How Castle Rock Microwave generated $5.97 million in pipeline & proved marketing ROI
by partnering with Swan & Associates
Castle Rock Microwave specializes in secure wireless networks, including microwave backhaul, point-to-point & point-to-multipoint, and other innovative technologies.
OPPORTUNITY
After 20 years in business, the founder and CEO of Castle Rock Microwave, Brett Bonomo, realized how much his company could benefit from strategic marketing support. With a solid client list, strong industry partnerships, and a trusted service, he knew there was a large untapped opportunity to grow.
He needed a partner who could tackle the complex, technical solution his company sells and implement a marketing strategy with a tangible financial impact.
“Prior to working with Swan & Associates, there was not a marketing structure, there was no marketing plan, there was no proactive outreach. We didn’t know where to invest in marketing.
Swan & Associates has generated demand for our services that’s led to leads and revenue - in addition to helping us build the brand & differentiate ourselves. They understand our business and focus on marketing that improves the bottom line.”
Brett Bonomo
CEO | Castle Rock Microwave
KEY CHALLENGES
Castle Rock Microwave sells complex, technical solutions that are highly customized based on each customer’s needs.
The B2B company heavily relies upon strong relationships within the industry, making marketing at scale incredibly difficult to execute & measure.
Brett needed strategy AND execution, with an experienced team that could partner with his expert Sales team.
The cost had to be less than hiring a senior marketing leader & full implementation team in-house or a large marketing agency.
“I have a lot of friends who have businesses like mine throughout the country. Their stories about bringing marketing into the company were often fraught with failure. They were subcontracting some work to a person who optimizes for SEO or asking someone to create content. It was very myopic.
The Swan & Associates team has brought us a strategy that worked for our complex business, AND they have the ability to execute and fulfill the important steps of the strategy.” — Brett Bonomo, CEO | Castle Rock Microwave
SOLUTION
Castle Rock Microwave was referred to Natalie Swan of Swan & Associates. Brett hired her firm to become an embedded marketing resource: an expert team that excels in B2B strategy, nimble execution, and actionable plans that drive results.
Swan & Associates started by diving deep into their customer base and Castle Rock Microwave’s past sales to get key insights about the business.
Based on the findings, the Swan & Associates team created a marketing plan designed to be quickly executed & tested to improve results, which included:
Creating a new event and content strategy that saved time and money while growing the pipeline and strengthening customer & partner relationships
Addressing Sales top needs by creating a multi-channel brand plan and collateral, which allowed the team to scale outreach
Building & launching a partnership program to generate opportunities without excessive CEO time
Before Swan & Associates
❌ No overarching marketing strategy or prioritization
❌ No idea where to invest
❌ Time-consuming marketing efforts on the CEO’s plate
❌ Tens of thousands of dollars spent on trade shows with low ROI
❌ Lack of marketing resources available to help the sales team move deals forward
After Swan & Associates
✅ $5.97+ million in pipeline related to marketing activities
✅ Demonstratable marketing ROI with initiatives that bring high-quality leads
✅ Marketing is off the CEO’s plate
✅ Tens of thousands saved on trade shows by improving the event strategy
✅ Collateral for sales to effectively close deals
“Natalie has been insightful not just on things related to sales and marketing, but she's also been able to relate her business experience and what she sees in other places to things at a much higher level within our organization. We see her as a leader in the organization, not just a subcontractor or a supplier.” — Brett Bonomo, CEO | Castle Rock Microwave
EXAMPLES OF SWAN & ASSOCIATES WORK
Customer Research
Conducted discovery research to better understand customers in order to run effective, targeted campaigns.
Fresh, Effective Lead Gen Ideas
Created a new internal event series, reducing previous event costs while increasing revenue and opportunities with ideal clients.
Strategic Partner Program Build
Launched a strategic partner program to collaborate with trusted industry connections for pipeline generation & operational efficiency.
Top-of-Mind Email Newsletter
Started an email marketing newsletter that keeps the company top of mind with key decision-makers & partners.
Expert Educational Content
Partnered with the Sales Team on creating educational content to help them attract ideal clients.
Thought Leader Status on LinkedIn
Built a strategy that increased the CEO’s presence on Linkedin with low effort on his end, resulting in deepened credibility.
“The Swan & Associates team has put significant energy into understanding our really complex business— we've had plenty of engagements with folks who don't want to understand our business, which ultimately means they’re not effective. Swan & Associates created the right strategy and executed a holistic, prioritized approach is what is really driving the revenue, demand, and lead generation, which is ultimately what we want and expect to have.” — Brett Bonomo, CEO | Castle Rock Microwave
