--- title: Marketing Call — Sep 2025 type: article created: '2026-04-05' updated: '2026-04-05' source_docs: - raw/2025-09-26-quarra-stone-marketing-call-90132629.md tags: - quarra-stone - client-meeting - seo - website - salesforce - quarra-italia - video-production - content-marketing layer: 2 client_source: Quarra Stone industry_context: b2b-services transferable: false --- # Marketing Call — Sep 2025 ## Overview Monthly marketing review with Quarra Stone covering strong SEO momentum, a finalized strategy for the Quarra Italia microsite, a video production opportunity under evaluation, and ongoing Salesforce implementation work. **Date:** September 2025 **Attendees:** - Lincoln Durham (Quarra Stone) - Lauren Pomaranski (Quarra Stone) - Avoke Onorimuo (Asymmetric) - Mark Hope (Asymmetric) --- ## Key Decisions - **Quarra Italia microsite confirmed.** Rather than a redirect or single-page site, the team will build a 3–5 page microsite focused on European heritage, local expertise, and architectural presence. The site will link heavily back to the main Quarra USA site. Goal is to plant a flag for European prospects (e.g., a buyer in Hungary) who might otherwise dismiss a U.S.-facing brand. See [[clients/current/quarra/quarra-italia]]. - **"Bit Screens Through a Phone" project categorized as Fine Art.** The case study was already live; it just needed a proper category. Lincoln confirmed: Fine Art. - **CNC Capabilities Guide cleared for release.** Lincoln had previously approved it in the Google Sheet. Asymmetric to publish immediately after the call. - **Video production with The Local Project: no decision yet.** The team flagged the $15K–$30K cost range as reasonable for cinematic quality but noted travel costs (the production company is Australian, though they have a New York office) are not included. The key question is ROI vs. vanity. One idea: time a shoot around next year's Quarra Italia Party and bring the crew to Italy for studio footage. Decision deferred. --- ## SEO & Website Performance Strong across the board. Mark walked through the metrics live: | Metric | Result | |---|---| | Organic traffic | +178% | | Keywords in top 3 (Google) | 21 | | Keywords in top 10 (Google) | 52 | | Total ranked keywords | 73 | | Backlinks | 1.3K → 2.3K (doubled) | | Site health score | 100 | Additional notes: - Page count was deliberately reduced ("Marie Kondo'd") — fewer, higher-quality pages correlating with traffic gains. - Quarra is now appearing in **Google Gemini AI results**, which Mark flagged as a meaningful milestone. The Q&A sections added to blog posts are a key driver of AI citation. - Mark's view: paid ads and organic traffic are not officially related per Google, but 30 years of experience suggests ad spend rewards organic ranking. Stopping ads has historically caused immediate organic drops for other clients. --- ## Quarra Italia Microsite Strategy The existing Italian site skews heavily toward fine art and doesn't address architectural work. The new microsite will: - Be 3–5 pages, purpose-built for a European audience - Emphasize Italian heritage, European expertise, and local presence - Include links throughout back to the main Quarra Stone site - Be developed in coordination with the Italian team (currently distracted by the Verona stone exhibition and post-holiday catch-up — Mark plans to regroup with them in October) The video production opportunity (The Local Project) could complement this if timed with the Quarra Italia Party next year. --- ## Video Production — The Local Project Lincoln had a preliminary call with a representative from *The Local Project*, an architecture/design media outlet with ~1.5M Instagram followers. They proposed two potential videos: 1. A spotlight on the new Quarra USA facility 2. A piece on the Italian studio **Cost estimate:** $15K–$30K, excluding travel **Travel note:** The Local Project is Australian but has a New York office, which reduces travel complexity for U.S. shoots. Mark's framing: cinematic brand videos can be powerful, but the team should ask whether this drives business or is primarily a "vanity project." An alternative approach would be to engage a local agency and document a single project from start to finish over the course of a year — multiple shoot days, no travel costs. **Status:** Under evaluation. No budget commitment made. --- ## Content & Marketing Materials - **September blog posts** pending Lincoln's review. Most pressing: *"Crafting Monumental Spaces: Vol's Quartzsite in Custom Public Art and Memorials"* — Lincoln flagged that Quarra may not have done any Vol's Quartzsite public art or memorial projects, so the content needs fact-checking before approval. - **Minge material feature video** (client testimonial): Lincoln wants to share with Asymmetric for potential website embed and social distribution (LinkedIn, Instagram). Lauren confirmed the testimonial is the only useful piece from the broader B-roll package sent by the client. - **Lead magnet content** (email nurture sequences) also pending review — not urgent but in the queue. --- ## Salesforce Implementation Progress is ongoing, with a few friction points surfaced: **Working / recently resolved:** - Lincoln successfully converted a lead to an opportunity the day before the call - Accounts for Federica and Valentina (Italian team) — in progress or done - Field rename: "Primary Stone Type" → "Primary Material Type" (add plaster) — in progress **Issues to fix:** - **Opportunity owner field locked for editing** — Lincoln cannot change the owner when editing an opportunity. Mark confirmed this is a permissions issue; two-minute fix. - **Jennifer unable to convert lead to opportunity** — Possibly related to a validation rule that was intentionally put in place to block conversion until a prospect folder is generated. That rule may still be active. Mark to investigate and ensure conversion is open for all users until the prospect folder automation is complete. **Team collaboration in Salesforce (upcoming):** Lincoln described a shift in how Quarra structures sales pursuits — more cross-functional involvement between the U.S. and Italian teams, and between business development ("bird dogs") and closers. QLab personnel are also involved in early-stage estimation (3D modeling, machine simulations). The team discussed applying an ARCI model to Salesforce opportunity teams: - **Accountable** — owns the outcome - **Responsible** — doing the work - **Consulted** — provides input - **Informed** — kept in the loop Mark showed how Asymmetric uses this model in their own project management system. Lincoln liked the approach and wants to apply it to the Opportunity object and eventually the Project object for continuity from sales through manufacturing. --- ## Action Items - [ ] **Lincoln** — Review September blog posts; prioritize *"Crafting Monumental Spaces"* and flag if Vol's Quartzsite content is inaccurate - [ ] **Lauren** — Share Minge material feature video with Asymmetric for website embed and social media use - [ ] **Mark** — Review and approve pending Salesforce tasks; fix opportunity owner permission; investigate Jennifer's lead-to-opportunity conversion issue - [ ] **Asymmetric** — Publish CNC Capabilities Guide - [ ] **Asymmetric** — Recategorize "Bit Screens Through a Phone" project under Fine Art on the website - [ ] **Asymmetric** — Regroup with Italian team in October on Quarra Italia microsite; begin scoping 3–5 page build - [ ] **Team** — Evaluate video production proposal from The Local Project; assess ROI before committing --- ## Related - [[clients/current/quarra/_index]] - [[clients/current/quarra/quarra-italia]]