- Case Study -
TBI
TBI, a leading technology services distributor, needed to get ahead of competitors to increase brand awareness while also positioning itself in front of business decision-makers looking to implement technology solutions. Next PR’s partnership with TBI ultimately led to an acquisition by AppDirect.
THE CHALLENGE
TBI came to Next PR to increase brand awareness around its technology offerings and reach new decision-makers by promoting its annual BIG Event. Next PR needed to find ways to increase channel exposure, frame messaging to reach prospects and highlight TBI’s spokespeople and industry expertise.
HOW WE GOT THERE
To promote TBI’s range of technology offerings, Next PR developed a comprehensive content calendar, assigning a quarter to each technology service – IoT, security, cloud, UCaaS. Since earning media opportunities for a large bench of spokespeople was a top priority for TBI, Next PR hosted a media training to ensure all spokespeople felt prepared to speak to the media. The team then leveraged TBI’s experts to secure interviews and place contributed content in national and trade publications discussing the designated topic for the quarter.
To reach TBI’s wide customer base, Next PR crafted specialized pitches for vertical publications, including hospitality, manufacturing and healthcare. Earned media placements, coupled with corresponding blog posts, increased credibility for TBI’s solutions architects and educated potential customers on the importance of leveraging a technology brokerage.
For the annual BIG Event, Next PR tapped existing reporter relationships and invited these contacts to attend. The team also worked with TBI to create a regular cadence of press releases, announcing relevant news to build momentum ahead of the event. By sharing consistent news, Next PR helped nurture strong relationships with channel-specific reporters, increase coverage and generate interest from potential buyers, such as AppDirect.
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Media Placements
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New Website Users
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Company Spokespeople Leveraged in Coverage
THE RESULTS
In early 2023, TBI was acquired by AppDirect.
Throughout the three-year partnership, Next PR promoted 33 spokespeople across 260 pieces of coverage. Media placements drove 445 new users to the TBI website, showing the direct impact of the top-tier, channel, technology and vertical earned media strategy.
173 of the total placements were in channel publications, including Channel Futures, Channel Pro Network and CRN. Next PR established strong relationships with two channel reporters who attended TBI’s 2022 BIG Event, resulting in four earned placements across Channel Futures and Telecom Reseller. After TBI’s acquisition, AppDirect expressed to Next PR that it was specifically impressed with TBI’s visibility in the channel.
The team also secured 65 articles in technology publications, including TechTarget, Computer Weekly and TechRepublic. This media coverage on complex technologies such as CCaaS and IoT directly supported Next PR’s goal to establish TBI’s credibility and technical expertise.
To reach TBI’s various vertical audiences in healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing, Next PR coordinated media opportunities in 17 vertical trades, including Hospitality Technology, MedCity News and Food Logistics.
Lastly, to establish widespread brand awareness for TBI and its offerings, Next PR secured four top-tier placements, including pieces in FORTUNE, Spiceworks and VentureBeat.