Thanks Carbon's Inbound Marketing Strategy That Made Even Large Corporations Seek Out First
ESG management is now establishing itself as an essential element that all companies must consider, going beyond mere social contribution activities. Thanks Carbon is a partner that helps companies implement these ESG activities; in the past, we spent a significant amount of time personally visiting and persuading corporate representatives.
However, after six months of collaboration with Elifunt, large corporations and institutions that we wouldn't have dared to contact before began reaching out to Thanks Carbon first. Now, our inbound channels are firmly established, to the point where overseas partners make collaboration proposals saying they "saw the website," and even job applicants say they were "impressed by the website content."
How was such a dramatic turnaround possible? We met with CEO Kim Hae-won, founder of Thanks Carbon, to hear about the process and results of the B2B content marketing collaboration with Elifunt
Q. Hello, CEO! Please introduce Thanks Carbon.
We are an impact business company seeking to solve the climate crisis through nature-based solutions.
Thanks Carbon is Korea's first nature-based solutions. With greenhouse gas reduction and biodiversity enhancement—the two pillars for solving the climate crisis—as its business model, the company presents sustainable business practices and solutions to overcome the climate crisis.
Q. ESG and climate-related industries are unfamiliar and challenging fields. What potential did you see that led you to start?
After reading a book by the founder of Patagonia, I realized that business can lead social change.
First, 'impact business.' We usually tend to separate good deeds and making money from doing good or virtuous things. I was one of those people, too.
I started my career as a home shopping PD and have walked that path for a long time. I was an aggressive marketer who delivered top performance while selling many products to many people. It was thrilling and fun to conduct live broadcasts to achieve goals while monitoring sales per minute.
In the meantime, my perspective on life changed significantly while reading the book * When the Waves Come, Surf*, written by the founder of Patagonia. The idea of doing business to solve environmental problems—that a corporation could create such change in society— was truly astonishing. Through this, I learned about impact business, which allows us to kill two birds with one stone: making money while driving the social change we desire.
Q. Is there a reason you focused on carbon credits and biodiversity among the various ESG fields?
I thought that the climate crisis is ultimately a 'problem that needs to be solved,' and that the solution could be a business.
Ultimately, business exists to 'solve problems.' The climate crisis is no exception. As this is becoming a serious issue that threatens our entire community, I thought that solving it could naturally be a business.
In the past, industries were grown while emitting greenhouse gases without any consideration, but that is no longer acceptable. Companies must operate while considering ways to reduce greenhouse gases. Amidst these changes, a remarkable invention called "carbon credits" has emerged. If appropriate rewards are provided to entities engaging in carbon reduction activities, companies will be more proactive in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Just as an accurate diagnosis is necessary for subsequent treatment in a hospital, we must accurately determine how much resources we are using and emitting to move forward. In short, 'quantification' is required.
To address this issue, we have opened a path to provide carbon credits to farmers and investors through 'Heimdal,' which measures and verifies carbon emission reductions
Farmers recognized for their low-carbon agricultural activities can not only establish a basis for selling certified produce and receiving government subsidies, but also trade carbon credits with the government or corporations. In this way, the carbon economy can create a structure where farmers, corporations, the government, and consumers can all achieve a win-win-win.
Q. Thanks Carbon is a B2B company; how did you conduct marketing previously?
Since we relied solely on door-to-door sales, some people felt uncomfortable.
Co-founder Cooper really put in the legwork for sales. He would call and visit, repeating the cycle over and over. While this approach is certainly important for B2B, he was so proactive that he even earned the nickname "Stalker." He tracked down the contact information for every representative to reach out via KakaoTalk and propose projects... While his sales approach was truly passionate, it might have been uncomfortable for the other party.
Therefore, I felt that rather than focusing on sales that involve relentlessly clinging to customers, it is necessary to shift to marketing that allows customers to naturally seek us out
Q. What difficulties did you encounter while doing B2B marketing?
The biggest difficulty in our industry is that people and those in charge don't know much about it.
Due to the nature of the industry, we needed content that provided information, taught, and educated. We believed that if the necessary information was provided, managers curious about ESG management, climate disclosure, and carbon emission rights would naturally seek us out. That was the beginning of our content marketing.
I was considering content marketing and inbound marketing, but I had a vague fear. I thought I would have to produce a massive amount of content and that the costs would be too high. Also, it was difficult to gauge the cost-effectiveness of producing content infinitely.
So, my biggest concern was figuring out how to do it in a way that is both cost-effective and trustworthy.
Q. How did you find out about Elifunt?
Once I started watching Elifunt content, I got hooked and couldn't get enough of it!
While I was contemplating how to approach content marketing in a way that was both cost-effective and trustworthy, I came across Elifunt. I looked at their introduction page and was very impressed. They accurately identified the difficulties and issues I had experienced in content marketing and presented solutions.
And, above all, the content I saw on Elifunt website was so entertaining. Because it was fun, I kept looking back; as I read, I learned how search engine optimization is done, how content marketing is done, and how companies like this succeeded, and now I can't leave Elifunt site. 😄
Elifunt never even tried to sell us; I actually sought them out on my own. I thought it would be great if our customers found us in the same way. I wanted to create an algorithm where users stumble upon content, find it entertaining, and continue watching other content because they find it helpful, eventually leading to a final conversion.
Q. What aspects of working with Elifunt left a lasting impression on you?
The way they led quickly and confidently based on data was completely different from typical outsourcing agencies.
They also carried out the website redesign very quickly. Usually, this kind of work takes several months if you have to figure out the direction and deliberate, but they established the direction and proceeded rapidly. In particular, the copy introducing us was excellent. They created the tagline " The most natural for the Earth ," and since outsourced agencies usually work based on a pre-made foundation, it is rare for them to come up with such good copy themselves.
Furthermore, I initially thought our service was in a difficult and challenging field, but I appreciated how you tailored the process to our level while ensuring rapid progress. The CEO provided valuable insights through the consulting. In particular, when identifying the keyword 'carbon neutrality,' we initially considered it a very vague concept. However, you presented a direction for the keyword based on data, which gave us confidence. As a result, the content performance was excellent!
The process of formulating a strategy and identifying keywords was also impressive. You led the direction very strongly, even while clashing with the CSO of Thanks Carbon; typically, outsourcing companies are easily swayed, but you were not like that at all. You had a firm conviction that "we should go in this direction." It was impressive to see you act based on judgment derived from accurate data, rather than simply relying on intuition.
Q. How were the results? Were there any unexpected outcomes?
From achieving a 50% click-through rate to collaboration proposals from major corporations—content marketing alone completely changed the atmosphere.
The results were really good. Based on Google, there have been noticeable changes since we started content marketing in earnest in September. We saw a significant influx of traffic from keywords such as 'biodiversity conservation,' 'paddy field water management,' and 'TNFD report.'
It also had a positive impact on recruitment. Interviewees looked at our website and didn't just say it was good; they specifically highlighted the message and content. In fact, the Seoul National University Society for Sustainable Management saw our content and proposed a collaboration, so we worked together for a semester, and that connection has now led to an internship.
The atmosphere has completely changed, especially during corporate meetings. In the past, because our company was small and relatively new, I struggled to persuade clients every time we went for meetings. Now, however, clients approach us with trust, allowing us to discuss the next steps immediately. Recently, companies like Kakao and Kakao Pay have even reached out to us first, and we were truly surprised to hear from industries we hadn't even anticipated.
We also achieved success overseas. People in Nigeria found us through a search on MRV and contacted us, and they noticed that our English page was well-optimized.
from investors we are doing incredibly well these days. I think they feel that way because they see new content constantly being updated on our website and that there is activity. In fact, if the website isn't updated, it feels like we are falling behind, but by continuously updating our content, we seem to have given the impression of being an active company.
Q. What would it have been like if you hadn't been with Elifunt?
If it weren't for Elifunt, it would have been impossible to achieve these results.
To be honest, I don't think it would have been easy for us to handle the work done at Elifunt internally. You had to keep hiring marketing managers, and then recruit people to create content under them; I imagine you went through a lot of trouble just to find a way to work this way.
There is so much work to be done in marketing, and it is not easy to create all the content and manage every channel on your own. It was a good decision to boldly choose to go with Elifunt. This is because Elifunt provides data-driven results that are just as objective as, or perhaps even more objective than, our internal team.
Currently, since inbound inquiries come in with trust already established based on our content, we no longer need to persuade or defend our clients. This achievement would have been impossible without Elifunt.
Q. To which companies would you recommend Elifunt?
I recommend this to anyone who was disappointed with marketing outsourcing companies. Elifunt is on a whole different level!
In the past, I was concerned about simply forming a team consisting of experienced marketing professionals and entry-level staff. However, because Elifunt delivers results based on objective data, they provided me with better direction. particularly recommend them to those who have been disappointed after extensively outsourcing content marketing. a service on a whole new level, and they work together with us to the point where it feels like an internal team within our company.
At first, I hesitated because I thought there were many places with lower content costs. I even considered sacrificing some sleep to write it myself. However, this year, I decided to be more bold and join forces. Of course, providing the necessary resources for content production is important, but simply supplying the right ingredients leads to more accurate and high-quality results. Going beyond mere high-quality writing, we provide exactly what the client needs, ensuring everything runs according to the structure we designed.
I highly recommend this to anyone looking for effective marketing while minimizing resources. It is cost-effective and trustworthy, and demonstrates truly outstanding capabilities in strategizing and producing keyword-based content.
Q. What are Thanks Carbon's future plans?
From the 'Terre' platform to the expansion of overseas business, we are embarking on a full-scale scale-up encompassing both domestic and international markets.
First, we are preparing our business targeting approximately 200 companies subject to mandatory disclosure. We are reviewing methods optimized for each company so that we can respond immediately if they contact us. We have internally developed and are using a service called 'Terre,' which allows companies to easily identify environmental issues around their workplaces. Although we have not yet decided whether to make this service public or provide it exclusively through us, our system is fully prepared to respond to any company.
our overseas businessin earnest. While we have previously been in a pioneering phase and verifying our operations through pilot projects, we intend to expand the scale into a full-scale business starting this year. To this end, we are revamping our website to encompass both domestic and international markets. Currently, our Korean newsletter is displayed on the English page, but as we are preparing an English newsletter, we expect to be actively operating in both languages soon.
Thanks Carbon is creating a true impact business by solving complex and difficult ESG, carbon neutrality, and biodiversity issues with nature-based solutions.
By establishing a data-driven B2B content marketing system with Elifunt, we achieved explosive results, ranging from inbound inquiries from large corporations to collaborations with overseas partners. Moving forward, Elifunt will continue to combine our respective expertise and know-how to support more companies in growing both their businesses and the environment!
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