How a public speaking training company expanded beyond referrals and achieved positive ROI within the 1st year
Speaker Labs offers public speaking training workshops for teams and organizations.
The company had built a solid foundation through word-of-mouth referrals. But they knew that to reach their ambitious growth goals and weather potential economic downturns, they needed to diversify their lead sources.
Project Highlights
Before
Speaker Labs had a premium offering – a two-day, in-person public speaking training program for businesses.
- The company had grown through referrals, but they recognized that relying solely on word-of-mouth would limit their growth potential.
- This was especially true in a market where their services could be seen as a "nice-to-have" rather than a "need-to-have."
- Speaker Labs had experimented with Google Ads on their own, but they hadn't seen any real results.
The company also considered Facebook Ads, but I advised against it. Their high-priced training program required a more targeted approach focused on high-intent keywords and audiences.
Their main question was: “How fast can we see a return on our ad spend?”
During
To address their concerns about ROI and effectively compete in their market, I recommended a significant budget increase – almost 10x their previous spend.
- This was a tough pill to swallow at first, but the co-founders trusted my expertise.
- They also recognized the need for a larger investment to achieve their goals.
- Ultimately, this was a bold move that paid off.
The co-founders of Speaker Labs were actively involved throughout the process.
- We held ad-hoc meetings to review progress and strategize.
- They gave me access to resources for landing page updates and creative development.
- We also met in person a couple of times a year and used this time for deeper collaboration and brainstorming.
One of the key challenges I tackled was differentiating B2B search intent from B2C intent.
- Broader terms like “public speaking courses” often attract B2C customers – individuals seeking personal development rather than businesses looking for group training.
- That’s why I focused on keywords that indicated B2B intent, such as “public speaking workshops” and “public speaking training for teams.”
- I refined the targeting, along with the ad copy and landing pages, to reinforce the B2B focus.
After
Speaker Labs saw a significant increase in high-quality leads.
- Within the first year, they achieved a positive ROI on their Google Ads investment, covering both my fees and their ad spend.
- Even though their sales cycle is longer due to the nature of their high-ticket offering, they've seen a steady stream of qualified leads turn into paying customers.
Speaker Labs now have a reliable and scalable lead generation channel alongside their existing referral network.
