The honest answer is: we started from scratch and built it properly.

In the early months, we couldn’t make data-informed decisions because there wasn’t enough data to inform them. So we did the work. Market research, competitor analysis, long conversations with the team about who was actually buying and why. We experimented, knowing some things would make an impact and others wouldn’t, and after every campaign we sat down to ask what worked, what didn’t and what we’d do differently next time. That habit of reflection became part of how the marketing function ran.

As the insight built up, the strategy sharpened. We refined the proposition, built a new website, and developed a content strategy that reflected Marra’s voice and was optimised for AI search. Over time, that tone of voice — which is quite different to KLW Marketing’s own — became second nature. That came from being properly embedded in the business: writing the thought leadership, drafting the case studies, planning the webinars, shaping the events. The Marra team started to feel like an extension of ours, and we became an extension of theirs.

Two and a bit years is a long time in tech, and the market didn’t stand still. The rise of AI and the rapid evolution of Copilot meant we had to reposition the business more than once. Messaging isn’t a one-and-done exercise. We revisited it, tested it against customer conversations, and adjusted as product priorities and buyer expectations shifted.

A big part of the engagement was coaching the senior leadership team to be more visible in the market. They had real expertise, but visibility wasn’t something they’d historically leaned into. We worked with each of them at a pace that felt comfortable but still pushed them — from speaking at in-person events to hosting webinars to direct outreach to people they wanted to build relationships with. Watching them grow into more confident voices in the Power Platform community was one of the most rewarding parts of the work.

Underneath all of it was trust. The leadership team hadn’t worked with Kathryn before, and their business is their baby — as it should be. So in the early months we overcommunicated. Every campaign, every piece of activity, every decision was transparent and visible. Over time, the transparency stayed but the conversations changed. They trusted Kathryn to get on with it and deliver, and that earned room to do the best work. That trust-building is something we aim for with every senior stakeholder we work with: earn the trust first, then earn the space to do the work.

By the end of the engagement, Marra had matured to the point where bringing marketing in-house was the right next step. We helped them define the role, recruit and appoint their first in-house marketer, and then handed the full function over — strategy, processes, content engine and all.