Case Study
Building a Brand Through Content Creation
Company: GLOBIS Corporation (Tokyo, Japan)
Sector: corporate training, e-learning
My role: Senior Product Marketing Strategist
01.
Challenge
Background
GLOBIS Unlimited is a video e-learning platform for mid-career leadership candidates with courses based on the GLOBIS University MBA curriculum.
It was developed as a global version of the original Japanese-language GLOBIS Manabihodai (lit., “unlimited learning”) service. However, while GLOBIS found immediate success in Japan, Unlimited struggled early to build a user base.
As the Senior Product Marketing Strategist, my job was to expand GLOBIS Unlimited’s network and generate interest in global markets. My KPI was free trial conversions on the service website.
App store design: Michelle Basco
Hypothesis
The e-learning sector in our target global regions of the United States and Europe was already highly developed. Competitors like LinkedIn Learning and Udemy had dominant shares of the B2C and B2B markets.
As a newcomer, GLOBIS Unlimited struggled with lack of recognition abroad. We had a live service, but no meaningful marketing content to introduce new users to our brand and value proposition.
Research & Analysis
First, I took stock of the marketing content that had already been developed: a bare bones website, but otherwise no promotional material whatsoever.
In order to better understand our situation and what to prioritize, I rapidly conducted the following research projects:
Website Health
How were users accessing the page? How were they exploring its contents? How many converted to a free trial? Using Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity, I explored the site’s engagement data.
User Survey
Although GLOBIS Unlimited was a new service, it had a number of early adopters. I reached out directly to as many of these users as I could. How did they discover the service? What marketing channels did they interact with? What motivated them to sign up for a free trial?
Market Landscape
How did GLOBIS Unlimited fit into the global e-learning market? I looked into our major competitors, their positioning, what their popular business courses were, and what career upskilling topics were currently trending.
Stakeholder Interviews
What was our strategic roadmap in the next 6 months? The next year? I also spoke directly with stakeholders to understand the priorities of company leadership, engineering and content teams, among others.
This initial research gave me the insights I needed to collaborate cross-functionally and begin to fill the critical gaps in GLOBIS Unlimited’s marketing content.
Here’s how I led that development.
02.
Action
Website Design Overhaul
The GLOBIS Unlimited website was the point of convergence for all marketing activities. Regardless of channel source, users would convert to free trial on the website. However, my analysis suggested that:
- Users were not getting enough information about the service
- Users were not exploring the site deeply
- Users were dropping out of the free trial conversion funnel
The website needed to answer the questions, “who are we?” and “how can we benefit you?”, but was failing to do either.
I prioritized the following changes.
Above-the-Fold Content
First impressions are everything.
The original hero block (left) contained only an image, a vague slogan, and a CTA button. The CTA took users directly to the conversion funnel, bypassing useful service information.
I proposed a new design (right) which would do more with that critical space: a service overview, social proof, and links to explore other areas of the site.
Before
After
Course Previews
My research suggested that GLOBIS Unlimited’s competitive advantage was the quality of its courses. I wanted to encourage users to interact with the course content as early as possible.
I worked with our web development vendor to re-think the ways courses were displayed on the site.
We swapped less useful information with a course description and essential details. The new design included a pop-out preview video which ended in a free trial CTA.
Conversion Funnel
The site had another critical problem. While many users entered the free trial registration funnel, over 90% were dropping out before converting.
Compared to our competitors, our registration process had too many steps and poor information architecture.
I coordinated with our platform engineering team to streamline the funnel:
- Removed the redundant email verification step
- Reduced the total clicks necessary to complete the registration from 8 to 4
- Added a ‘Sign In with Google’ option
B2B Subdomain
Our B2B page suffered from the same problems as the B2C page.
Together with our sales team and web vendor, I overhauled the page to showcase our UVP and inquiry form more prominently.
Other new page content included a service overview video and an interactive list of Unlimited’s learning paths – a key selling point for our corporate clients.
Before
After
Service Overview Video
As a video e-learning online platform, I felt it was important to give potential clients a demonstration of our service.
I worked with our content development team to create a service overview video in the style of our courses.
We used the video on our website, in advertising, at expos and events, and in our digital sales package.
Editor: Michelle Basco
Course Promo Videos
I also wanted to create videos to promote individual courses to users interested in a specific topic.
I led the content team to develop a video template which could be quickly adapted to new course releases.
We used these promo videos heavily in social media and YouTube video ads.
Editor: Zuher Mousa
Trade Show &
Expo Contents
To grow awareness with corporate clients, we regularly presented at trade shows in our target regions, such as ATD in the United States and TechHR and CHRO in Singapore.
I arranged team travel and accommodation, handled expo contracts and invoicing, and secured speaking opportunities for GLOBIS leaders.
Additionally, I led the development of marketing contents such as booth backdrops, standing banners, brochures, and promotional goods.
Platform Content
Development
Utilizing my research, I collaborated closely with the content development team to roadmap course content on Unlimited that aligned with market trends and client needs. This included courses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), generative AI, and software skills such as Microsoft Excel.
Additionally, I led a cross-team project to update the course thumbnails. The new designs blended text and images to increase user accessibility and allow for use in off-platform marketing.
03.
Result
Business Results
My efforts on the website paid off exactly as I had hoped.
Overall user engagement on the site increased by 35%, with 15% greater scroll depth and 20% greater conversion funnel CTR than the previous version. Additionally, conversion funnel dropouts fell by 15%.
GLOBIS Unlimited finally started gaining traction with new users. GLOBIS e-learning services currently boast a cumulative 800 corporate clients and over 250,000 users worldwide, of which Unlimited is a significant share.
What I Learned
Content is king for brand recognition
As a newcomer, the lack of content was a significant hurdle. Investment in creating high-quality content, such as the website redesign and promotional videos, proved essential in boosting brand recognition.
Ensure strategic presence in key marketing channels
Prioritizing our presence in key physical and digital channels was an invaluable first step towards generating new leads and establishing credibility within both B2C and B2C markets.
04.
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