Marketing Strategy Session — PPC, SEO, TTS, Salesforce, Rebranding

In-person strategy session at Trachte's Madison office. Covered five major workstreams: AI-driven SEO overhaul of the "Ask the Experts" page, launch of Spotify and Reddit as new PPC channels, establishing a clean Google Ads account for Tactical Training Systems, a potential Salesforce migration, and an upcoming corporate rebranding initiative.

Attendees
- Sebastian Gant (Asymmetric)
- Mark Hope (Asymmetric)
- Paul Buniel (Asymmetric)
- Jessica Rudnicki (Trachte)
- Robyn Ogden (Trachte)
- Miranda Strong (Trachte)

Overview

This was a broad alignment session touching on both near-term tactical execution (PPC launches, page updates) and longer-horizon strategic decisions (CRM migration, rebrand). The Trachte team is navigating the Mikko Radko acquisition, which is driving both the Salesforce conversation and the push for a clearer corporate identity.

Key Decisions

SEO: "Ask the Experts" Page Overhaul

The existing "Ask the Expert" page was built around questions phrased for phone conversations, not AI-driven search. The team agreed to a full restructure:

• Rename the page from "Ask the Expert" to "Ask the Experts" — the original name reflected a single individual (Jamie Liddock, now gone); the plural reflects the current team.
• Rewrite questions to match how users query AI tools (e.g., "What's the ROI on a self-storage facility?" rather than "Do you have financing options?").
• Answer format: Short paragraph (3–4 sentences) suitable for AI snippet extraction, with a link to a full blog post for depth. ChatGPT and Google AI will pull the first paragraph anyway — don't bury the answer.
• Add product-specific FAQs to relevant product pages (single-story, portable, multi-story) to expand search footprint without cluttering the main FAQ page.
• Refresh outdated answers — some content reflects conditions that no longer apply.
• Goal: Grow AI snippet traffic share from ~9% to 20–30%, tracked via Ahrefs AI adaptation reporting.

Miranda will audit the existing questions, draft AI-friendly rewrites, and route them to Steve Fijewski, Scott Colney, and Michael Anderson for accuracy review before restructuring the page.

PPC: New Channels — Spotify and Reddit

Spotify Ads (target launch: January)
- Advanced targeting is not available; Spotify's current options cap at broad categories.
- Planned targeting: "Business & Finance" and "Investment" podcast categories, with the ad classified under self-storage.
- Messaging angle: self-storage as a business/investment opportunity, not a consumer product.
- Sebastian to draft copy.

Reddit Ads (new channel)
- Reddit recently opened advertising to subreddit-level targeting — still underdeveloped, so CPCs are low.
- Target subreddits: r/passiveincome, r/investing, and similar communities where people are actively researching investment vehicles.
- Rationale: high-intent audience already in the mindset; low barrier to convert to a seminar or webinar registration.
- Reddit users frequently cross-reference webinars and products in threads — organic amplification potential.
- Sebastian to compile numbers and propose subreddit list and budget.

CSSA Show (Toronto)
- Geotargeting is already active.
- Miranda needs to publish an event page before Sebastian can point PPC traffic to it.

Geotargeting / Territory Splits
- Campaigns will be split by sales rep territory based on focus area (e.g., multi-story vs. GCN developer markets).
- Miranda has notes from rep meetings (most complete; Cody's meeting is next Tuesday). She will send Sebastian a territory-by-territory summary.

Seminars

• 2026 schedule finalized: 10 in-person seminars + 5 webinars (down from 15–16 seminars previously).
• Seminar clusters: March, April, May (spring) and September, October (fall).
• Sebastian to attend one seminar to observe audience questions and dialogue firsthand — useful for SEO content and ad messaging. Locations near him include New Hampshire and Hagerstown, MD. Miranda to send schedule so he can select one.

Tactical Training Systems (TTS): New Google Ads Account

• Problem: The existing TTS Google Ads account was created under a former employee's personal name, address, and payment details. She has since left, and the account is locked — payment cannot be updated, so ads cannot run.
• Decision: Create a new, company-owned Google Ads account for TTS. Miranda to initiate from the Trachte side; Asymmetric to assist with setup.
• Opportunity: TTS (custom police and military training facilities) is a high-growth segment. Every county in the country wants one; facilities are typically funded via federal grants, so the sales process involves helping municipalities navigate grant timing and approval.
• Sebastian's team will research market demand, key decision-makers, competitors, and funding mechanisms, then report findings to Brian before building out a full strategy.

Salesforce Migration

• Context: Trachte currently runs on Microsoft Dynamics. The Mikko Radko acquisition uses Salesforce. Leadership is considering migrating to consolidate on a single platform.
• Asymmetric's role: Asymmetric is a Salesforce partner and can provide full implementation — design, configuration, automation, training, and licensing assistance (including negotiating pricing Trachte couldn't get independently).
• Architecture option discussed: Rather than separate instances per company, a single Salesforce instance with permission sets could allow company-specific data views for individual teams while giving senior management cross-company reporting visibility.
• Next step: Miranda will discuss with Greg (IT Director) to understand where the Mikko Radko migration stands, then decide whether to engage Asymmetric on sizing and pricing. Sebastian to send a proposal to Greg.

Corporate Rebranding

• Trachte is working with an external agency on a full corporate rebrand — prompted by the acquisition and a board-level push for a clearer corporate identity.
• The "Trachte" name is likely to remain as a go-to-market brand (legacy brand, 125-year anniversary this year), but the corporate parent identity may become something like "TBS Group."
• The external agency will define strategy and brand architecture; Asymmetric can execute design and production work from that outline at lower cost than a large corporate branding firm.
• This is early-stage — no timeline confirmed yet.

Action Items

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