Already a successful business, OGL Computer Services Group Ltd (OGL) wanted to raise its profile, and during a competitive pitch process selected Vitis PR.
Vitis PR was originally retained to cover three specialist divisions: OGL Software, which is the group’s ERP software provider, OGL IT Solutions for managed IT services, and CyberGuard Technologies, its IT security arm.
OGL sought a PR agency that could get its name in front of trade media to raise awareness of its services that were designed to support business transformation and continuity; deliver the benefits of ERP software; and protect critical infrastructure and IT systems.
Vitis PR was originally retained thanks to our team’s fresh approach to, and expertise in, software, IT services and cybersecurity, and its extensive media relationships across all three sectors.
Prior to the acquisition of its IT and Cyber divisions by Wavenet in 2022, the three specialist divisions worked closely together to deliver complete technology packages to OGL’s customers. Afterwards, Vitis PR continued to work closely with OGL Software (now an independent trading business), and our case study will focus mainly on this part of the business as the partnership continued after the sale.
Challenges
OGL worked with over 1,200 UK businesses and was targeting a strong growth trajectory. While it already worked with a PR agency, it wasn’t achieving the results in terms of media exposure for its brand, and also was not generating regular ideas on how to promote the company. OGL appointed Vitis PR in 2019 to raise awareness across the UK and to support its position as an innovative service provider that was already trusted by thousands of firms.
Solution
To start off the partnership, the Vitis PR team spent time getting to know the client and its priorities and to create a tailored media outreach programme to support marketing efforts. Working closely with the marketing team, Vitis PR identified multiple opportunities to promote its three divisions’ and these focused around case studies, news stories, thought-leadership, research and comments.
With such a large number of UK-based customers and a wealth of case studies being created for its website by the sales and marketing teams, Vitis PR suggested using the case study information to draft press releases. Honouring OGL’s customer success with stories around its client wins and retention, Vitis PR knew that it would be key to focus on and generate coverage for OGL’s flagship ERP solutions, prof.ITplus and Profit4.
Another successful campaign idea that Vitis PR secured multiple media hits from was surveys. OGL and Vitis PR worked on creating reports and surveyed UK businesses on topics such as SME profitability. The ERP research was so successful that it was repeated, giving the media and businesses updates to showcase trends.
Aside from news releases, the reports also offered Vitis PR an opportunity to generate editorial interest in how companies across individual sectors felt, and what benefits and concerns they cited. Vitis PR promoted the ERP survey by linking it to profitability in different sectors, including wholesale, retail, hospitality, healthcare, electrical and lighting. This helped increase the reports’ coverage potential significantly.
Vitis PR also wrote content for placement in media and for OGL to add as blogs on its own website, boosting traffic via longtail articles around topics such as ERP integration best practice, diversification as another route to success, how businesses could survive a recession and using ERP to avoid supply chain pressures.
Vitis PR also came up with ideas that tied ERP to the economic climate and business landscape at the time. This helped Vitis PR to create media opportunities to promote prof.ITplus and Profit4 via thought leadership articles around topics such as using ERP for smoother digital transformation; weathering supply chain issues; battling issues raised by Brexit/COVID and geopolitical tensions; and achieving multi-channel selling success more easily.
The multi-channel angle was particularly successful, achieving bylines for OGL Software authors in Professional Builders’ Merchant, Wholesale & Electrical Distributor, Cleaning & Maintenance, Electrical Wholesaler, Torque, The Cleanzine and Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. Another feature topic that we came up with and helped OGL draft was using ERP to make ESG efforts easier. We placed that article with Builders Merchants Journal, Wholesale Manager, Electrical Wholesaler,
As well as media and content writing, Vitis PR also supported OGL’s awards activities with recent successes including Hereford & Worcester Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2024 “Excellence in Innovation” and “Best Use of Technology” finalist, and North Worcestershire Business Awards 2023 “Best Use of Technology” winner as well as North Worcestershire Business Awards 2024 “Employer of the Year” finalist.
Results
Vitis PR turning new case studies into press releases, focusing on the location of the partners and customers achieved 186 media hits in print in regional media outside OGL’s base - with Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, Derby Telegraph, Worcester News and Kidderminster Shuttle, and online with Express and Star, Business News Wales, Insider, Business & Innovation, News & Star, Stoke on Trent Live and The Business Magazine.
From its first four case study releases in 2019, Vitis PR was able to generate positive coverage in 29 media titles, including regionals such as Stoke on Trent Live, Staffordshire Business Live, Hereford & Worcester Chamber of Commerce, Business Link East Midlands, Business Milton Keynes, as well as an interview with regional newspaper The Sentinel,
Going one step further, Vitis PR targeted the media in the industry that each partner was based in, meaning trade media including Cleaning & Maintenance, Fastener Technology International, Fastener and Fixing Magazine, Electronic Specifier, A Little Bit of Stone, The Cleanzine, Wholesale & Electrical Distributor, Design & Build UK, Torque, Machinery World, Storage Magazine, Catering Insight, Controls, Drives & Automation and Warehouse & Logistics News also welcomed and covered the case study releases.
Thanks to the insights that the OGL reports on ERP revealed, they were widely covered by media such as Better Wholesaling, Professional Electricians Wholesaler, Retail Logistics International, Retail Technology Review, Professional Builders Merchant, Worcester Business Central, Business Up North, Electrical Trade, Food Manufacture, Wholesaler & Electrical Distributor, Taste at 55 and Business in the News.
Client reference
"Throughout the 5 years that we worked with Ranbir and the team at Vitis PR, they took the time to really get to know us as a business as well as our culture and what made us successful. They are great team of professionals whose enthusiasm and dedication to continually innovating new ideas to generate PR opportunities was outstanding. They are also genuinely lovely people who I felt we built a friendly and supportive relationship with which made them a joy to work with. Operating in such a niche market can limit PR scope but Vitis PR were never short of ideas and optimised their media relations to secure OGL (and our customers) valuable coverage. I would recommend them to any business in the tech sector that is looking for a PR agency that is focused on tangible results!"
- Cindy Phillips, Head of Marketing