Challenge
By late 2020, Crazy Domains, a major market player in Australia, faced the challenge of softening demand for web hosting as the pandemic entered its second year. With many businesses already online, the market was becoming saturated. To maintain our leadership and continue growing, we needed to position Crazy Domains as experts and enablers for small and medium businesses, attracting new entrepreneurs while retaining existing clients. We decided to launch a thought leadership research whitepaper titled Online State of Australia’s Small Businesses 2021.
My Role
As the Head of Engagement & Loyalty (Marketing), I was the key project lead, editor, and co-writer. My responsibilities included overseeing and coordinating the entire research and content creation process, which spanned multiple locations and time zones: Singapore, Cebu, Sydney, Kyiv, and Toronto. This involved managing an in-house and external team, collaborating with a research house, an external writer, an internal editor, our internal creative team, and an external PR expert with media connections in Australia.
Action
To manage costs effectively, we engaged a research house and a separate writer, with me serving as the key editor and co-writer. My responsibilities included:
Coordination and Management: I coordinated directly with the research house and writer to review the research survey questionnaire and ensure it was aligned with our objectives. We also coordinated to reach a sufficient sample size, including a portion of our customer base.
Focus Groups: Prior to the survey, we conducted remote focus groups with fifteen Australian entrepreneurs and SMBs across various industries in October 2020. This helped us refine our survey questions and ensured they were relevant to our target audience.
Survey Execution: In November and December 2020, we conducted two surveys. The first survey reached out to 752 Australian small business owners from a representative geographic spread across the country. We included businesses with more than 50 employees to understand their growth better. The second survey focused on consumers, connecting with 1,001 Australians spread across generations and geographical locations. Both surveys were designed to complement each other, providing a comprehensive view of the ecosystem from both business owners’ and consumers’ perspectives.
Content Creation and Editing: Working closely with Patrick, our research-driven writer, Gage, the research strategist, Emma, the PR specialist, and Jiliian, my successor in content marketing, we shaped the data collection and angle of the findings. Despite up to 13-hours of time zone difference and late nights, finally agreeing on the angle that worked from a PR and marketing perspective was rewarding.
Budget Management: Faced with budget constraints, we opted for a cost-effective approach by using a research house and a separate writer, with me overseeing the editing and coordination.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: I facilitated collaboration between various internal and external stakeholders, ensuring smooth communication and timely progress. This included working with the research agency, the PR consultant, and the Newfold team to write and finalise the report.
Results
The launch of Crazy Domains’ first major thought leadership research, Online State of Australia’s Small Businesses 2021, garnered significant earned media attention, including coverage from numerous Australia’s news outlets such as The Australian and Inside Small Business. Key insights from the report, such as the evolving digital needs of small businesses and their post-pandemic challenges, positioned Crazy Domains as a thought leader in the industry.
This major research piece also bolstered the Crazy Domains Online Academy.
Follow-Up Actions and Long-Term Impact
Following the report’s release, we launched several initiatives based on its insights, such as targeted marketing campaigns and webinars for small businesses. These efforts not only reinforced Crazy Domains’ brand positioning but also deepened our engagement with the small business community. The report’s success also paved the way for future thought leadership projects, establishing a robust framework for ongoing research and content creation.
Final Thoughts
This project showcased the power of thought leadership in positioning a brand as an industry expert. It also highlighted the importance of cross-functional collaboration and effective project management in delivering impactful results. By leveraging research-driven insights and expert content creation, we successfully reinforced Crazy Domains’ leadership in the market, setting the stage for continued growth and innovation.
