AS Sports are a family-run, sports surfacing business based in Nottingham, UK. With no ties to particular suppliers or manufacturers, they’re able to offer unbiased, honest advice to make sure every client receives the best possible sports surface for their needs. They have over 35 years of experience in the field and carry out all types of resurfacing projects across the UK and Europe.
The Challenge
When AS Sports approached Victress, they knew marketing was important, but as a busy, small team, they were unable to dedicate enough time to it to see fruitfulness. The world of sports surfacing is competitive, and at times they were struggling to win work next to their competitors, without reducing their service pricing to have an advantage to clients. AS Sports were also heavily reliant on third-party tender sites to find new business, as in-bound leads were less frequent than they hoped.
Prior to working with Victress, AS Sports’ social media presence was largely promotional and lacked a platform-specific strategy. The same content was often posted across all platforms and copy included phone numbers, email addresses and an inconsistent tone of voice. Their content was lacking in personality and variety, failing to show their projects in their best light.
Impressions, reach and engagement were low across all social media platforms and they were struggling to make the most of social media to increase brand awareness. Their total follower-count across social media prior to working with Victress was 1786 and they were not receiving any leads from social media.
Similarly, their organic search efforts were not delivering as hoped, with very few ranking URLs and keywords, and no conversions. The website was lacking in original blog content and they did not have a dedicated organic search strategy in place. As they were struggling to see conversions from both organic search and social media, AS Sports were relying more on word-of-mouth marketing and a third-party tender site that was costing £1800 per month to maintain.
The Approach
AS were looking to refresh their content to bring in new custom for the colder weather – a time of year which is often quieter for them. They wanted an integrated marketing strategy that would help them win the work they loved doing, and help drive leads into the business without underselling themselves on price or relying heavily on tender sites. Victress were challenged to create an organic-first social strategy, and an aligning Search strategy that focused on lead generation through engaging, industry content that supported their family values.
We worked to create a platform-specific social media strategy which would introduce a wider variety of content and show their work in the best light possible. We developed a content strategy which included a range of content pillars, bringing in more educational content which would solidify their place in the industry as knowledgeable, trustworthy contractors. We tapped into what’s going on in their industry, keeping an ear to the ground and making sure to keep content relevant and topical.
We made sure to incorporate a community management strategy, engaging with clients and partners, past and present. Finally, we worked alongside a designer to create a set of social media design guidelines, developing a consistent visual identity and sharing a range of eye-catching assets.
We see the value in an integrated marketing strategy which brings together social media and organic search, therefore we knew we would need to develop a strong SEO strategy to support our efforts on social media. Our first aim was to create a thorough keyword strategy, backed by extensive industry research. We then turned our attention to content marketing and started to share two original blog pieces to the site per month. This content strengthened AS Sports’ position as experts in their field. Since beginning our work with the brand in May 2022, we’ve optimised multiple service pages on the site and reworked past project case study articles to align with our wider Search strategy.
Sports Surfacing - The Results
- Average of 40 website leads per month
- Increased turnover by 27% year-on-year
- Facebook reach increased by 1,768%
- Instagram reach increased by 404%
- Twitter (X) Impressions increased by 201%
- LinkedIn Impressions increased by 324%
- Organic Search users increased by 782%
- Ranking Keywords increased by 750% (Position 1-10)
Since we started working with AS Sports in May 2022, their turnover has improved by 27% year on year. Our integrated marketing strategy has vastly improved lead generation from social media and organic search, and they no longer rely on an expensive, third-party tender site to receive sports surfacing business. Their website is now bringing in an average of 40 leads per month and in January 2024 alone, Victress’ organic social media efforts were responsible for 4 conversions at an estimated customer value of over £250,000.
Our social media strategy for AS Sports has proven to be a success. All platforms have been steadily gaining new followers month-on-month, with a total increase from 1786 (May 2022) to 2177 (February 2024). The client has been receiving positive feedback about their new social media presence from partners at sports surfacing industry events and engagement has improved on all platforms. Impressions and Reach have seen dramatic improvements across all platforms since we began work with AS Sports, with Facebook seeing an 1,768% increase in Reach, Instagram Reach improving by 404%, Twitter Impressions improving by 201% and LinkedIn seeing an 324% increase in Impressions (figures from May 2022 – January 2024).
We ensured our social media efforts were supported by a thorough Organic Search strategy, with SEO and social media working hand-in-hand every step of the way. Since beginning this integrated strategy, Organic Search Users have increased by 782% and the AS Sports website has seen a 750% increase in Ranking Keywords (1-10 position). At the start of our time working with the brand, they received an average of 0 conversions per month from organic search. In January 2024, they received 47.
Organic traffic is the highest it’s been in the history of AS Sports website. Accounting for over 90% of site sessions month on month. The SEO strategy focused on creating content that was relatable and relevant to a variety of sports. We worked with the AS team to establish a keyword strategy that also improved the user journey. We’ve seen consistent improvements in 3G & 4G related keywords from our content that focuses on football and rugby sports systems.
Overall, we have given AS Sports’ social media presence a new lease of life, shining a well-deserved light on their fantastic work in the sports surfacing industry. With an integrated strategy, bringing SEO and social media together, we have removed the need for a third-party tender site and have increased brand awareness. We’ve built relationships with partners and clients, past and present, on social media, and have grown their reputation online. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for AS Sports, and were pleased to receive positive feedback from the company’s managing director.
From the first day we engaged with Emma and the Victress team, we knew we were in safe ` hands. They are so fun to work with and we’ve been getting great feedback at industry events on our social media presence. We love their professionalism and forward thinking approach, and we’re looking forward to another successful year ahead with this amazing team!
Andy Whelan, MD Tweet
Talk to Victress
Looking to replicate AS Sports success? Talk to us and book a free consultation. We work with a variety of industries on different campaigns so understanding your business is crucial to us. Say hey and find out how we may be able to help.