SAM Labs: Subscription Product Launch
Summary
Created subscription and digital product offering, then launched the new product and offer. This transformed the business:
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from a 1 and done hardware revenue model with service upsells.
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to a subscription revenue model with service, hardware, and software upsells.
I conceived of the idea in first month in role (September), concept greenlit by the board in December, launched in March, re-launched in September. We were the first in the category to move to subscription model. 3 alternative products shifted to subscriptions in the next quarter.
The impact:
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Generated $323K ARR in first 7 months.
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Created a mechanism to stay aligned with customers over the long term.
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Associated PLG motion helped lower CAC by 18% YoY.
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Predictable cash flow for a cash starved business.
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224% revenue YoY growth in May, June, and July.
Without this endeavor, the revenue growth we achieved in 2021 would not have been possible.
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2021: 264% revenue growth (YoY), up 112% to plan, compared to -37% YoY in 2020.
Messaging & Assets
All-in-One Solution for STEAM & Coding Educators. Let your students create anything.
Your new home for STEAM & coding. Everything you need to teach engaging, impactful lessons.
Two coding platforms, interactive K-8 lesson plans, formative assessments, project sharing, customer support—it’s all here. Just add teacher.
With SAM Studio, educators and students can code, create, and collaborate all on one platform.
Available on web, SAM Studio is easy to access, intuitive to learn, and engaging to use!
It’s your one-stop-solution for STEAM & coding.
GTM
Strategic Levers
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Blend of physical and digital learning as primary differentiator.
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Consolidate 4 product offerings into one purchase (hardware, software, PD, support).
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Transition selling motion to lead with software, instead of hardware.
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Subscription to increase CLV, lower ticket price and drive predictable revenue.
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Mechanism to stay aligned with customers over the long term.
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Land, then expand motion.
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Try-before-buy (+trust), contact acquisition lever, and account based intent signal.
Tactical Levers
Organic and Paid Social
Outbound Strategy
*Email was a top 3 channel at all times, no documentation
- Stack layers and types of exposure in concentrated geographic areas.
- Start with on past purchasers, accounts and individuals, to lower CAC and cash cycle time.
- Stoke the fire for expansion within accounts by targeting adjacent teachers and schools.
- Plant seeds for high propensity to purchase school districts to nurture and harvest later in the year.
Progammatic
Paid Search
Outbound Marketing Tactics
- Stack layers and types of exposure in concentrated geographic areas.
- Paid search to drive awareness versus incumbent competitive products, increased clicks to existing organic winners, and capture product discovery intent searches.
- Paid social to drive organic engagement, guarantee content distribution to hyper targeted segments, dam demand for incumbent competitive products.
- Programmatic to retarget search and social, chase lower CPMs, dam demand for incumbent competitive products, and stay top of mind.
Partnered with industry leading instructional product companies, such as Vernier, to integrate with, cross-promote, and evangelize the new software platform (SAM Studio).
Partnered with industry leading education technology companies, such as Google, to integrate with SAM Studio, and re-direct traffic from legacy learn to code software.