SST / ShotSpotter in Public Safety

Sr Vice President, Marketing 2014-2015

SST / ShotSpotter is bringing gunfire detection, location, alerting & analysis solutions to cities across the country to help prevent gun violence and make our communities safer.

Challenge

The ShotSpotter messaging had been focused on its unique underlying technology, rather than its value proposition. The Company had transitioned to a cloud-based SaaS offering in 2010 yet they had not articulated the benefits of that new service approach for the customer. They needed strong, compelling messaging to tell their powerful story in a meaningful way.

Solution

Theresa took the Executive Team through a messaging and positioning exercise to communicate the power of the ShotSpotter value -- detecting actual gunfire and alerting police to its precise location in under a minute. She led the effort to re-position the company and craft an impactful story; she then wove it into all things ShotSpotter including the site, an award-winning video and all their collateral.

Her work there is a good example of applying "crossing the chasm" principles. “Early Adopters” had implemented ShotSpotter, and the majority of the potential market was ahead of them. The key was getting early customers to speak up and talk about actual outcomes -- lives saved, evidence gathered, victims aided and criminals prosecuted. Testimonials and proof points were the cornerstones of our public safety marketing strategy. Theresa led a very successful PR program that garnered print, broadcast TV and radio coverage in major metro areas across the country, All major network news (ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox) regularly run stories about ShotSpotter.

All tactics reflected our new positioning, reinforced our new messaging, and promoted SST as the foremost thought leader and authoritative source of data on the true scope of gun violence in this Country. To that end, Theresa also developed and wrote the 2014 National Gunfire Index: analyzed actual gunfire data for 2014, identified trends, deduced significant observations and wrote the Index narrative which tells the story of this country's gun violence based on ShotSpotter data. Developed visuals, worked with customers to tell the story of their experiences reducing gun crime in their own communities. Produced and published 2014 National Gunfire Index booklet, still available from SST.

Achievements & Work Samples:

All-new Web site replaced ShotSpotter's previous, technology-focused Web site.
(Note the responsive design and strong testimonials throughout.)
Award-winning video: ShotSpotter in San Francisco
Full Year 2014 National Gunfire INDEX, a summary and analysis of actual gunfire for 2014 and a comparison to 2013, all based on ShotSpotter data.
Half year Index eBook
(Also see Microsite),
Datasheets & White Papers
Print Advertisements (Ad #1, Ad #2, Heart&Soul ad)
Stellar PR, as a result of our strategic PR approach:
- Broad coverage in major metro papers and TV news across the country, including ABC's report on New York City PD embracing ShotSpotter, and also ShotSpotter in action in Springfield, MA.
- Product-specific coverage ran on the CBS Evening News resulting in national TV visibility for our new product announcement in May/June 2015.
- Press Coverage on all major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX) is on YouTube.
- Deep coverage of customer stories, such as this 4-page article, a case study on ShotSpotter in South Bend, IN, which I wrote for Law & Order Magazine.
- and supported by our much acclaimed online media kits, one for the press and one for our customers' use.
Managed and led SST's first Net Promoter Customer Survey (working with outside firm, Satrix Solutions)

Net net:
Increased our customer base from 65 cities to over 100 in 15-18 months.