WorkStep is a fast-growing SaaS startup in the third-party logistics (3PL) and frontline workforce engagement sector. By early 2022, WorkStep had surpassed $10M in annual revenue and closed a $25M Series B round. According to company reports, its revenue was growing more than 3× year-over-year during this period. Headcount likewise expanded rapidly (from ~14 employees in 2021 to ~150 by the start of 2024). With a $4.5M ARR base in late 2022, WorkStep partnered with Dipity’s Founder, Morgan Von Druitt to aggressively scale pipeline and leads. The agreed KPI was MQL pipeline growth – specifically, to grow the quarterly pipeline from ~$300K to $1.45M year-over-year.
Approach (Content-Driven Growth): To achieve this, our team deployed a content-heavy, multi-channel marketing strategy:
- Thought Leadership Content: We produced a high volume of SEO-optimized blogs and articles addressing frontline engagement, retention and workforce trends. Dozens of posts (including detailed analyses of industry examples like Wegmans and XPO) drove organic search traffic and built WorkStep’s topical authority.
- Podcasts & Video: We supported WorkStep’s leadership in guest podcast appearances and created videos on key themes (e.g. “What Misfit Market’s culture can teach us”) to reach HR and operations audiences. Some of their events include topics like “Deep Dive into Calculating the True Cost of Frontline Worker Turnover” and “The Most Challenging Supply Chain Labor Market Ever.”
- Industry Events & Conferences: WorkStep secured speaking slots and demo opportunities at leading supply-chain conferences like the NextGen Supply Chain Conference, raising brand awareness. At these events, we highlighted thought-leadership content and workshopping success stories.
- Webinars and Fireside Chats: We curated interactive webinars and virtual panels with industry leaders. For example, WorkStep co-hosted a fireside chat with logistics firm NFI on How to Boost Productivity by Engaging Your Hourly Workforce, and published webinars like “Reducing Worker Turnover – Tying Employee Feedback to Positive Outcomes” and “Taking Action NOW on Frontline Worker Feedback”. These sessions positioned WorkStep as a community hub and generated qualified contacts.
- Total Economic Impact (TEI) Campaign: To quantify ROI for prospects, we commissioned a Forrester TEI study. The resulting report showed a customer saved >$5M in turnover costs over three years, with WorkStep’s platform “help[ing] the customer significantly reduce employee turnover and turnover costs”. We promoted this through an infographic and a live webinar with Forrester Consulting, reinforcing WorkStep’s value proposition to large enterprises.
- Customer Advocacy: We integrated customer success stories into content. For example, we highlighted how NFI (a 3PL customer) cut new-hire turnover by 36% and overall turnover by 18% after adopting WorkStep. These case studies served as proof points that work.
- User Onboarding (Retention): Internally, we optimized WorkStep’s own customer onboarding with in-app messaging (Appcues). Improving onboarding and unlocking a 2.6× increase in revenue/retention by engaging new users on day one. Our Appcues flows helped shorten time-to-value for new customers, which contributed to stronger customer retention.
Results
The impact of the campaign was clear and measurable across multiple KPIs:
- MQL Pipeline Growth: Over 2022–2023, WorkStep’s quarterly MQL pipeline rose from ~$300K to $1.45M YOY. This 5× increase was achieved with essentially flat marketing spend and headcount, demonstrating the efficiency of the strategy.
- Organic Pipeline: By Q1 2023, 40% of WorkStep’s pipeline revenue was sourced from organic channels. (This was a historic first – previously organic contributed a much smaller share.) Content-driven social and SEO efforts became a top-of-funnel engine.
- Lead Quality: The content approach also boosted lead quality and coverage. Sales reps on WorkStep’s team were able to connect with 322 high-intent buyers in just 2 months by leveraging content posts on LinkedIn and industry networks. More decision-makers in target accounts recognized WorkStep’s thought leadership, enabling more multi-threaded conversations.
- Engagement & Traffic: While exact traffic numbers are proprietary, analytics showed sustained lifts in website visitors and content engagement after each major campaign. For instance, blog posts on trending topics (like “Wegmans’ $6M scholarship program”) attracted thousands of views and social shares. The TEI infographic in particular drove spikes in downloads and demo requests. Overall, content-driven marketing significantly increased WorkStep’s brand footprint in the supply-chain HR space.
- Retention & Onboarding: WorkStep’s internal metrics indicated improved customer retention. (Industry benchmarks suggest that optimized onboarding flows yield substantial retention gains.) By using Appcues to deliver targeted in-app guides and emails, WorkStep cut the time new customers took to complete training modules and achieve “aha” moments. This translated to smoother first-90-day engagement and helped sustain renewal rates above industry averages.
- Evidence of Value (TEI): The Forrester TEI study and follow-up webinar provided hard numbers for prospects. The study headline—“WorkStep cuts turnover costs by over $5M”—became a key talking point in sales pitches and content. In practice, early customers reported double-digit percentage improvements in retention and satisfaction after deploying WorkStep (as evidenced by NFI and PepsiCo case studies), which aligned with the TEI’s conclusions.
Key Takeaways
- Integrated Content Drives Scale: A founder-led, content-first program (blogs, videos, podcasts) can dramatically expand reach without exponential budget growthdipity.digital.
- Focus on Quality & Thought Leadership: High-value, educational content attracted strategic buyers. Over time, organic search and social channels became major pipeline contributors (40% of pipeline)letterdrop.com.
- Leverage Analyst Insights: Publishing the Forrester TEI study (with webinar amplification) lent third-party credibility to WorkStep’s claims. Prospects responded strongly to concrete ROI figuresget.workstep.com.
- Engage & Educate: Webinars and fireside chats (e.g. with partners like NFI) built a loyal community around WorkStep. These forums not only generated leads but also reinforced existing customers’ value perception.
- Data-Driven Optimization: We continuously tracked results (MQLs, conversions, traffic, retention). This data allowed quick pivoting of content topics to what was resonating, and verified that pipeline goals were on track.
Conclusion: By marrying aggressive, high-quality content marketing with community engagement and customer advocacy, WorkStep achieved a 10× increase in its MQL pipeline over 12 months. The strategy made WorkStep one of the most visible brands in frontline engagement, fueling rapid growth with measurable ROI. Each marketing initiative directly tied back to business outcomes – from a quantifiable reduction in customer turnover costs (TEI study) to a record surge in organic-sourced sales opportunities. In sum, WorkStep’s case demonstrates how startup marketing should operate as a revenue engine: data-driven, content-rich, and relentlessly aligned to the company’s growth KPIs.
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