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  • Our Work
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  • Securing Funding / Go-To-Market Strategy (Stefanik’s)
Property Development Done Right:
A Case Study in Securing Development Funding &

Building a Standout Go-to-Market Strategy

Project Overview

Client
Stefanik Properties wanted to build its first commercial development project in the Greater Pittsburgh region featuring over 160,000 sq. ft. of fully customizable industrial, office, and warehouse space, to be constructed in three phases. Once constructed, Stefanik Properties would need an effective go-to-market campaign to attract and secure tenants.
Opportunity
The land required by Stefanik Properties did not have the essential infrastructure needed to support the magnitude of the project. No one had developed on or near the site for years because the infrastructure problems made it cost-prohibitive. Consequently, there was also no access to public water or sewage.

To address this lack of infrastructure and get the project up and running, Stefanik Properties looked to secure government assistance. Convincing those holding the purse strings to put millions into the park would take some professional help. At the same time, creative marketing services would be needed to develop the Stefanik Properties brand, raise awareness about the upcoming park, and attract future tenants.

Stefanik Properties turned to M:7 Agency for its Creative and Strategic Services.

Creative Services

Strategy
While funding was being secured, M:7 worked with Stefanik Properties to nail down what truly set it and its park apart from its competition (Its Unique Selling Proposition) — namely, the park’s ideal location and customizable space.

From there, M:7 focused on crafting the perfect visual and verbal to support the go-to-market strategy that would bring the SP brand to life across all relevant channels for maximum impact, raise awareness about the park and garner interest from potential future tenants.

Visual elements would include logo creation, website development, a 3D architectural rendering, drone footage highlighting construction progress, and a full-page ad. Verbal elements would include a clear, concise brand narrative centered on the park’s “One Shift Away” USP, backed by numbers highlighting the park’s USPs.

M:7 emphasized how the park would be ideally located for industrial applications: just minutes from Interstate 376, Pittsburgh International Airport, and, most significantly, Shell Petrochemicals Complex (Cracker Plant) — the first and only plant of its kind in the Northeast; and in close proximity to Ohio and West Virginia. M:7 underscored the park’s eco-friendly and modern design as well as its potential to bring over 300 new jobs to the area. At the same time, M:7 expounded upon the many infrastructure issues — road, sewage, water, etc. — and how funding would be needed for the park and its many benefits to come to fruition.

Results
Stefanik Properties Branding:
M:7 stepped up to the unique challenge of constructing an effective brand story from scratch and creating high-quality visuals well before the building was constructed.
Stefanik Industrial Park Website:
A clean easy-to-navigate website featuring a homepage with a carousel of images at top, including elements of the 3D Rendering. Concise SEO-friendly copy, minimal accompanying imagery, and a simple map further enforce the park’s USP while maintaining a polished, easily digestible first impression.
One Shift Away Campaign:
This website and Youtube video features a 3D rendering of what the park would eventually look like, inside and out, and graphics highlighting the park’s ideal location being “One Shift Away” from over 60% of the U.S. population, 24 states, Toronto and Montreal, and nearly 200 million people.
Full-Page Ad in Pittsburgh Business Publication:
Highlighting the park’s USP, this ad appeared in the 2022 Spring edition of Developing Pittsburgh, a seasonal magazine from NAIOP Pittsburgh — a leading industry resource to foster business relationships, promote responsible development, and support growth of the region through education, leadership and advocacy.

Strategic Services

Strategy
To drive maximum exposure to Stefanik Properties, M:7 Agency deployed an omni-channel digital marketing campaign to boost brand awareness and domain authority through organic SEO, social-media management and strategy (Linkedin), a six-month PPC campaign, and listing on industry-related aggregator profiles (Google, Google Maps, Bing, Yelp, etc.). 

M:7 also utilized Loopnet advertising — a trusted solution for commercial real estate brokers, owners, and Economic Development Corporations — and a monthly e-blast to over 500 commercial real-estate professionals.

Results
Stefanik’s organic SEO boosted their domain authority giving them the capability to compete among their largest competitors. Meanwhile, social media posts resulted in notably increased website traffic.
PPC Campaign Results
15,107 Impressions
2,458 Website Visits
which is 92% higher than the industry average CTR of 5.61%.
which is 92% higher than the industry average CTR of 5.61%.
16.3% CTR
Industry-Related Aggregator Profile Results
While the listing on industry-related aggregator profiles resulted in website traffic increasing 8%, Loopnet advertising reached thousands of unique visitors and increased overall website traffic 15%.

Growth Marketing

Strategy
Using its network of relationships and those of the Stefaniks, M:7 created a persuasive growth marketing strategy that identified and built support among the public and elected officials in the region. Through carefully constructed messaging backed by data-driven research, M:7 appealed to government entities for numerous grants and awards by highlighting the park’s potential to bring economic growth, jobs, and business opportunity to the area.

M:7 emphasized how the park would be ideally located for industrial applications: just minutes from Interstate 376, Pittsburgh International Airport, and, most significantly, Shell Petrochemicals Complex (Cracker Plant) — the first and only plant of its kind in the Northeast; and in close proximity to Ohio and West Virginia. M:7 underscored the park’s eco-friendly and modern design as well as its potential to bring over 300 new jobs to the area. At the same time, M:7 expounded upon the many infrastructure issues — road, sewage, water, etc. — and how funding would be needed for the park and its many benefits to come to fruition.

Results
In order to secure the finances and infrastructure needed for Stefanik Industrial Park to be economically feasible for development, M:7 applied for and obtained the following funding for the Stefanik Industrial Park project: 
Phase I Building #1
RACP Award
Tax Credit
Phase II Building #2
RACP Award
Supplemental RACP Award
RACP Award (Adjusted)

Project Conclusion

Through its Creative & Strategic divisions, M:7 Agency was instrumental in both the construction and success of Stefanik Industrial Park.
M:7 facilitated the securement of
$
in grants and credits for the infrastructure support and construction of buildings 1 & 2, with potentially more funding to come for building 3. 
During construction of building 1, they created several effective branding elements including an eye-catching logo, a user-friendly website, and a video that showcased the park and highlighted its unique value proposition. 

To boost engagement and site traffic, M:7 utilized diverse digital marketing tactics including a PPC campaign, social media posts, and search engine optimization. 

Harnessing their extensive experience in funding procurement, marketing, and strategy, M:7 rose to the unique challenges that came with securing the funding for the park, creating the brand, and launching a successful omni-channel campaign, all as the park was being constructed.

 

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