Strategic Response

To tackle this challenge, the company embarked on a comprehensive 18-month digital transformation, implementing a suite of solutions to modernize its sales and marketing capabilities. Key components of the strategic response included:

Website & E-Commerce Overhaul: The outdated brochure-style website was completely rebuilt into a modern, mobile-responsive web portal with full e-commerce functionality. Over 20,000 SKUs of hydraulic and pneumatic components were cataloged in an online store, complete with advanced filtering, search, and rich product data. This massive effort ensured that engineers and buyers could quickly find parts by specifications or part numbers and purchase them directly online. The new site improved user experience and enabled 24/7 self-service purchasing, a stark change from the previous phone-order system.
 

Content Development & SEO: An extensive content marketing initiative was launched to drive organic traffic and educate customers. Dozens of new pages were written to showcase product lines, the industries served, and detailed FAQs addressing common technical questions. Each piece was optimized for search engines, targeting keywords that industrial buyers use. The content strategy included application notes and case studies to establish authority, and optimization of meta tags and site structure to improve rankings. As a result, the company began capturing search queries it had never ranked for before, from general terms like “hydraulic pump repair” to long-tail queries about specific high-pressure systems.
 

Brand-Focused Landing Pages: To capitalize on the company’s role as an authorized distributor for major OEM brands, dedicated landing pages were created for each key manufacturer line (valves, pumps, actuators, etc.). These pages highlighted the OEM’s products available, complete with brochures and specs, and were optimized for branded part numbers and queries. This tactic ensured that when customers searched for a specific brand or model, they would find the supplier’s page immediately. In this case, the new brand hubs greatly increased organic traffic – brand-related page visits jumped 350% – indicating that many buyers previously unaware of the company were now discovering it when searching for OEM parts.
 

Targeted Search Advertising: Alongside organic SEO, the company invested in paid search campaigns to capture immediate high-intent traffic. Pay-per-click ads were launched on Google and Bing targeting both brand part numbers (to ensure the company’s result appeared above aggregators or competitors) and generic industry terms like “hydraulic cylinder repair” and “industrial pump replacement.” These campaigns drove qualified visitors to the new site from day one. By focusing on niche keywords and the specific terminology used by MRO professionals, the ads achieved high relevance and click-through rates. Crucially, budgets were optimized toward keywords with proven conversion intent (e.g. searches including “buy”, “supplier”, or specific part IDs), maximizing the efficiency of ad spend.
 

Lead Qualification & CRM Integration: Implementing an influx of new leads required upgrading internal processes. A CRM system (customer relationship management) was deployed to capture and track all inbound inquiries from the website, live chat, and phone. Contact forms were redesigned and routing rules put in place so that each lead – especially high-value RFQs – were instantly delivered to the appropriate sales or technical team based on product interest or region. An inbound lead tracking software scored and filtered inquiries, helping the sales team prioritize genuinely hot leads. This automation ensured no inquiry fell through the cracks and enabled timely follow-up, which is critical given that online leads can go cold quickly if not engaged. By optimizing the contact intake and qualification process, the company saw a dramatic improvement in lead-to-opportunity conversion rates, as sales reps could focus on the most promising opportunities first.
 

Rich Media & Retargeting: To enhance engagement, a variety of multimedia content was developed. Professional product photography gave the online catalog a consistent, high-quality look, and exploded-view diagrams and spec sheets were added for technical depth. Short demo videos and animations were produced to explain complex fluid power concepts and showcase key products in action. These visual aids helped build trust and clarity for engineers evaluating components online. Additionally, the company launched retargeting campaigns to re-engage visitors who had shown interest but not yet converted. Display ads and email remarketing would present these prospects with relevant content (e.g. a case study about reducing downtime with the company’s products or an offer for a consultation). By staying top-of-mind with interested buyers, the company nurtured leads over a longer sales cycle, eventually guiding many to request quotes or place orders.
 

Trade Show Integration: Rather than treating trade shows as isolated events, the new strategy wove digital tactics into pre- and post-show activities. Prior to major industry exhibitions, targeted email and LinkedIn campaigns informed existing customers and prospects that the company would be present, highlighting new products to see at the booth. This pre-show marketing helped set up meetings and drove booth traffic. During the shows, the company promoted a special landing page for attendees (e.g. to download a show-specific promo or catalog) to capture contact info. Those contacts were fed into the CRM for immediate follow-up. After the event, attendees who visited the booth were retargeted with ads and emails containing relevant content (such as application guides or product selection tools discussed at the show). This coordinated approach maximized the ROI of trade shows by ensuring leads generated offline were systematically nurtured online afterwards.

Business Impact

The transformation yielded impressive business results, fundamentally strengthening the company’s competitive position and sales performance:

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Sales Growth: Annual revenue surged from $15 million to $35 million in just 18 months – an increase of over 130%. This explosive growth far outpaced historical trends and was directly attributable to new digital revenue streams and a larger sales pipeline. Notably, the company achieved this growth without adding a proportionate number of sales staff, indicating much higher productivity per rep thanks to digital enablement.
 

Qualified Leads: Inbound qualified leads tripled, filling the top of the funnel with far more opportunities than before. The combination of SEO, content marketing, and paid ads dramatically expanded the pool of prospects contacting the company. Moreover, the quality of leads improved as well – many inquiries were highly specific (e.g. referencing a part number or product found via the website) and came from buyers ready to engage.
 

Web Traffic: Overall website traffic doubled (a 100% increase) compared to the pre-project baseline, indicating a vastly improved digital footprint. The site’s enhanced content and SEO meant the company appeared in many more search results, attracting new visitors from across the country. Importantly, the traffic was not only larger in volume but also more relevant – analytics showed a higher share of visitors from the target industries and roles (procurement, engineering, maintenance). This expansion in reach raised brand awareness in the fluid power market and continuously feeds the lead generation engine. Indeed, such growth in online visibility is often a precursor to big gains in revenue for manufacturers.
 

E-Commerce Adoption: Roughly 18% of all sales are now processed directly through the new e-commerce portal – a remarkable shift for a business that previously had zero online transactions. Customers have embraced the convenience of online ordering for standard parts, and notably, the average order value is 33% higher for e-commerce orders than for traditional phone orders. This reflects that buyers often purchase more when using the streamlined digital storefront (for instance, adding related items or ordering in bulk after browsing) – a trend consistent with industry observations that online channels encourage larger baskets via upselling. The higher online AOV also contributes positively to the bottom line due to increased efficiency per transaction.
 

Brand Engagement: Traffic to the new brand-focused landing pages increased 350%, indicating significantly greater engagement with the featured OEM product lines. The company successfully captured demand from customers specifically searching for those brands and their replacement parts. This not only generated direct sales for those items, but also introduced many new customers to the company’s broader catalog. The strengthened relationships with key OEMs (thanks to showcasing their products online) have also led to co-marketing opportunities and improved supplier terms, further enhancing the company’s product offerings for end customers.
 

Overall, the digital transformation delivered a step-change in business performance. The company evolved from a traditional sales model into a modern, omni-channel seller that caters to the needs of today’s industrial buyers. Procurement managers and engineers now benefit from a frictionless experience – they can find detailed technical information, compare options, and order parts with ease, day or night. Internally, the sales and marketing teams have real-time insights and tools to nurture leads more effectively, instead of relying solely on cold calls or personal networks.

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This case demonstrates how embracing e-commerce and data-driven marketing can unlock tremendous growth for an industrial supplier. In a competitive B2B landscape where buyers conduct extensive online research and prefer self-service options, the investment in digital capabilities has paid off in both immediate sales and long-term customer loyalty. By transitioning to a digitally enabled model, this fluid power company not only achieved outstanding revenue growth, but also built a scalable platform for future expansion, ensuring it remains a go-to resource for MRO buyers in the years to come.