CASE STUDY

WIKA Instrument, LP, with U.S. headquarters in Lawrenceville, Georgia, is the worldwide leader in global pressure and temperature instrumentation. Founded in Frankfurt-Griesheim in 1946, today the company comprises 40 offices and more than 7,000 employees worldwide.

EnVeritas Group (EVG) began its work with WIKA in 2012. The companies today engage in an ongoing relationship, with EVG functioning as the content creation and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) arms of WIKA’s marketing department.

CHALLENGESAccording to Jason McClain, Senior Group Marketing Manager, WIKA’s challenges with content marketing were many years in the making. “Like many manufacturers of non-consumer goods, especially in mature B2B industries, WIKA had a content deficit. We had slipped into producing spec sheets and product brochures. In other words, we were just present in our markets with products, which almost always contributes to commoditization and competing on price,” recalls McClain.

A content strategy was developed around discussing insights about trends and resulting industry needs. This strategy coincided with WIKA’s launch of a professional services group that provides instrument audits and safety training, both of which are growing in demand from industries with large numbers of retiring baby-boomers. “Without research and compelling content, we didn’t really have a narrative to explain what unique value we offered,” continues McClain. “Despite the fact that our services are needed, just creating the team and structure wasn’t enough. We had to engage in the narratives driving trends and realities on the ground.”

WIKA Instrument Corporation, LP

CHALLENGESFocus was on producing spec sheets and product brochures. As a result, quality content was unavailable to site visitors. The company’s content was lacking the narrative that is necessary to explain the unique value of its services.

SOLUTIONSWIKA partnered with EnVeritas Group to develop and implement an effective content strategy.

RESULTS2011-2012- Keyword conversion

up 1962%- Total visitors up 32%- Conversion rate for

RFQs up 46%

2012-2013- Total visitors up 48%- Social media

engagement up 230%- New blog grew to

>800 visitors after first two months of publishing

The result of focusing solely on product catalogs and content was a low share of voice in search engine results. In addition, even if visitors came to the site, few pieces of content existed to help guide plant engineers, buyers and maintenance teams to the right products.

SOLUTIONSPartnering with WIKA’s marketing team, EVG developed a content strategy that focused on positioning WIKA as a solutions provider. The content strategy was also designed to ensure page-one positions in search engine results for valuable keywords, which would help put WIKA in front of more decision makers.

To serve these strategies, EVG began by performing site and industry-wide gap analyses to determine the best communications channels that would drive results. Guided by WIKA and augmented by EVG research, the EVG team then developed a content calendar that included: customer-focused articles for the website; the creation of a blog focusing on trends aligned to WIKA’s campaigns; and writing new or rewriting existing landing pages for SEO support and readability.

In addition, the EVG team monitored news and conversations while revitalizing WIKA’s social media presence. The aim of this activity was not social media presence “for the sake of doing it,” but to provide WIKA’s overall audience, including their distributor partners, with links to value-adding content being created by WIKA or reported by industry news sources. The social media channels also had the strategic use of providing high-quality links back to WIKA’s newly created content for SEO purposes.

RESULTSAs a result of the content marketing focus, WIKA experienced an upsurge in online activity – both in number of visitors and conversion of those visitors in potential customers requesting quotes for projects. In the first year, non-branded search engine keyword conversion rose nearly 2000%, an achievement underlining the lack of value-adding content industry wide and a result that stressed the continued need for customer-focused content.

“Like many manufacturers of non-consumer goods, especially in mature B2B industries, WIKA had a content deficit. We had slipped into producing spec sheets and product brochures. In other words, we were just present in our markets with products, which almost always contributes to commoditization and competing on price,” recalls McClain.

“Without research and creating compelling content, we didn’t really have a narrative to explain what unique value we offered,” continues McClain. “Despite the fact that our services are needed, just creating the team and structure wasn’t enough. We had to engage in the narratives driving trends and realities on the ground.”

“You absolutely need relevant and timely content to become a thought leader in any B2B industry, but becoming a thought leader is just a means to an end—and that end is customer loyalty,” McClain stresses. “Customers need insights and help navigating issues and solutions, and now that WIKA can provide content around their needs, customers and potential customers have reasons to believe that WIKA can serve them best.”

The content strategy developed for WIKA also has tangential benefits, like providing their sales team with a steady flow of content to help generate conversations with customers. In addition, the content has garnered the attention of key distributors, who note WIKA’s value-adding messaging and new services as the top reasons why they decided to sign contracts to become their exclusive instrumentation provider.

“Some executives scoff at the idea that content can help convert visitors into customers,” concludes McClain. “EVG has helped us prove that customer-focused content opens doors many times faster than just having a product brochure that looks and sounds like all others.”

OBJECTIVE•Act as an offshoot of WIKA Instruments’

marketing department to develop need-it-now, industry-relevant content that affects decision-makers’ actions/conversion rates.

•Write on- and off-site collateral to educate and empower end users (plant engineers, buyers, distributers).

•Drive relevant traffic to the website through creation of technically specific content, and track those visitors’ actions.

•Keep brand top of mind and increase share of voice across platforms through targeted content strategy and creation as well as concrete thought leadership.

•Create quality content for WIKA’s new blog, incorporating quality links to the main WIKA site.

•Maintain social media sites with interesting, audience-centric content and increase audience engagement.

STRATEGY & SOLUTIONS•EVG performed site- and industry-wide gap

analyses to determine the best course for WIKA’s content strategy, maintaining a flexible approach throughout the duration of the campaign.

•EVG created both on- and off-site articles to boast content arsenal, and to drive qualified traffic to the WIKA US website.

•EVG monitored industry trends, conversations, and news; used that information to drive social media campaigns.

•EVG performed site, social and keyword analysis to track and report on campaign results.

RESULTS•Keyword conversion (2012 vs. 2011) up 1962% •Total visitors (2012 vs. 2011) up 32%•Conversion rate for RFQs (2012 vs. 2011) up 46%•Total visitors (2013 vs. 2012) up 48%•Social media audience engagement

(2013 vs. 2012) up 230%•New blog earned over 800 visitors in the first

two months after publishing start

EnVeritas Group, Inc. 9 LeGrand Boulevard, Greenville, SC 29607864.241.0779 - info@enveritasgroup.com - www.enveritasgroup.com

“You absolutely need relevant and timely content to become a thought leader in any B2B industry, but becoming a thought leader is just a means to an end—and that end is customer loyalty,” McClain stresses. “Customers need insights and help navigating issues and solutions, and now that WIKA can provide content around their needs, customers and potential customers have reasons-to-believe that WIKA can serve them best.”