The founder of an API platform shares how they increased website conversions by 178% for their flagship product, through a positioning refinement with Silky.
About:
- Domain: API platform
- Stage: Scaleup - Series B (via Crunchbase)
- GTM: Sales-led
- Year: 2024
The trigger:
Founder & CPO: The macro changed for us. And then I think we started looking more deeply into everything, right. Which is to say, hey, are we focusing on the right products, right people, etcetera, etcetera. We engaged somebody. And he pointed out that, hey, you could be doing a much better job. Like, it's not very clear what exactly are you targeting. Our messages said things like automate operations, reduce cost, increase revenue. Like fairly generic stuff.
”The macro changed for us. A year and a half ago, I would not have bought into this.”
Founder & CPO
Senior product manager: We took a first shot, I think, in December, where we revamped messaging across multiple pages. There was, I think, a funnel that we were discussing. So earlier, our website used to talk about benefits. We went one level up when we started talking about features. But we wanted to go like one or two level up where we talk about actual customer pain points.
Founder & CPO: Then we were seeing success and then we were like, look, we can do this ourselves. We will probably make some incremental changes. But if somebody else comes in and takes a completely fresh pair of eyes, hopefully you get a non incremental approach lift, so to say.
”We were like, look, we can do this ourselves. We will probably make some incremental changes. But if somebody else comes in and takes a completely fresh pair of eyes, hopefully you get a non-incremental approach lift.”
Founder & CPO
Founder & CPO: A year and a half ago, I would not have bought into this. I would have been very hesitant, you know, to do this. I was still in the mode of spend aggressively, grow crazy as fast as possible. By the time sort of we worked with you, I was already bought into this philosophy, that, hey, we need to be narrower.
The positioning work:
Founder & CPO: One is how sort of you described, you know, some of these things in terms of actual copy. But right from our first time we started working together and what I was hoping for and what you actually delivered exceedingly well on was like a certain academic approach. As opposed to, ad hoc, changing some stuff, right? Based on what I think, or what A.S might think is cool.
”What I was hoping for and what you actually delivered exceedingly well on was like a certain academic approach, as opposed to ad hoc changing some stuff, based on what, I think, or what A.S might think is cool.”
Founder & CPO
Senior product manager: I think it's like a common knowledge that I think people like to read shorter text or lesser the text and more catchy. We also had the same assumptions. I think we used to, like, I would say, refrain from using very technical language or the screenshots. But I think after that positioning exercise we realized that our customer is somebody who is like, who will understand these. Before we started working with you. So when we were defining value props, those were purely, let's say, our own imaginations. Benefit that we got by working with you is like, you could understand those pain points, then bring up, like, convert them into a value prop, like in a very simple language.
”We used to refrain from using very technical language or the screenshots. But after that positioning exercise we realized that our customer is somebody who will understand these.”
Senior Product Manager
Founder & CPO: For me, in a way, I like the fact that it was dramatically different than the stuff we had been doing. What that told me is it's not an incremental thing on top of whatever we were doing. I was actually in a way more excited about doing the test. That I was crystal clear, like, without needing any A/B tests, that that's a far better approach.
”I like the fact that it was dramatically different than the stuff we had been doing. I was actually in a way more excited about doing the test.”
Founder & CPO
The result:
+178% conversions from product page
+103% conversions from book a demo page
Senior product manager: We are seeing customers who are actually, let's say from the background that we want to. Earlier, like we used to get customers from different teams and then they'll probably later not go forward. Before we started working with you. So when we were defining value props, those were purely, let's say, our own imaginations. Benefit that we got by working with you is like, you could understand those pain points, then bring up, like, convert them into a value prop, like in a very simple language.
”We are seeing customers who are actually from the background that we want.”
Senior Product Manager
Founder & CPO: We've definitely seen engagement improvements and all of those things. We've seen what seems to be conversion improvements as well. I also feel personally that somebody would understand our products better. I don't know how many companies would be open from day zero to the idea of a completely different approach. Like an opinionated approach, which, you know, you bring, which is exactly what we were looking for.
”We've definitely seen engagement improvements and…what seems to be conversion improvements as well. I also feel personally that somebody would understand our products better. An opinionated approach, which you bring is exactly what we were looking for.”
Founder & CPO
