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Success Stories

Strategy + Execution = Results

Case Studies

See how Lisa Sherwin Wulf and LSW Marketing’s expert marketing have helped technology companies drive growth in the public sector. With deep expertise in public sector and technology marketing, Lisa has developed and executed strategies and campaigns that build credibility, drive awareness, generate pipeline, and drive measurable results for companies that sell software and services to the public sector— federal (DOD, Civilian, and Intelligence Community), state and local government, K-12 and higher education institutions.

Results highlights:

  • 100%+ increase in web traffic to refreshed public sector and EDU pages
  • 40%+ increase in webinar registrations through partner co-promotion
  • Built and executed first 6 months of public sector marketing plan

 

The details:

  • Provided project-based and retainer support to a commercial SaaS company with a channel-only go-to-market strategy, helping expand its presence and revenue in state, local government, and education.
  • Project work to refresh public sector and education web pages, verticalize an existing guide, and create materials to market a solution to a Microsoft licensing change for the education market. Web traffic to the refreshed pages increased by over 100% compared to the previous six months.
  • Retainer-based support to develop a public sector marketing annual plan to include recommended campaigns, events, channel co-marketing initiatives, content needs, outcomes/KPIs, recommended vendors and budget in support of short-term execution and long-term strategic planning. Executed first six months of annual marketing plan in concert with company’s marketing, channel, and sales teams and selected external vendors.
  • Ran internal EDU webinar co-promoted with two partners, increasing registrations by over 40%. Also led a third-party state and local webinar that exceeded the lead guarantee and development of follow-on issue brief.
  • Led participation in in-person and virtual industry events teamed with sales, event marketing, channel, and customer success including NASCIO Mid-Year, CISOA, California Public Sector CIO Academy, and other select SLED events to grow awareness, acquire new contacts, and drive pipeline.
  • Launched test content syndication activities and GovExec Microsite with lead guarantees to grow email database and increase awareness.
  • Worked with PR agency and VP for industry byline and Government Technology Insider and Today’s Modern Educator content aligned to campaign themes to increase web presence and organic traffic.
  • Channel marketing plan activities included a joint webinar, joint cyber grant outreach initiative, participation in Bett UK and ITSEC through channel partners, leveraging Carahsoft big bet programs to maximize budget, and working with channel marketing for SLED campaign in a box development

Results highlights:

  • LinkedIn YoY: 523% increase in impressions; 1008% increase in clicks, 39% higher click-through rate; 52% higher engagement rate
  • 9% website traffic growth at rebrand launch
  • Delivered full rebrand (website, PR, internal comms) within 7 weeks

     

The details:

  • Retainer with a mid-size federal IT and Management services company to rebuild their federal marketing strategy after an extended pause and to rebrand the company post-acquisition.
  • Developed marketing strategy aligned to organization goals to rebrand the company, align campaign themes and marketing to capture plans, showcase the company as a great place to work, and increase awareness in the federal market of their services.
  • Key initiatives included website rebrand and content refresh, 4 campaign themes, in-person event planning, and revitalization of their company LinkedIn page.
  • Created LinkedIn strategy, content calendar and topics, and posted content. LinkedIn performance grew year over year across all key metrics: impressions (+523%), clicks (+1008%), click-through rate (+39%), likes (+642%), comments (+560%), reposts (+1253%), and engagement rate (+52%).
  • Provided hands-on rebranding support, collaborating closely with C-suite leadership and the parent organization to align on rebrand approach, new company name, internal and external launch. The time from name approval to external launch was seven weeks. Goals were increasing federal market visibility through unpaid media, website rebrand, social, and a press release. Results included a 9% website traffic increase, LinkedIn company page impressions doubled month of launch, and 132 press release reprints/pickup to audience of 3.8 million.
  • Led planning for in-person breakfast event to include: event strategy, project plan for successful execution, registration page, email invitations, social media content, and more.
  • Phased launch of four integrated marketing campaigns, including campaign brief development with SMEs, new public sector web pages, white papers, prospecting and LinkedIn content.

Results highlights:

  • Expanded public sector web presence increasing traffic and engagement
  • Delivered public sector message updates and verticalized content
  • Webinar exceeded registration goals; 20% of registrations from C-level audience using new messaging

 

The details:

  • Supported a new public sector sales and marketing organization to address content needs, public sector messaging, and product marketing gaps.
  • Expanded public sector website content from a single page to multiple vertical-specific pages, driving increased organic traffic and engagement.
  • Updated and expanded message master to support campaign theme development and execution.
  • Content strategy development and execution for verticalization of commercial content and development of new content internally and through third parties including REQ, Government Technology Insider, Government Technology, and GovLoop to support campaign themes.
  • Strategy and advice on PR company selection and program launch.
  • Partnered with the field marketing manager to execute campaigns with FCW, Government Technology, and GovLoop for lead generation and awareness programs, driving pipeline growth. Campaign components included webinars, blogs, issue briefs, newsletter ads, and other content and drove C-level and decision-maker leads and pipeline. Webinars exceeded registration goals, and FCW webinar using new campaign messaging had 20% of registrations from CIOs, CISOs, and CTOs.

Recommendations: What others are saying about Lisa

Public sector marketing success takes strategy, trust, expertise, and execution. Hear from government marketing professionals, industry executives, and partners who have worked with Lisa Sherwin Wulf to achieve their organization’s goals and drive growth across federal, state, and local government, as well as K-12 and higher education.

 

I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Lisa for over a decade, and she is one of my favorite clients. Lisa is exceptionally talented at leveraging content, connecting the dots, and maximizing her resources and staff. Long before many public sector companies began utilizing native content, Lisa took the initiative and paved the way. She is dedicated, one of the brightest minds in the industry, and a joy to collaborate with. If I needed the best in the business, she would be my first call!
Laurie DiamondRainmaker | 20+ Year BD, Defense Marketing & Coms Executive | Make-A-Wish Alumni Board Member
In my 30 years as the founder and CEO of Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), I have come to understand that there are great clients and then there are GREAT clients. Lisa is absolutely in the GREAT category. She provides clear and consistent direction on priorities and desired outcomes, guides a project with poise and professionalism, and works diligently to hold everyone accountable. As a result, the campaigns and programs I have worked on for Lisa have always met (and exceeded) benchmarks. That's not by happenstance.
Marc HausmanFounder and CEO of Strategic Communications Group. We are a B2B digital media company for the modern marketer. I also perform stand-up comedy. Seriously!
I've had the good fortune of working with Lisa over the past four years. She was instrumental in launching our SLED vertical in 2019 and has been involved every step of the way since. Lisa is a true professional and leader. Beyond that, she's a marketing mastermind and understands the interdependencies between the segments of our go-to-market strategy, and does an amazing job bringing it all together. I can unequivocally say that the success of our Public Sector team was directly tied to Lisa's unwavering commitment and contribution to the business, and I look forward to our paths crossing in the future.
John Wilson Senior Director, Public Sector
Lisa is an extraordinary marketing leader. She is passionate about her work, understands the varying needs of the customer in multiple verticals, and executes the best solution to meet their need. She also excels at juggling an extraordinary amount of pressures and needs, creating the best solution to keep everything moving as efficiently and quickly as possible. Her depth and breadth of knowledge of the Government sector is mind-blowing. She's able to address a range of concerns in intense, security-focused challenges calmly as the go-to person for solutions. She is a true leader, incorporating the larger company vision and values to ensure ROI exceeds expectations. Lisa produces extraordinary results for her, her team, her colleagues, and her company, all with a smile on her face and encouragement to keep everyone motivated. She's steadfast at finding solutions to the most difficult problems and an excellent communicator. It was a joy to work with Lisa!
Nicole Eversgerd Award-winning Business, Brand, and Creative Leader of Billion-dollar Brands – Strategist | Storyteller | Mentor | Advisor | Speaker
I had the pleasure of working with Lisa for 4 years at SolarWinds. I cannot say enough good things about her. She is a true marketing leader with a high aptitude for grasping the big picture while also understanding the pieces of the puzzle that make everything come together. She is extremely knowledgeable in everything she does and the positive results she consistently drives speak for themselves. She is also just a really good person - very professional, approachable, and always willing to jump in and help out wheverever she is able. I would highly recommend Lisa to anyone looking to fill out their marketing leadership team - they would be very lucky to have her!
Steve Brady Jr.Sales Manager - NA Commercial & Public Sector
I worked with Lisa for about 4 years at SolarWinds, forming a close partnership to optimize the web experience for our Fed and SLED sites and then expanded that to the Americas overall. Lisa is one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable marketers I have ever worked with. She is always coming up with new ways to grow the key markets, driving her teams to deliver quickly. Lisa has the uncanny ability to focus on short term gains while simultaneously pushing a long term vision. She is a pleasure to work with and I can’t wait for the day our paths cross again.
Don NortonVice President, General Manager of Digital and Web at SonarVice President, General Manager of Digital and Web at Sonar
I've had the pleasure of working with Lisa for more than 10 years. She's a savvy marketer with a firm grasp on everything from PR to demand gen. She's a great leader, skilled at building high-functioning teams. Plus, she's a really nice person and a delight to work with. I can't say enough nice things!
Katie HanusikEVP - PR Practice Lead at REQEVP - PR Practice Lead at REQ
I had the privilege of working with Lisa for almost 8 years and every chance we had to work together on a project, with a customer, or even just brainstorm ideas was both a delight and a learning experience for me. Her depth of experience and commitment to making a real difference shows in every single thing she does. The thing that struck me the most about Lisa's work was her ability to balance the needs of her customers with the goals of the business - she never hawked products or solutions (or directed her teams to do so) simply for the sake of hitting a quota; but at the same time she was always able to meet and exceed those quotas (and at times her team carried the rest of the business because of the amount they exceeded by) simply by listening to the customer; knowing the value the company brought to the table; and being able to clearly and passionately communicate that value. I would work with Lisa again in a heartbeat, and any company would be lucky to have her on their team. Hire her. NOW.
Leon AdatoItinerant wandering IT storyteller & DevOps ferret. #Monitoring, #Observability & automation fanboi. Author @ adatosystems.com.
SolarWinds logo

SolarWinds

  • First federal marketing hire responsible for all aspects of federal marketing to the U.S. Government worldwide, the launch of state, local and education in the U.S., and EMEA National Government.
  • In close partnership with sales, built integrated marketing programs for awareness and demand to help drive 140%+ federal new bookings growth and 400%+ renewals bookings growth over a ten year period, 10%+ annual SLED and National Government growth post-launch.
  • Building on the success of the annual Federal User Group launched in 2012, created an award-winning public sector user group and partner summit in 2018 in close collaboration with SE team, pivoting to a virtual format in 2020. Virtual event grew registrations to over 1,200 (101% of the registration goal of 600) and exceeded in-person registrant numbers by over 243%. Opportunities generated from the virtual events exceeded goal of 30 by 158%.
  • Partnered with SE team to launch highly successful for expansion pipeline and bookings SolarWinds Public Sector Tech Days (Technology Briefings) hosted around the country. Pivoted them to virtual in 2020, with over 500 registrants and a 40% attendance rate.
  • Worked with REQ (formerly SpeakerBox) to grow federal PR program and launch SLED program. Program grew from a few articles a quarter to a robust program that fueled awareness growth averaging more than 75 stories in public sector IT publications annually.
  • Launched an award-winning cybersecurity annual market research program to drive network and security market awareness and product revenue growth.
  • Implemented TechValidate to capture public sector quotes and case studies for use in presentations, proposals, marketing collateral, and other materials.
  • Launched and grew public sector SDR team to drive consistent pipeline from inbound and outbound programs.
  • Led the SolarWinds Public Sector Marketing Team to launch a series of programs in alignment with Secure by Design, developed by the corporate marketing and executive teams post-SUNBURST. Initiatives included an ongoing Webinar Series, co-branded webinars, virtual summits, fireside chats, and videos with ATARC, Route Fifty, GovLoop, Federal News Network/WTOP radio, and GovExec. Public sector Secure by Design ad campaigns ran digitally across major publications, including The Washington Post, GovExec, NextGov, Defense One, Route Fifty, Federal Computer Week, Government Computer News, Defense Systems, and Educause, and others. Radio and ROS ads ran on WTOP and Federal News Network.
Deltek logo

Deltek

  • Created go to market messaging, brand message maps, personas and developed and implemented strategy and marketing campaigns to successfully reach lead generation, awareness/ branding and growth goals of over 500% in less than one year for GovWin Enterprise – a start-up within Deltek.
  • Led development of new sales materials, collateral, presentations and messaging when INPUT, FedSources, and GovWin were combined as GovWin from Deltek.
  • Created and implemented new product marketing processes and tools aligned with the Pragmatic Marketing Framework.

 

RightNow logo

RightNow Technologies (Before Oracle Acquisition)

  • Developed and executed U.S. go-to-market plans that drove over 25% annual public sector revenue growth for three years in a row and significant increases in market awareness.
  • Drove 47% increase in U.S. public sector press coverage year over year working with internal PR team
  • Product marketing support for launch of RightNow’s Government Hosting/ Government Cloud offerings and shift from on-premises to SaaS only.
  • Extensive analyst relations outreach resulting in a shortlist ranking twice in Ovum’s (formerly Datamonitor) CRM Decision Matrix for Government and CRM Decision Matrix for Higher Education.
  • Teamed with APAC region to support their government demand generation program and help expand their higher education customer base to over 50% of the university market in Australia.
  • Drove inbound leads in North America for the public sector business development representatives and trained and mentored the team on key industry messaging resulting in 75% of the team exceeding quota and receiving promotions to an inside sales role.