’s first thought leadership campaign

Flip client case studies sitting on the agency’s website into media coverage

Explain the agency’s complex offering through the voice of customers

Secure byline articles to raise executive profiles and overall company visibility

• Delivered the company’s first communications plan and strategy
• Completed customer interviews
• Turned 1 client case study into 4 different press stories
• Secured multiple profile stories during COVID-19
• Media outreach led to surefoot bylines in mainstream and retail-focused publications including Adweek, Total Retail, and Retail TouchPoints

We tackled customer interviews to discover buyer challenges pre-surefoot, learn every reason why brands choose surefoot, and hear direct from brands on how they explain what surefoot offers. Insights led to changes in surefoot’s brand messaging and how the company talks about itself in the market.

Build a thought leadership program centered on the avant-garde approach surefoot has with ecommerce website optimization.

When the pandemic struck, the months-old PR program and strategy had to instantly shift. There were new immediate needs for reporters and publishers with downsized newsrooms. Surefoot was able to pivot and relay lessons from its experience as a fully-remote team for years to reporters seeking sources on work-from-home adjustments. Forberger Communications offered journalists actionable, timely advice for ecommerce brands to help them fight the business impacts of the virus versus the irrelevant pitches reporters were swatting away.

With surefoot bringing proven ideas to the conversation with refreshing candor, I secured profile stories and feature stories including:

• Took a client success story and turned it into a feature story with a prominent trade publication that mentioned surefoot as the vendor
• Secured a contributed article with Adweek during the coronavirus pandemic
• MediaPost mentioned surefoot in a trend story about agency life during the lockdown
• Muse by Clio interviewed two surefoot team members about working from home
• Secured guest posts in multiple trade publications based on the fast-moving COVID-19 news cycle

During the pandemic, Forberger Communications was able to keep the communication lines open between surefoot and journalists thanks to the fast adjustment to the PR strategy and the willingness of the agency to share specialized knowledge that wasn’t self-serving.