An interview with Suzanne Lycett, Content Manager at Goodlord
We sit down with Suzanne Lycett, Content Manager at Goodlord. Goodlord is a cloud-based platform trusted by hundreds of agencies across the UK.
How did you end up at Goodlord and what problem does Goodlord solve for its clients?
Goodlord is a SaaS company operating in the RentTech field, with an online tenancy progression platform including referencing, rent collection, and more. It aims to make the whole rental experience smoother and more enjoyable for agents, tenants, and landlords - something many can relate to. With previous experience in sales alongside content writing, Goodlord offered the perfect chance for me to jump headfirst into a marketing position in a fast-paced startup environment - that's since grown to scaleup status. The company emphasises ownership of tasks and independent thinking, with a flat hierarchy that allows anyone to grow and develop fast.
As the Content Manager, what are your main responsibilities at Goodlord?
Working in the marketing team of a scaleup means that my responsibilities are far-reaching, as we all need to be prepared to pivot and chip in where required. That said, my core role ranges from writing SEO-optimised blogs and e-books and hosting podcasts to creating extra resources and sales materials to encourage lead generation. I'm also involved in proofreading across the business, copywriting for the website and the main Goodlord lettings platform, conceptualising campaign messaging, and much more.
To get a bit more technical, which methods work best for making people aware of and interested inGoodlord , and why do you think they work so well?
Goodlord has made a name for itself across the lettings industry through its content. We recognised early on that compliance and legislation are key in the lettings process. Keeping on top of the regulation of the industry is a full-time job for letting agents and our platform helps support that - as does our content. We've invested in optimising our content and site for SEO, to build our authority and ensure we feature alongside - or even above - the government guides on legislation for the sector in search results. With the current challenges the sector faces, we also have a strong focus on influencing the future direction of the sector, ensuring sustainable and long-term growth for all industry stakeholders. Our recent Renting Done Right report sparked conversation with relevant government officials, for example. That presence and leadership draws in interested parties, and makes it easier for our sales team to have meaningful conversations.
At ColdFire, when we look at our clients' Marketing strategies, they vary greatly. Some have found a single, scalable client acquisition process while others thrive on a mix of top-of-funnel strategies. How would you summarize the high-level marketing-related strategy of your organization, and what key elements contribute to its success?
Over the past year, we've pivoted from a growth strategy to a demand generation strategy. It's no longer about simply garnering leads on a month-by-month basis. That still plays a strong part, as we need to keep topping up that funnel for our Sales team. But we're at a tipping point in an industry which has traditionally been left behind in the race to digitise processes. More and more letting agents recognise that they need to find new and efficient ways of working to stay competitive. Our content aims to direct this narrative to ensure the industry moves in the right direction and recognises the value of tech solutions like ours.
What marketing tactic have you employed at Goodlord or past companies that you feel is often overlooked by marketing teams, and what makes this technique effective in your experience?
It's not so much a tactic, but it's a way of working that we've found particularly effective - simply being fast and reactive, even with a small team. When the pandemic hit, we dropped everything we had planned and switched to pumping out materials and information to support our customers and the industry at large. When new pieces of legislation drop, we look to see what our customers may need to know, and we create relevant materials to support them in the right way. That led to us writing 8 articles, publishing an e-book, recording a podcast episode, and hosting a webinar, all within five days of the Renters (Reform) Bill's recent introduction to parliament. Every time we react quickly - outpacing our competitors - our reputation grows.
Has your Marketing team experimented with some kind of cold outbound strategy (like cold email)? If yes what was the general outcome and if no, why not?
The audience for our platform is very specific, and we therefore focus on channels where we can tailor their experience. From paid social and adwords, to supporting materials for our Sales team and a weekly newsletter, we aim to keep our audience informed on industry news, and engage them through relevant content. Our blog traffic has seen 87% growth in the first two quarters of 2023 vs. the same period in 2022 - so we know that we're getting it right!
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
