The client
This client is an adtech marketplace that connects brands and agencies with thousands of out-of-home media owners. Their platform makes it possible to plan, buy, and measure campaigns at a pace the industry hasn’t seen before—launching campaigns in as little as 48 hours, with analytics and attribution baked in .
They were growing quickly, but like many scale-ups, their marketing systems hadn’t kept up with their sales engine. That gap was slowing their ability to engage, nurture, and convert the surge of new interest.
The challenge
Three roadblocks stood in their way:
- Limited automation: Marketing activity was essentially a single newsletter. They had no segmentation or lead nurture workflows, which meant they were leaving engagement opportunities untapped .
- Technical headaches: HubSpot needed to play nicely with Salesforce and SendGrid, but syncs were inconsistent. There were unresolved domain configuration issues, bounces were rising, and they were at risk of landing on an email blacklist .
- Time crunch: Their primary stakeholder was preparing for leave, which meant the window for onboarding and knowledge transfer was tight .
In short, they had a strong product and a hungry market—but without a stable marketing foundation, they couldn’t scale the way they needed to.
Our approach
We knew the key was not to overwhelm their team with “boil the ocean” onboarding. Instead, we focused on quick wins that built momentum while addressing the critical issues.
Start with the basics
- We created segmented lists to help them target audiences more effectively.
- Designed reusable email templates that aligned with their brand.
- Built simple workflows that gave them their first taste of real automation.
Fix the pipes
- We worked through the Salesforce ↔ HubSpot sync issues, including selective sync configurations and property mapping to keep data flowing cleanly .
- Guided their IT team through DNS updates and domain authentication to improve deliverability.
- Introduced a verification process with a tool like Kickbox to reduce bounces and protect sender reputation .
Adapt to bandwidth
- Since their team had limited time, we leaned on short Loom walkthroughs—giving them step-by-step guidance they could revisit on their own schedule.
- Broke complex tasks into manageable checklists, so progress felt achievable even when resources were tight.
Set the stage for growth
- We closed with a roadmap that laid out how they could expand automation over the next 6–12 months: from basic nurture streams to campaign attribution, deeper personalization, and leveraging HubSpot’s campaign and PPC tools .
The results
- From newsletter-only to automation-ready: They now had functional workflows, templates, and lists they could run with—no longer relying on manual one-offs.
- Cleaner data, better trust: Syncs stabilized, bad addresses were filtered out, and domain reputation improved. Their team had confidence that the system would support their campaigns.
- Clarity moving forward: With a stepwise roadmap, they had a plan they could realistically execute—even without heavy internal resources.
Why this mattered
In out-of-home advertising, speed and measurement are the differentiators. By stabilizing their marketing stack, this company gained the ability to move as fast in their digital engagement as they do in campaign execution. With automation in place, they’re no longer just keeping up with demand—they’re setting themselves up to lead it.
