How I helped Arrow Acquisitions reach 5M+ readers by finding a content gap in industry media

Background & Challenge

Arrow Acquisitions operated in a decades-old industry where content marketing was virtually nonexistent. Most competitors relied on traditional sales and advertising methods, leaving a gap in the market for educational and thought leadership-driven content.

Recognizing this opportunity, I was tasked with developing and executing a content strategy to:

📌 Position Arrow Acquisitions as a thought leader in the industry.

📌 Educate potential customers on lesser-known product applications and features.

📌 Expand brand reach through third-party publications.

Since the industry was dominated by legacy brands with outdated marketing strategies, I knew that a well-executed content-first approach could set Arrow Acquisitions apart.

Role & Objective

I led the end-to-end content marketing initiative, including:

✅ Developing a content strategy that leveraged thought leadership.

✅ Creating a content calendar to align execution with quarterly marketing goals.

✅ Writing and publishing educational content focused on deep product insights and applications.

✅ Coordinating with internal subject matter experts (SMEs) to validate content accuracy and enhance its value.

✅ Distributing content through third-party industry publications to expand reach.

Unlike typical sales-driven content, I focused on educating the market—filling knowledge gaps in the industry while subtly positioning Arrow Acquisitions as the go-to authority.

Strategy & Approach

The content strategy was structured around:

📌 Deep Dives Into Product Applications:

  • Many customers were familiar with popular uses of Arrow’s products, but unaware of lesser-known applications and technical differences between product variations.

  • By educating them on these aspects, we positioned Arrow as an expert resource while indirectly marketing the products.

📌 Leveraging Internal Tribal Knowledge:

  • The company had decades of expertise locked within the minds of product managers and technical teams.

  • I worked with internal SMEs to extract unique insights, ensuring the content was rich with firsthand industry knowledge rather than generic marketing copy.

📌 Using Industry Publications as a Distribution Channel:

  • Unlike traditional trade journalists, these industry verticals lacked educational content creators—meaning they were eager to publish the content I produced.

  • This allowed Arrow Acquisitions to secure placements in over 20 third-party publications, reaching an audience of 5 million+ and generating over $100,000 in media value.

📌 Standardizing Messaging Across Stakeholders:

  • A long-established company like Arrow had multiple perspectives on how products should be positioned.

  • I worked to align messaging across executives, sales teams, and subject matter experts, ensuring consistency before publishing.

Execution & Adaptation

The content execution process was iterative and evolved as I gained deeper industry knowledge:

  • Early on, reviews focused on messaging alignment, ensuring content represented the company accurately.

  • Over time, as I became more familiar with the products and customer pain points, reviews shifted to refining details and value delivery rather than fact-checking.

  • I refined my research and writing processes, improving both content depth and efficiency.

Despite the challenge of navigating multiple stakeholder approvals, the overall content creation workflow remained structured, thanks to the content calendar I implemented.

Results & Impact

🚀 Expanded Arrow’s reach to over 5 million readers through third-party industry publications.

📈 Generated over $100,000 in media value, significantly boosting brand visibility.

📚 Created a foundational library of thought leadership content, positioning Arrow Acquisitions as an industry authority.

🛠 Streamlined messaging alignment, ensuring consistency across executives, sales teams, and technical experts.

At the time, we lacked sophisticated tracking systems to directly attribute content efforts to revenue. However, the brand visibility, credibility, and engagement generated through content marketing played a critical role in Arrow’s market positioning.

Lessons Learned & Future Application

🔎 Positioning matters just as much in content marketing as it does in branding. Identifying gaps in the content ecosystem that your audience consumes is the best way to create high-impact content.

🤖 If I executed this strategy today, AI tools would amplify efficiency and value. My ability to research and extract key insights has improved significantly since this project. Combined with AI, I could now produce even deeper, more actionable content at scale.

💡 Industry expertise is a competitive advantage in content creation. The most valuable content comes from leveraging subject matter experts—this remains a core principle in my approach to content marketing today.

This project was an early proof point in my career that well-researched, well-positioned content can be an unfair advantage in industries where competitors lack a sophisticated content strategy.

Mitchell Salva