Case Study
Helping a Legacy Tech Brand Reclaim
B2B Leadership on LinkedIn
How Ascendle Modernized Its B2B Outreach, Boosted Reach, and Supported Stronger Sales With an Organic LinkedIn Strategy
For nearly 20 years, Ascendle built its business on reputation, relationships, and results. But as buying decisions shifted to LinkedIn and other digital spaces, this company’s strong brand presence was overshadowed by louder, more active voices in online industry conversations. Engagement slipped, relevance waned, and new opportunities went elsewhere.
Ascendle partnered with Creative Synthesis to get back into the conversations that matter. Together, they launched a fully organic LinkedIn strategy that transformed internal Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) into respected thought leaders, reviving the brand’s influence in a crowded B2B landscape.
The results spoke for themselves: engagement more than doubled industry norms, one in three readers took action, and every outcome was achieved organically, with zero ad spend.
At a Glance
The Challenge
For decades, Ascendle’s name carried weight in the tech world, based on its reputation for delivery excellence and trusted partnerships. But as B2B buying shifted online, the rules of visibility changed. Buyers were evaluating vendor credibility through visibility, influence, and thought leadership well before any pitch could take place.
For an agile-first company built on adaptation, it was time to iterate on a new kind of challenge: reclaiming its reach, reputation, and relevance in the modern marketplace of LinkedIn.
While Ascendle’s leaders had deep knowledge and distinctive voices, these went largely unheard on the platform. Branded company posts weren’t driving traction, and the company’s strongest perspectives were hidden behind private conversations, NDAs, and project walls.
Creative Synthesis partnered with Ascendle on a social media content strategy built to reposition its leadership team as a collective of authentic, influential voices on LinkedIn. With a strategy grounded in the knowledge that people are 88% more likely to purchase from individuals than brands, our team set out to identify target audiences and industries, and to recruit Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from within Ascendle that best aligned with those targets.
The campaign centered on a clear set of goals and actions designed to drive organic visibility and credibility:
The Strategy
Rather than depend on paid advertising or corporate messaging, Creative Synthesis worked with each Subject Matter Expert (SME) to craft content that reflected both personal passion and business insight. Each post served as a micro-story: relatable, instructive, and rooted in real experience.
Behind the scenes, the campaign was still guided by Creative Synthesis’s signature 3x3 LinkedIn Formula—a proven framework designed to focus each SME’s post on:
This initiative was paired with a parallel content marketing campaign featuring a series of SEO/GEO optimized LinkedIn articles designed to amplify and promote the specialty expertise of each SME.
The Process
This initiative began with a live workshop to define goals, clarify audience personas, and refine voice and tone for each SME. The initial pilot featured three leaders—later expanding to five—each representing a different area of Ascendle’s expertise: agile delivery, software development, product strategy, digital transformation, and leadership.
Every three weeks, Creative Synthesis delivered curated content cycles built around trending topics, thought leadership insights, and Ascendle’s ongoing marketing priorities. Posts were strategically scheduled and sequenced to drive conversation, encourage peer interaction, and highlight relevant content assets like templates and guides.
Performance data guided every pivot. When humor and storytelling resonated, the tone shifted accordingly. When posts about AI or agile frameworks gained traction, the focus intensified. The result was an agile, always-learning system that mirrored the very methodology Ascendle teaches its clients.
The Results
Over the course of four quarters, Ascendle’s social presence transformed from a quiet company page into a network of active, influential thought leadership voices:
14.9% follower growth for top-performing SMEs, outpacing typical LinkedIn benchmarks.
2–3.5% average engagement rates, consistently above LinkedIn’s organic averages.
31.25% conversion rates on gated downloads such as Agile Assessment Templates and feature prioritization frameworks.
Zero ad spend, achieving all results through organic reach.
These results went beyond metrics. Ascendle’s leaders became trusted contributors to industry discussions. Their posts drove inbound conversations, brand visibility grew, and the company’s expertise became recognized not only by clients—but by peers and competitors.
The Takeaway
Ascendle’s journey shows what happens when a legacy software company embraces modern influence. By empowering its people to lead with their expertise and voice, the brand expanded its digital footprint and deepened trust across its market.
For other B2B organizations navigating the same transition, Creative Synthesis’s 3x3 Strategy offers a proven path to growth—built on authenticity, agility, and human connection.
Download our free 3x3 Strategy Template to start building your own SME-led LinkedIn campaign.