Linkup Studio team designed, developed the application from the ground up, and then our marketing team provided and executed a comprehensive go-to-market strategy for the client. The idea of the application is to help NYC property managers and building owners manage and effectively dispute sanitation violation tickets from city departments.
As a result of our marketing services, the client acquired 50 signed-ups from targeted companies. Overall, 12 firms used the main product features and completed the targeted actions within the app. Our team also helped to conduct 15 in-depth interviews with the property management organizations that we targeted at this stage. So far, we’ve tested the first version of the SaniSaver and proved the product’s relevance to the market. We also understood the next product development steps in order to provide the clients with more features they truly need and will benefit from.
New York City has a complex system for managing violations. Among all departments, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is the most stringent. It issues fines for nearly everything, even for incidents not committed by property owners or management companies, like leaves blown by the wind onto property yards or unexpected dog waste that no one witnessed. Without proper management, a $50 penalty can easily escalate to $300 within a short period of time. Dozens of such violations are issued to individuals, and managing them is time-consuming and often ineffective due to the lack of time and experience. As a result, many property owners reluctantly pay these fines.
In 2021 alone, DSNY ranked 2nd out of 9 issuing agencies, collecting over $140 million in combined default penalties and interest. Our client identified this problem and now assists property owners and managers in reducing their received violation tickets. The founder approached Linkup Studio with the idea of developing, launching, and promoting an app that would provide users with an automated process for contesting violations in court.
From a marketing perspective, this application was the company's new product. The founder wanted us to validate its relevance to real users. The app was aimed at the B2B market with a narrowly defined target audience, which complicated user attraction and required special skills from the product marketing specialist.
Linkup Studio provided a full suite of services to the client to fulfill their needs. The delivered app technically fit the request and expectations from the client. In this part, we'll describe the challenges and steps we had in the marketing aspect of the work.