Marketing Spotlight: Sphera’s Marketing and Sales Strategies
Article summary
Today we’re analyzing Sphera’s digital marketing and sales strategies to see what makes them stand out in the sustainability tech space, as they were in February 2024.
Why do we do this series? Because we love discovering and sharing what innovative companies are doing right. By the end of this article, we’ll highlight our favorite parts of Sphera’s marketing approach that you can learn from.
(PS: Need help crafting your own marketing strategy? Drop us a line, some good ideas are waiting for you!)
📝 A quick note before you start reading:
The data and analysis in this article are valid as of the time we wrote it. We don’t know when you’ll be reading this, maybe next week, maybe six months from now, and things might have changed since we looked at this company’s marketing and sales approach. Still, the insights and lessons here stay useful, even if the numbers or tactics have evolved a bit.
Understanding the company
Sphera is a provider of Enterprise Sustainability Management (ESM) software, data and consulting services focusing on Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S), Operational Risk Management and Supply Chain Transparency.
The organization was founded in 2016 and their headquarter is located in Chicago, IL, USA, with offices all around the world. They are present in over 95 countries, have 8K customers, and have 1M+ users.
On LinkedIn the company has 154K followers and 1,584 associated members. Most of their employees are engineers (327), followed by IT professionals (292), and the sales department, with 215.
Brand promise
Sphera “promises” to help organizations to achieve their sustainability goals. But how? By offering a 360-degree view of sustainability and performance management. It means that they offer solutions that cover all aspects of sustainability, not just one specific area.
They talk about “actionable and auditable” results, which just mean they’re focused on things you can actually see and measure. Mentioning “industry-leading experts” is their way of saying “Hey, we know what we’re doing!” and helps build trust.
Like they say on LinkedIn, their goal is to “help customers keep their people safe, their products sustainable and their operations productive”. In other words, they help companies protect their workers, be good to the planet, and stay efficient.
How do they differentiate themselves
One interesting thing is their “proprietary data”. This means they have data that they collected and put together, and nobody else has it. It’s a big part of what makes them unique. They can offer insights and solutions that others can’t, which makes their services more attractive. This proprietary data is a core part of their USP.
Claiming to be “the only company providing a 360-degree view of sustainability” is a bold differentiator and a key part of Sphera’s marketing message. Many companies struggle with fragmented sustainability efforts. They might have initiatives in one area (e.g., reducing emissions) but lack visibility or coordination across their entire operations, supply chain, and product lifecycle. So, with this holistic approach, Sphera might try to solve this pain point. They back up this claim, as we will see, with customer case studies.
Another differentiator might be their approach to ESG, where they have interviews with Sphera’s CPO. Openly communicating their ESG approach builds trust with stakeholders.
Conclusions
They’ve grown to serve 8,000 customers in over 95 countries, with more than a million people using their products. Most of their employees are engineers and tech experts.
What makes them special is how they look at sustainability as a whole package, rather than just focusing on one part. One of their biggest advantages is that they own special data that other companies don’t have. This means they can give their customers unique insights that they can’t get anywhere else.
Next, we will analyze their social media activity.
Social Media
Spehra’s LinkedIn Page
Let’s analyse what their content pillars are, how often they post and what is their overall strategy.
On LinkedIn Sphera has 154K followers, posts almost 20 times a month and the engagement is quite modest, considering the big following that they have. They rarely get over 100 reactions on a post.
What do they post?
As their preferred format they use: text + image, text only, text + gif, polls, and text + video content.
Sphera heavily relies on content marketing tactics. They create and distribute valuable content (webinars, guides, reports, blog posts, case studies) to attract a target audience, generate leads, and nurture prospects.
In terms of content pillars, we observed the following directions:
1. Social responsibility
For example, this post enhances Sphera’s brand image by demonstrating its commitment to DE&I and social responsibility. It positions Sphera as a company that values diversity and recognizes the contributions of individuals from all backgrounds in sustainability. Moreover, socially responsible companies are more appealing to the public. Companies with proactive CSR strategies outperform their peers by 43% in terms of stock performance, according to a 2021 study by Point32Health.
2. Events/Webinars
This pillar also touches on Product/Service Promotion (though subtly).
It’s natural for a company to advertise its social events on LinkedIn. LinkedIn offers various engagement tools, such as LinkedIn Live, which allows companies to host pre-event Q&A sessions, introduce speakers, or preview the agenda.
These type of posts might have two purposes:
- Making people sign up for their webinars
- Lead generation
You’ll often see them end with a CTA like “Register now!”. Clicking the link usually takes you to a landing page where you have to fill out a form. Once they’ve got your info, they can follow up with emails, calls, and other sales related stuff. The webinar itself is also super useful in their case. It teaches potential customers about Sphera’s expertise and positions them as the go-to solution. Even though they’re not directly selling anything, the webinar definitely promotes Sphera’s consulting services in a subtle way.
3. Educational pillar
In this content pillar, Sphera strategically promotes valuable resources, such as blog posts, to attract a targeted audience. This also drives qualified traffic to their website. Their website is the main “convertor” of leads. Also, sharing valuable content positions Sphera as an expert in their field. It demonstrates their knowledge and builds trust with the audience. People are more likely to engage with and buy from companies they perceive as credible and knowledgeable. Sphera’s LinkedIn post descriptions are generally quite comprehensive and well-crafted. They achieve a good balance between providing enough information to pique interest and leaving the reader wanting more. Most posts include a clear call to action, telling the reader exactly what to do next (e.g., “Register now”, “Learn more”, “Check out our latest blog”).
At the end of the article, they have a clear call-to-action, like “Check out our latest blog”, designed to drive traffic to Sphera’s website.
In this example, the post promotes Sphera’s “inline XBRL solutions” for CSRD-compliant reporting. The call to action (“Learn how Sphera can help…”) directs potential the leads to their blog page. What is the purpose? Well..it’s not hard to guess: generating leads and (hopefully) driving sales.
4. Case studies
This pillar is used to show how other companies, particularly large enterprises, are using SpheraCloud software.
In this post, Sphera is talking about how Danone, a large food industry company, improved workplace safety using its software. It highlights impressive results: a 796% increase in reported safety observations and a 21% decrease in incident frequency. The CTA at the end of the post sends leads to its case studies. Also, tagging Danone acknowledges their partnership.
5. Guide and reports
How else can a report reach a wider audience? Share it on LinkedIn! And that’s exactly what they’re doing. Again, they’re writing pretty detailed descriptions to both inform people and get them interested in reading the full report.
The main strategy is to provide valuable, educational content (like the CSRD Guide) to attract a target audience interested in sustainability reporting. The goals here are demand generation and thought leadership.
The “Download now” CTA sends users to a landing page on their website. Leads can get the guide without filling in any contact details.
6. Employer Branding
This post celebrates the Sphera Talent Acquisition team for being recognized by LinkedIn as being in the top 25% of recruiting teams overall and in the top 4% for sourcing hires.
Overall strategy
Getting leads is a top priority for them. Pretty much every post with real substance (like webinars, guides, and reports) has a clear call to action that takes you to a landing page where they can grab your contact info. The stuff they offer (guides, reports, webinars) is designed to address specific problems and interests of potential customers, which helps them figure out who’s really interested. For example, someone who downloads a guide on CSRD is probably actively looking for solutions in that area.
Facebook & X (ex-Twitter)
On Facebook Sphera has 1.3K likes & followers, and on X, over 4k followers.
There’s not much to analyze here because, unfortunately, Facebook does not have much engagement, and they post the same content as on LinkedIn. The engagement rate is smaller than on LinkedIn, with posts getting no likes or reactions. On X they have a very small reach, with posts gaining around 30 views.
Sphera has a monthly LinkedIn newsletter, with 29 editions so far and 44k subscribers. The last submission is from November 2024.
What do they post about?
The newsletter, in general, focuses on a few main topics. They uncover insights from industry conferences, reports, and articles. Sphera invites readers to learn more about the topic on its blog. For this purpose, they include a call-to-action (CTA) with a link to their website which directs to a landing page where interested leads can input their contact details to access the full report or additional content.
Recommendations
Content marketing should be at the core of the social media strategy. Focus on creating a mix of content types including webinars, guides, reports, blog posts, and case studies. Each content type content should serve a specific purpose in the lead generation funnel.
Demand generation
Now let’s have a look at Sphera’s demand generation strategies, mainly focusing on their content marketing. We’ll be checking out all their different content, from blog posts and resource libraries, to newsletters, webinars, reports, and other gated content, to see how they attract, engage, and turn potential customers into actual customers.
Let’s start with their blog page.
Sphera’s Blogs
This is how their blog section looks like:
Looking at the last three months, we saw that they’re posting schedule consists of 10 articles per month. It’s cool that they have filters so you can find the topics you’re interested in. Supply chain sustainability seems to be their most popular category, with the most articles written about it.
By analyzing their last 4 articles, we saw that the length of their blog post on average is 750 words. Sphera’s blog is well structured: small description, and around 3-5 headings 2, and a CTA at the end of the article. The headings and subheadings break up the text and make it more scannable. They also highlight key concepts and make it easier for readers to find the information they’re looking for.
Sphera also likes to cite other sources and include lots of backlinks to back up their claims and show where their info came from. They often link to authoritative sources like the World Economic Forum. Their tone is pretty neutral and professional.
Moreover, they use a lot of benefit-driven language, such as “minimize costs”, “recover quickly”, “build stronger”, and “bounce forward”.
Spehra includes visualizations in their content. This is a great idea, because visual content generates 94% more views than text-only content, according to HubSpot. More than that, according to Xerox, the readership rate of content increases by 80% when it includes visuals.
Here is an example on how they use it:
Interestingly, they have a content series for which they advertise. At the end of the articles, they are teasing the reader with the next blog series. By mentioning “the next blog in this series,” Sphera encourages readers to return for future content.
Some of their CTA, a.k.a their subtle pitch look like this:
- “If you’d like to get started on meaningful sustainability action and learn how to build a CSRD roadmap, read our ebook.”
- “Get in touch with our experts now to take the stress out of OSHA record keeping.”
- “Is your organization preparing for California climate disclosure? Read our eBook Climate-related disclosures for U.S. businesses to learn more and contact us to speak with a sustainability consultant.”
On their blog section, they are also promoting their downloadable content.
The “Learn more” CTA sends leads to an e-book landing page, where they can download it after filling in their contact details. This is an example of gated content implementation. Only after submitting their information, the users can download or access the e-book. Afterward, Sphera uses the information collected for follow-ups and nurturing.
Sphera’s blog and resource center are good examples of creating a relevant and valuable hub.
Resources center
Sphera’s resource center includes blogs, white papers, infographics, reports and webinars, podcasts, and many more.
The category with the most content pieces is the blog (212 articles), followed by on-demand webinars (182). They might decide to focus more on blogs because they drive more organic traffic. Moreover, 83% of the online population reads blogs, with 18% reading them daily. It is the only company so far who has a dedicated category for “video” content, actually 4th largest category in terms of posy.
It seems that their content addresses various stakeholders, from C-suite executives concerned with strategic risk, and from sustainability to operational managers that are responsible for safety and compliance. The content covers many topics related to their solutions, from specific regulatory requirements (e.g., CSRD, CSDDD, CBAM, OSHA) to broader themes like sustainability, risk management, and supply chain transparency.
They’re probably also using relevant keywords in their content to target their audience and address their pain points. Think keywords like “LCA software”, “supply chain sustainability”, “operational risk management”, and “chemical compliance”.
The resource center is basically a lead-generating machine. Some of their higher-value content, like ebooks, white papers, and reports, are gated, meaning you have to give them your business email to access them. Why business emails? It signals that they’re offering serious, professional-grade content, which attracts more serious, business-oriented leads.
Something that caught our eyes immediately is the interesting category, “CEO messages”. The messages from the CEO is a monthly series, where they provide a consistent, direct line of communication between the company’s leadership and its stakeholders. The videos are short under 5 minutes.
The CEO usually discusses a recent event, such as the Los Angeles fires or the annual Conference of the Parties, and connects it to an idea about sustainability, indirectly relating it to Sphera’s services. In closing, Sphera’s CEO, Paul Marushka, emphasizes the company’s values and services again.
At the bottom of the resource center page, they’ve got their newsletter sign up with a “Subscribe now” button. Newsletter subscriptions are another good way to nurture leads.
Newsletter
The newsletter is placed on the bottom of the main page and also on the blog page.
After clicking on the “Subscribe now” button, we are sent on this page:
They’ve included a description that clearly explains why people should subscribe to their newsletter, the value subscribers will get: “Sphera safety, sustainability, and productivity expertise and product insights”. This tells potential subscribers exactly what kind of content to expect, which is smart because it appeals directly to their interests and needs. Plus, the message is short and sweet.
Conclusions
It seems that Sphera is focusing mostly on creating blog articles, but also on creating high-quality, informative content (blog posts, ebooks, white papers, webinars, podcasts, reports, infographics). Their content is well-researched, often citing authoritative sources like the World Economic Forum.
What’s interesting is the “CEO Messages” series. With this series, the CEO connects with stakeholders on a personal level, share insights on industry trends, and reinforce Sphera’s values and commitment to sustainability.
Now let’s move on to lead generation and identify strategies that you might consider implementing in your own business. We will have a look at their landing pages, downloadables, events, and webinars.
Lead generation
Landing pages
The call-to-action button on their main page is “Begin your journey”. It takes you to a landing page, used for converting leads, where the main goal is to get you to “Talk to an expert”.
To talk to an expert, probably someone in sales, you have to fill out a contact form and answer the “How can we help?” question. Then, they’ll get back to you via email.
Naturally, the copy highlights all the good things about using Sphera’s services. It speaks directly to organizations that care about sustainability performance, addressing their specific challenges and needs. And throwing in some stats (like 50% time reduction or 20% ROI increase) makes it all sound more believable and shows they can deliver real value.
The “Book a demo” call-to-action is at the bottom of the main page. Unlike some other companies, they’ve placed it pretty low down. This means they really need to have some compelling copy that encourages people to scroll all the way down to see it.
Now, when we click on this button, we land on the “Request a demo” page. Here the lead will have to fill out a form, in order to be contacted by a sales professional.
Apparently, they offer consultations in many languages, as they ask leads to select their preferred language such as: French, German, Italian, Japanese, and more.
Downloadables
This section is all about their gated content. Like we’ve said, their resource center has tons of downloadable resources, but you’ve got to give them your contact info first.
Their lead magnets include research, e-books, white papers, brochures, and guides. For each one, they’ve added a short description so potential leads know exactly what they’re getting. This also helps people quickly figure out if the content is actually relevant to them. We think this is a great idea because it keeps people from wasting time downloading stuff they don’t need.
Webinars
They mostly focus on monthly “on-demand webinars”.
Webinars are gated content, serving as another strategy to capture leads. To access the webinars, leads must input their contact details.
For each webinar, a concise description is provided, highlighting key takeaways and what the audience can expect from the session.
Events
They list their upcoming webinars, conferences, and on-demand recordings under “Events”.
In March, for example, they’re promoting three webinars and five conferences in Europe and in the U.S.. It’s worth noting that they aren’t actually organizing all of these conferences. They’re either participating in them or sponsoring them. Even if they’re just sponsoring or attending, being at these industry events gets Sphera’s name and brand out there in front of their target audience. It’s a form of advertising that helps strengthen their presence in the market.
Events
They list their upcoming webinars, conferences, and on-demand recordings under “Events”.
In March, for example, they’re promoting three webinars and five conferences in Europe and in the U.S.. It’s worth noting that they aren’t actually organizing all of these conferences. They’re either participating in them or sponsoring them. Even if they’re just sponsoring or attending, being at these industry events gets Sphera’s name and brand out there in front of their target audience. It’s a form of advertising that helps strengthen their presence in the market.
LinkedIn: Paid ads
On LinkedIn Sphera has 188 ads, as of February 2025.
The ads address current and relevant topics like decarbonization, regulatory compliance (e.g., CSRD, EUDR), and supply chain disruptions, which are top-of-mind for many businesses.
Each ad highlights a specific benefit or solution offered by Sphera, making it clear what the user will gain.
What are they promoting? E-books, free trials for LCA software, and reports. The target audience is located mostly in Europe and Asia. For many posts, the highest number of impressions seem to come from Pakistan.
Their reach is somewhere between 5K-1M and most ads include clear calls-to-action, such as “Start Your 30-Day FREE Trial”, “Download the eBook”, “Get the free 2025 Risk Report”, or “View details”.
Consider implementing content series, just like Sphera does it in their blog. This is a great way to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. Tease upcoming editions to create anticipation and encourage readers to stay tuned.
And don’t forget about visuals! Visual content is far more engaging than text-only content. So, incorporate images, videos, and infographics to make them pay attention.
Conclusions
Strategy overview
Sphera uses LinkedIn as the most effective channel for B2B engagement, followed by Facebook and X (ex-Twitter). Content marketing is where they focus their resources and demand generation efforts. For this, they use blog posts (around 10 per month), webinars, guides, case studies, and a unique “CEO Messages” series that adds a personal touch to their brand communication.
Speaking of webinars, these serve as a powerful middle-of-funnel tool in their strategy. By requiring registration, each webinar becomes a lead generation opportunity. More importantly, these sessions allow them to demonstrate their expertise in a more interactive format while subtly showcasing their software’s capabilities.
When it comes to paid advertising on LinkedIn, Sphera maintains a strong presence with 188 ads as of February 2025, primarily targeting Europe and Asia. They focus their ad content on current, relevant topics like regulatory compliance and supply chain disruptions. This is a strategy that resonates well with their B2B audience.
Their lead generation strategy might be the following: rather than pushing for immediate sales conversations, they offer various entry points for potential customers. Some leads might start by downloading a guide about CSRD compliance, others might register for a webinar about supply chain sustainability, and some might directly request a consultation through their “Talk to an Expert” landing page.
Inspiration points
Sphera offers round-the-clock live chat support, which is crucial for customer satisfaction and sales. Live chat has been shown to boost conversion rates significantly. Some studies indicate that businesses using live chat see conversion rates increase by up to 40%.
Their landing pages are thoughtfully designed with clear value propositions and strong calls-to-action, though interestingly, they place their “Book a Demo” CTA at the bottom of their main page.
This is also a very good strategy for collecting customer insights and taking them into account when creating business strategies. They can do it by regularly reviewing chat transcripts, and see what customer needs, wants, what are their preferences, and pain points.
Sweet recommendations for your B2B SaaS company
Your company’s social media presence should be focused on LinkedIn, because it is important to focus your efforts where the target audience spends their time professionally. Prioritizing LinkedIn as the primary social media platform means investing time and resources into creating relevant content specifically for this audience.
This could mean, for example, sharing industry insights, and using LinkedIn’s tools and account-based marketing (ABM) to reach decision-makers within target companies. ABM takes a step further by identifying key accounts, like specific companies, that are ideal customers and tailoring marketing efforts specifically to them. You don’t necessarily need to create new content, but rather assemble the right content for the right people at the right time.
As you can see, for Sphera, content marketing is king. But it’s not just about creating content, it’s mostly about creating the right content. If you struggle with this, we can work together to identify your ICP’s pain points and create content that addresses those issues head-on.
This might mean developing thought leadership content that shows your expertise, sharing customer success stories that demonstrate the value of your solutions, or creating educational resources that help your audience stay informed about things that they should know.
Also, every piece of content should have a clear purpose in the lead generation funnel. Think of each webinar, guide, or blog post as a step on the path to conversion. Is the goal to generate awareness, capture leads, or nurture prospects? Make sure the content aligns with the desired outcome, and include a clear call to action that guides the audience to the next step. For example, a blog post might end with an invitation to download a related e-book, while a webinar might conclude with an offer for a free trial of the software.
We’ve dissected Sphera’s social media and content approach: what works & what doesn’t. We can do the same for your company, revealing hidden growth potential you’re missing. More than that, we’ll help you create engaging content, targeted campaigns, and a consistent presence that captures the attention of decision-makers in your industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Sphera and what does it do?
Sphera is a global provider of Enterprise Sustainability Management (ESM) software, proprietary data, and consulting services. Their focus areas include Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S), Operational Risk Management, and Supply Chain Transparency. They support businesses in achieving measurable sustainability goals through a 360-degree approach to performance and compliance.
2. How does Sphera differentiate itself from competitors?
Sphera sets itself apart by offering proprietary data and positioning itself as the only provider with a comprehensive, 360-degree view of sustainability. Their solutions are designed to tackle fragmented sustainability management by integrating all relevant areas: operations, supply chains, and product lifecycles—into one platform. This unique approach is supported by strong thought leadership and customer case studies.
3. What is Sphera’s content and social media strategy?
Sphera focuses on LinkedIn as its main B2B channel, posting around 20 times per month. Their strategy includes a mix of educational content, event promotions, case studies, guides, and a monthly LinkedIn newsletter. Nearly every post has a clear call to action (CTA) that links to a landing page, helping convert visitors into leads. They also engage in social responsibility messaging and employer branding.
4. What types of content does Sphera use for demand generation?
Their demand generation toolkit includes blog posts (about 10/month), ebooks, white papers, reports, infographics, webinars, videos, podcasts, and a unique “CEO Messages” video series. Most of this content is gated and designed to attract, educate, and qualify potential customers. The content is professional, well-structured, and frequently includes data visualizations and references to authoritative sources.
5. How does Sphera generate leads?
Sphera uses gated content (ebooks, reports, white papers), webinars, and landing pages to collect contact information. Their “Book a Demo” and “Talk to an Expert” CTAs direct users to lead capture forms. Paid advertising, especially on LinkedIn, promotes their gated content and trial offers. They also participate in conferences and industry events to expand their reach and nurture prospects.
