We Bought a $10M Company to Test Our Marketing Playbook

This is the story of how Exposure Ninja bought a 7 million pound renewables business to put their marketing playbook to the test. After six months, the results are in, and they’re changing how we think about marketing.

The Bold Move: Buying a Business to Prove a Point

For years, the team at Exposure Ninja has talked about their digital marketing playbook, a system they believe works across almost any industry. But talk is cheap, right? So, in March 2025, they decided to put their money where their mouth is. They acquired Elite Renewables, a business already pulling in 7 million pounds in revenue, specifically to prove their marketing strategies could deliver real-world results.

Now, six months into this experiment, the numbers are impressive:

• A 5X increase in weekly website visitors.
• A 250% jump in form completions.
• 110 new referring domains, matching six years of previous work in just five months.

This systematic approach is becoming a must-have for businesses aiming for premium markets with technical products.

Why Renewables? The Logic Behind the Acquisition

The choice of Elite Renewables wasn’t random. Exposure Ninja, a B Corp, wanted a business that was not only profitable but also good for society and the planet. The renewables sector, particularly heat pumps, solar, and battery installations, fit this perfectly. They also looked for a company with a strong team and high expertise, recognizing that it’s hard to market a bad product. Elite Renewables had the expertise but also significant room for improvement in sales and marketing – exactly where Exposure Ninja could add value.

Ditching the Old and Embracing the New: Branding and Website Overhaul

Upon acquisition, it was clear the previous marketing efforts were lacking. The old agency was spending thousands on branded search traffic, essentially paying for clicks that would have come anyway. The SEO was poor, and the website wasn’t performing. This was the first thing to go.

Rebranding for a Premium Market

The original branding for Elite Renewables felt dated. For a company selling premium products to high-end properties, the look and feel needed an upgrade. Working with a creative partner, they developed a new logo and brand identity.

• New Logo: A bolder design suitable for social media.
• Color Scheme: Shifted to a lighter, fresher palette that still conveyed premium quality without seeming inaccessible.
• Illustrations: Replaced generic line illustrations with simple line drawings that implied technical skill and expertise, aligning with Elite’s focus on service and technical know-how.

This new brand identity was rolled out across various touchpoints, from brochures to company vans, aiming to reflect the premium nature of the business.

Website Rebuild for Clarity and Conversion

The old website, built on Wix, was outdated and not converting well. Organic traffic was minimal. The rebuild focused on clarity and user experience:

• Segmentation: The site was split into two clear sections: one for homeowners and one for businesses, recognizing their different needs and motivations.
• Content Expansion: Numerous pages were added to cover every service offered.
• Navigation: A well-thought-out menu structure was implemented to make it easy for users to find specific information.

Within the first month of the new website launch, traffic saw a 5X increase, and form completions rose by 250%. While the conversion rate saw a slight dip due to broader traffic, the overall number of conversions increased significantly. The new site also achieved two top-3 Google rankings for specific services within 30 days.

Streamlining Sales with CRM Automation

Before the acquisition, Elite’s sales process was overwhelmed. The technical team was bogged down with quoting, leading to capacity issues. The solution involved implementing a sales and marketing CRM with automation:

• Standardized Process: Prospects are now moved through a clear sales pipeline.
• Automation: Background automations improve conversion rates and sales speed. For instance, new leads immediately receive a welcome email, even if a salesperson can’t respond right away.
• Visibility: The business gained a clear view of where every prospect stands in the sales process.

Building Authority and AI-Proofing Content

Exposure Ninja focused on building Elite’s online authority and preparing its content for the rise of AI search.

Digital PR and Link Building

Despite years with a previous agency, Elite had very few backlinks. Exposure Ninja’s digital PR efforts secured significant coverage in publications like The Spruce, Homes & Gardens, and Realtor. This resulted in more than doubling the number of linking websites in just five months compared to the previous six years.

• Why it Matters: This builds familiarity with the target audience, improves Google rankings by increasing site authority, and ensures Elite is recognized by AI models trained on high-authority content.

YouTube Content Strategy

Leveraging Elite’s extensive project history, a videographer was brought in to capture installations and team insights. These videos serve multiple purposes:

• Lead Nurturing: Sent to existing leads to build trust and showcase capabilities.
• Website Traffic: Driving viewers to the Elite website.
• Brand Building: Demonstrating the company’s expertise and real-world applications.

AI-Proofing Content

To prepare for AI’s growing role in search, several steps were taken:

• Detailed Service Pages: Providing comprehensive information helps AI models understand the business.
• Case Studies: A streamlined process was used to create detailed case studies from technical team interviews, offering ultra-niche information valuable for AI responses.
• AI Sentiment Analysis: Evaluating Elite’s visibility across AI platforms and identifying knowledge gaps.
• Topic Mapping: Creating a map of expertise areas to guide future content strategy.

Key Takeaways from Being Your Own Client

• Financial Stakes: It’s significantly more stressful when your own money is on the line.
• Brand Rollout Challenges: Introducing a new brand identity to a long-standing team requires careful management.
• Time Commitment: Approving content and other tasks requires dedicating more time than anticipated.
• Process Adherence: Trusting the established process, even when eager for quick results, is vital. The initial attempt to rush the website build internally led to wasted time before returning to the proven agency process.

While it’s still early days, the results after six months are promising, demonstrating the power of a well-executed marketing playbook. Exposure Ninja plans to continue updating on Elite Renewables’ growth story.