Brand consolidation leading to acquisition for AP Matching

AP Matching, initially operating as three distinct brands - Statement-Matching, Invoice-Matching, and Duplicate-Matching - approached Xander Marketing in early 2023 with a complex challenge: to consolidate these brands into a single cohesive solution under the AP Matching name, and then to take the combined offer to market.

This rebranding effort aimed to unify their offerings, drive growth in visibility and user acquisition, and ultimately position the company for potential acquisition.

The brief covered three core needs:

• Consolidate three brands into one: they needed the AP brand but also sub-brands for the existing products
• Develop a new website: create a user-friendly, SEO-optimised website for the new consolidated brand
• Execute a holistic marketing strategy: drive lead generation and increase brand awareness through multi-channel marketing efforts

Brand consolidation and website development

• Created a new logo for AP Matching and sub-brands for the three products
• Developed a new website, carefully preserving strong SEO rankings from the Statement-Matching website
• Crafted a go-to-market strategy for the consolidated brand

Comprehensive marketing strategy

Following the launch of the new branding and website, marketing activities were launched in May 2023. Our plan included:

• Content marketing: established AP Matching as a thought leader through blogs, ebooks, and guides
• SEO: maintained and improved search rankings for key terms
• Paid advertising: ran targeted campaigns on Google Ads, LinkedIn, and Capterra
• Social media management: grew AP Matching’s presence on LinkedIn
• Email marketing: engaged customers through newsletters and HubSpot campaigns
• Event support: boosted AP Matching’s presence at key industry events
• HubSpot management: implemented efficient lead nurturing and tracking

Achieving significant growth and acquisition

Our marketing contributed to a new brand, significant business growth and ultimately, an acquisition by a market leader.

Brand consolidation and website performance:

• Successfully unified three brands into one cohesive solution
• 147% increase in website views from June 2023 to June 2024
• 57% increase in organic traffic from June 2023 to February 2024

Lead generation and acquisition:

• 650% increase in Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) from August 2023 to January 2024
• LinkedIn Ads showed steady improvement, with click-through rates reaching 3.47%
• 45% increase in LinkedIn company page followers

SEO performance:

• Achieved #1 ranking for key terms like “statement matching software” and “cloud-based invoice-matching platform”
• Significant improvements in rankings for competitive terms like “invoice matching” and “automated invoice matching”

Acquisition by Basware:

• The culmination of these efforts was AP Matching’s successful acquisition by Basware in May 2024
• This acquisition validated the strength of the consolidated brand and AP Matching’s enhanced market position

“A big thank you to the Xander Marketing team! It’s been a fantastic experience working with an agency that requires so little effort to get up to speed in such an esoteric software space.”

Daniel Kimpton, Founder and CEO, AP Matching