Campaigns

Public-safety analytics go-to-market

Darkhorse Emergency

From a solo marketing lead to full-stack attribution — website, HubSpot, intent-tiered capture, and paid-plus-webinars selling analytics software to fire departments across North America.

Client
Darkhorse Emergency
Industry
Public safety analytics · North America
Year
2025
Services
Website rebuild & trust-led IA, Branding refresh & data visualisations, HubSpot overhaul & server-side attribution, Lead intent system (low / mid / high), Meta, LinkedIn & Google Ads, Webinar programme launch & promotion

The client

Darkhorse Emergency builds analytics software for fire departments across North America — products that help leaders decide where to put resources, understand community risk, and back strategy with credible data.

The situation

Marketing sat with one person covering everything: website, content, campaigns, and ops. Products and customers were strong, but there was nothing repeatable to scale.

What existed

  • One person covering all marketing
  • Strong product and happy customers
  • No pipeline visibility shared with sales
  • No attribution — optimisation was guesswork
  • Content and campaigns fragmented

What was needed

  • Infrastructure that multiplied output without burning the team
  • A shared language between marketing and sales on pipeline
  • Reliable attribution so spend could be justified and moved
  • A repeatable trust-building motion suited to this buyer
  • Campaigns with defined roles, not scatter

What we built

Build sequence

  1. Website rebuild — trust-led IA

    Foundation

    Separate product narratives, proof on every critical page (quotes and department stories the prospect community recognises), CTAs tuned to where a chief or analyst actually is in their decision. The goal: land and feel 'this was built for us.'

  2. Brand refresh & data visualisations

    Foundation

    Authority sharpened without discarding existing equity — including charts and visuals that show what the platforms actually produce. Buyers in this sector want to see the output before they trust the vendor.

  3. HubSpot reset & server-side attribution

    Foundation

    Pipeline stages, lifecycle, and routing aligned with how Darkhorse actually sells — not a default template. Tracking wired so every touch lands in CRM with context, not just as a name.

  4. Three-tier intent capture

    Capture

    Resources for early research → webinar and mid-funnel engagement → book a demo when ready. Each tier feeds nurture and alerts with context for sales, rather than dumping unqualified names into a pipeline.

  5. Paid channels with defined roles

    Campaigns

    Meta for efficient volume (resources and webinars), LinkedIn for fire-service decision-makers where title and organisation matter more than reach, Google Search for active evaluation intent. Attribution tied to HubSpot end to end.

  6. Repeatable webinar programme

    Trust at scale

    Format, tooling, promotion, registration, and follow-up sequence — optimised for credibility in a buyer community where referrals carry weight. Early sessions cleared triple-digit live attendance.

Channel roles and CPL

Each channel had a defined job. Not all channels suit the same goal in a trust-first, public-sector buy cycle.

  • Meta Webinar & resource audience
    <20 CAD CPL
  • LinkedIn Title & org targeting
    Higher CPL, stronger ICP
  • Google Search Analytics & planning terms
    Active evaluation
Relative channel efficiency index — not raw CPL comparison. Each channel serves a different funnel stage.

Intent-tier performance

  • 100+ ↑ vs ~30 target
    Live webinar attendees Per session at launch
  • <20 CAD ↑ Efficient
    Cost per lead on Meta For this sector
  • 3
    Paid channels live With full attribution
  • 3 tiers
    Intent-scored capture paths Early → mid → demo-ready
Results from the first active campaign period.

The outcome

Marketing became explainable: leads have origin, tier, product interest, and history before a rep speaks to them — and leadership can weigh channels on contribution, not noise.

Achieving meaningfully efficient CPL from Meta for this sector unlocked room to reinvest once the maths were visible. That’s the difference between budget being approved on gut feel and budget being approved because the model makes sense.

The results

  • 100+ Webinar attendees per session (launch)
  • <20 CAD Typical CPL on Meta campaigns
  • 3 Paid channels live with attribution
  • 3 tiers Intent-scored capture paths

Next project

US & UK market entry

Y Combinator–backed B2B SaaS company