Product Manufacturing

Seasonal Marketing: Success Story

Innovative Strategies Turn Seasonal Challenges into Online Success for a Trusted USA Manufacturer (2020-2024)

Executive Summary

Quick Overview

This case study details the online marketing journey of a trusted manufacturer in the USA, specializing in pet-safe winter products. The product categories include pet-safe, property-safe, people-safe ice melts, and ice/snow traction agents. Despite being popular in the USA, these seasonal products initially had limited online presence and traction. The study covers the period from 2020 to 2024, highlighting year-wise performance, challenges, impacts, results, and innovations.

Use Case Vision
The key focus of the project was developing a strong online brand presence in line with the market positioning of the company established over the years. ZYT helped the company envision the need for a strong online profile to address growing competition, leverage online opportunities and maintain its legacy leadership position.
Solution Impacts
Through intensive research, analytics and creative strategy implementation, ZYT helped the brand retain its brand positioning, scale sales and leverage new market opportunities effectively and sustainably (irrespective of the Covid pandemic situation).

Key Impacts

Traffic Trends In Last 3 Years

Company Background

About The Manufacturer

The company prioritizes absolute safety in every product it creates. Its offerings are designed to be safe for what customers value and for the planet, with no exceptions. As innovators, patent holders, and manufacturers of groundbreaking ice melt solutions, the company is dedicated to the future of sustainable products. This commitment is reflected in their daily efforts to make sustainability a reality.

The company's mission is straightforward: to replace harmful products with safe alternatives. Their goal is to become the most trusted manufacturer of environmentally safe products worldwide.

Product Range

The company offers a diverse range of products, including:

History of Innovation
Since its inception, the company has been committed to sustainability. In 1986, the founder obtained multiple patents for innovative ice melt solutions, which laid the foundation for their top-selling products. From its beginnings in 1986 to the present day, the company's commitment to innovation has remained steadfast. It continues to create products that are 100% safe, always prioritizing the well-being of pets, people, and property.
About the Founder and Inventor

The founder's vast experience spans from the construction of nuclear sites and the Alaskan pipeline to concrete surface protection and chemical manufacturing plants. In 1972, a bold vision led to the establishment of Engineered Design Products, channeling profound expertise into tailored chemical solutions for the manufacturing, construction, and environmental sectors.

Groundbreaking innovation led to the creation of a unique ice melt in 1982, addressing issues posed by existing products and earning its patent in 1986. Venturing further into safety solutions, another pet-safe, people-safe, and property-safe formulation was introduced in 1992, securing its patent in 2010.

While exploring new possibilities, 2018 marked the debut of a traction agent for icy situations, followed by another in 2019, underscoring an enduring dedication to ensuring safety.

Yearly Key Impacts & Observations

Strong foundation laid for future growth.

Challenge: No online traction from websites was evident, leading to limited digital presence and engagement.

Solutions:

  • Initiated comprehensive SEO setup and addressed technical corrections.
  • Created foundational content aimed at enhancing web presence and search visibility.
  • Focused on improving Google indexing and achieving better rankings.

Results:

  • Content Generation: 25 high-quality pieces were crafted to attract and inform potential customers.
  • Indexed Pages: Successfully indexed 305 pages, significantly boosting search engine visibility.
  • Impressions: Garnered an impressive 1.3 million impressions, indicating a strong potential reach.
  • Users: Attracted 89,000 users, laying the groundwork for future growth.
  • Business Connects: Achieved 28,000 business connects, demonstrating initial consumer interest and engagement.

By establishing a solid digital foundation in 2020, we set the stage for subsequent years of growth and innovation.

Content creation flourished with significant growth in indexed pages.

Challenge: Intense market competition and the need for enhanced online visibility.

Solutions:

  • Expanded the blog with diverse and engaging content.
  • Enhanced SEO strategies to improve search engine rankings and visibility.
  • Focused on content enrichment to provide valuable information to users.
  • Improved Google indexation and rankings through continuous optimization.

Results:

  • Content Generation: 500 high-quality pieces, a 1900% increase from the previous year.
  • Indexed Pages: Boosted to 1,100, a 260% increase.
  • Impressions: Achieved 4.4 million impressions, a 238% increase.
  • Users: Engaged 168,000 users, a 89% increase.
  • Business Connects: Recorded 24,900, a slight decrease from 2020, focusing on quality over quantity.

Witnessed peak clicks (214K) and users (231K) indicating maximum campaign reach.

Challenge: Sustaining growth momentum amidst market fluctuations and unpredictable weather patterns.

Solutions:

  • Continued to enrich content and upgrade SEO practices.
  • Expanded blog outreach through organic social media, email campaigns, and targeted ads.
  • Enhanced GEO targeting to include Canada, broadening the market reach.

Results:

  • Content Generation: 600 pieces, a 20% increase from 2021.
  • Indexed Pages: Increased to 3,000, a 173% increase.
  • Impressions: Surged to 9.1 million, a 107% increase.
  • Users: Attracted 256,000 users, a 52% increase.
  • Business Connects: Achieved 30,000 business connects, a 21% increase.

Strategic shift towards B2B outreach alongside potential market, tech, weather disruptions.

Challenge: Addressing potential market, new technology, and weather disruptions while transitioning towards B2B outreach.

Solutions:

  • Emphasized B2B outreach through organic social media, email campaigns, and LinkedIn marketing.
  • Integrated AI for enhanced content creation and SEO optimization.
  • Introduced ChatBot to improve customer interaction and support.
  • GEO targeting to include UK and Canada, broadening the market reach.

Results:

  • Content Generation: 1,300 pieces, a 117% increase from 2022.
  • Indexed Pages: Increased to 4,400, a 47% increase.
  • Impressions: Reached 8.7 million, a slight 4% decrease due to shifting focus.
  • Users: Engaged 195,000 users, a 24% decrease reflecting the strategic shift to B2B.
  • Business Connects: Achieved 18,400 business connects, a 39% decrease due to B2B focus.

Emphasizing AI, branding, and B2B strategies, with Google pivoting to AI, videos and voice search as traditional search-based B2C buying declines.

Challenges:

  • Seasonal Dependency: The products are highly dependent on winter weather, which affects demand variability.
  • Market Price Competition: Competing with cheaper, less pet-safe, eco-friendly products.
  • Decline in Traditional Google Searches and Traffic: Shifting consumer behavior towards new search methods.
  • New Outreach in Europe: Expanding into new markets presents logistical and marketing challenges.

Innovations and Impact

  • AI Integration: AI tools for content generation and customer engagement, enhancing the overall digital strategy.
  • SEO and Content Enrichment: Continuous improvement in SEO practices and content quality, leading to better online visibility and user engagement.
  • GEO Expansion: Targeted international markets (CA, UK) to diversify the customer base and increase market reach.
  • B2B Outreach: Strategic shift towards B2B marketing, leveraging organic social, email campaigns, and LinkedIn for bulk and distributorship connections.
  • Enhanced User Experience: Utilized ChatBots and conversational AI to improve customer interactions and support.

Expected Results:

  • Increased brand presence through YouTube, social media, and AI-powered apps.
  • Enhanced customer interaction via AI bots, videos, and voice search.
  • Growth in B2B and B2C channels with a robust distributor network.
About

As we step into a fast disrupting, evolving and transforming business economy globally, looking at short term security and protectionism could become your biggest long term threat. It's time to Probe, Pivot, Pilot...

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