Situation

Oswald Supply specializes in boilers and heating supplies, trash chute doors and parts, and coal and wood-fired baker’s oven doors, grates, and parts. As the internet afforded access to the industrial products that Oswald Supply traditionally sold over the counter, the owners faced the challenge of increasing online visibility and driving more targeted traffic to the company’s website. With an extensive product catalog and a desire to engage with both local and national clients, Oswald Supply recognized the need for a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that would represent the quality and value of their business, as they recognized the need to hold onto market share, and increase their sales in a competitive market.

Previously, Oswald Supply had multiple team members and outside agencies supporting their marketing efforts, but this often resulted in a disjointed approach with no single individual overseeing the full strategy. With teams and agencies working in silos, aligning efforts, planning effectively, and leveraging seasonal and historical trends for consistent growth became challenging. Oswald Supply sought one cohesive team to build and manage their entire digital marketing strategy.

Solution

In August 2024, Oswald Supply partnered with ITAC and its partner, Ballantine Digital, to execute a demand generation program aimed at enhancing their online presence, improving website traffic, and generating more qualified leads.

ITAC, in collaboration with Ballantine Digital, created a tailored marketing strategy that focused on several key areas:

1. Content Management: Optimizing Oswald Supply’s website for SEO, building a content calendar, and creating high-quality, keyword-optimized content, including a blog to target relevant search terms and seasonal trends. This content strategy laid the foundation for aligning all marketing efforts and ensuring long-term consistency.
2.  Email Marketing: Developing segmented email campaigns and automations to nurture leads, drive conversions, and engage existing customers.
3.  LinkedIn Management: Publishing organic posts and running targeted paid LinkedIn ads to increase brand awareness and drive engagement.
4.   Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Managing and optimizing Google and Bing ads to drive qualified traffic to the website and generate leads.

Through a combination of ongoing technical SEO audits, content creation, and continuous optimization of ad campaigns, the goal was clear: drive more qualified traffic, increase conversions, and enhance the overall customer experience.

The team meets twice a month, once to review the previous month’ results, decide on pages for further optimization, and brainstorm ideas for continued improvement; and the second, to review content, discuss revisions, and refine the strategic plan.

Results

Since initiating this strategy, the collaborative efforts resulted in impressive growth across several key performance indicators (KPIs):

• 31.6% increase in clicks through Google: More people clicked on Oswald Supply’s organic search results, signaling improved relevancy and increased traffic to the website.
• 1.32% click-through rate (CTR): A 51% improvement from the previous period, indicating that a higher percentage of people who saw Oswald’s listings were motivated to visit the website.
• 41% increase in website clicks through Google Business Profile: More users interacted with Oswald Supply’s Google profile, driving additional traffic to their site.
• 39% increase in phone calls through Google Business Profile: Increased direct customer inquiries via phone, reflecting the success of profile optimization.

“Having an agency dedicated to our shared goals to drive more business, create new accounts and protect our existing market share, is such a relief. Instead of running after a bunch of digital service providers, we have the Ballantine team working in lockstep with the Oswald team.  We share the same family business values, a commitment to providing the best service possible to our customers” Robert Oswald – Fourth Generation Owner of Oswald Supply

ITAC and Ballantine Digital look forward to continuing to refine and expand Oswald Supply’s digital marketing efforts, ensuring sustained growth and success in today’s competitive industrial supply market.