This case study was conducted by Polaris MEP, highlighting the outcomes Chris Sheehy attained when he owned Sidewalk Branding Co. (which we acquired in 2022) during an SEO campaign for a Rhode Island manufacturer. This work resulted in an additional revenue of over $500K within 18 months, attributed solely to search engine optimization (SEO). source
Company Profile
Orbetron, LLC was established in 2011 to fill a niche market: they work with clients to design, engineer and manufacture unique low-rate bulk material feeding systems that larger companies do not offer.
Originally founded in Wisconsin, the company moved to Rhode Island and maintains consistent focus on customer needs for bulk dry and liquid feeding equipment that will feed low rates (below 1 gram/hour). This led to the design and production of innovative feeders, including some that you could hold in your hand.
Situation
The team had approached marketing with the same attitude they took to solving customer challenges — Orbetron’s owners rolled up their sleeves, created a simple website themselves and drove growth primarily from personal networking. Magazine advertising had been expensive and disappointing.
As CEO Roger Hultquist said, “For us to expand our business, we had to get out of this realm of depending on the customers we already had. We needed to get into new markets.”
As a small business owner, you can’t do marketing yourself, if you truly want to grow. This is so much more complicated. And you can’t afford a large team in-house. Spend the money on someone who understands it. Working with Polaris MEP and Sidewalk Branding seemed seamless. SEO gets us in front of targets more effectively. Now, we are seeing benefits we would never have imagined.
Roger Hultquist | CEO, President, Co-Owner, Orbetron, LLC
Solution
Hultquist reached out to Polaris MEP after attending several informational events. We connected him with our partners, the digital marketing specialists from Sidewalk Branding. Sidewalk’s Chris Sheehy and his team emphasize function — how a website pulls in and captures new leads — over form.
Sidewalk put together a plan for web optimization that included:
Creating a new structure for the website that is optimized for search AND helps sales reps effectively show products to prospective clients
- Expanding Orbetron’s digital footprint with social media and video
- Implementing automated campaigns and lead tracking, online and off
- Developing engaging, search-optimized blog posts targeted to Orbetron’s priority verticals (Plastics, OEM and Pharmaceuticals)
Sidewalk’s search engine optimization (SEO) program prioritizes education and training for sustained results. Orbetron and Sidewalk meet monthly for content planning. What are the key messages, based on sales priorities? Where and how will that message be delivered?
Dylan Wilson, Orbetron’s marketing manager, has been instrumental in the program’s success. Wilson tenaciously applies the knowledge that Sidewalk’s team shares. Together they create fresh, optimized content every week with new blog posts every two weeks.
LinkedIn posts have been the most effective for capturing new followers. The team also is focusing on paid internet advertising through Google Ads for new lead acquisition. They are using those analytics to backfill and improve their organic search results.
The web messaging strategy was carried over to email marketing and sales. “Before, marketing was like tossing spaghetti to see if it would stick to the wall,” said Hultquist. “Now our messaging is streamlined and focused.”
The website structure now allows for cross-promotion, and because of that Orbetron also has been able to strengthen and build new partnerships.
Impacts
- Estimated additional $500k-$600k in annual sales.
- Hultquist said it took about nine months to see full benefits from the improving SEO.
- One SEO success came when a large global pharmaceutical company found the Rhode Island manufacturer by searching the web for a specific, niche keyword. The pharma buyer visited Orbetron’s updated web page devoted to that product and is now evaluating a customized low-rate feeder in an R&D environment.
- Expanded from a 1300 sq ft space in Cumberland to a 2000 sq ft space in Lincoln that includes a lab for materials testing, a loading dock, plus separate areas for mechanical and electronics.
- Formed partnership with Charlotte, NC-based company to promote liquid feeder.
- Gained access to additional sales reps who use website to show how products work.
- Solidified and retained sales through OEMs.
- Looking to hire additional employee.
[About Polaris MEP | About Orbetron]
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