Industry: Safety Matches
Services Offered: Website Design, SEO, Google Ads
Business Type: B2B
Country: India
Website Platform: Angular
For decades, safety matches have been an indispensable item for various types of applications in households and commercial day-to-day use worldwide. Since this product is always in demand and has great potential, it also faces stiff competition. One 75-year-old company decided to grow at a faster pace than its competitors through innovation, superior quality, improvement in brand value, better customer services, and aggressive market penetration. We would like to share a success story on how this company achieved remarkable growth and success, and the key strategies it employed to gain a competitive edge in the industry.
Challenges
One of India’s oldest safety match manufacturers approached us to discuss the possibility of substantially increasing business opportunities through digital marketing. They were interested in establishing a presence in certain countries where they had not made any sales so far, despite their competitors having excellent revenue from these countries. During a video conference with our team, the client also discussed the following concerns.
- Intense competition
The safety match industry is full of competition, with both unorganized and large-scale companies involved in this business. As a result, there is a vast difference in pricing, quality standards, and product packaging. While top brands command premium prices, small-scale manufacturers have an advantage in pricing. The main challenge for us was to position the company as a trustworthy brand that could command premium prices. This could be achieved by highlighting the company’s unique selling propositions (USPs) and effectively communicating their value proposition to the target market.
- Seasonal Demand
The company was facing inconsistent or seasonal demand as it was operating in certain geographic areas where there were demand spikes during festivals and particular seasons. This was mainly happening because the company had limited business territories, resulting in underutilization of the plant during certain periods of the year.
- Limited Distribution Channel
The company had a distribution channel and retail presence, but due to the vast market, it was not possible to physically approach all untapped areas and generate inquiries.
- Low Percentage of Sale on Corporate or Customized Orders
There is a big market for safety matches where corporates are buying customized matches with their own brand name. However, this company had very limited corporate or OEM buyers, despite having the latest infrastructure to meet any demand.
Solution
We identified areas of improvement to establish a solid online presence for the unprecedented growth of the company. Before starting the digital marketing campaign, we needed to make the website presentable and informative in order to generate business opportunities. The following solutions were offered and implemented after a detailed conference call with the client.
- Redesign of website
The old website had very low screen resolutions and was not responsive in design. The product range, packaging, and other details were also outdated, and the website speed was not optimized. We redesigned the website on the Angular platform, which is powered by Google and offers excellent security and fast downloading. After the redesign, the website became super-fast compared to all competitors with a good online presence. We added the latest information, pictures, USP, and several user-friendly features, including a chat option on the website, to provide the best user experience.
- Google Search Ads
To establish a presence in untapped areas, we launched an aggressive Google Ads campaign. In the ad content, we focused on attracting distributors, corporate third-party manufacturing, and original equipment (OE) customers in the target area. We created separate ad campaigns and search terms for different target markets.
- SEO Services
Long-term business prospects can be improved with SEO, as safety matches have a market all over the world. Many of our competitors are doing business in areas unknown to our client. SEO can also help maintain consistency in the business by expanding the customer base to prospective areas, applications, and segments. SEO is a proven technology for establishing a global presence in a cost-effective way. Since the client wanted faster and more sustainable results, we offer the Ultimate SEO package, which includes technical SEO as well. The Ultimate package is 100% customizable.
Website Traffic Progress with Organic and Paid Campaigns with Increased Visibility
Organic Search Traffic Progress on Month on Month Basis within a short span of 3 months time.
Monthly All Traffic including New Users, Number of Sessions per User, Pageviews, Pages/Session, and New Visitors Increased (84.2%)
Goal Conversions Progress Increased with Effective Website Promotion Strategy in a short duration
Google Ads Performance Overview
Website Started to Get Searches with the Most Relevant Search Queries for their Business as per Google Search Console
In a Quarter Website got 33600 Total Impressions with 740 Different Search Queries
Website Started Appearing in 190 Countries within a short span of 3 Months as per Google Search Console
Outcome
Staying competitive and moving faster than others in the safety match industry requires a strong online presence. That’s why, on our recommendation, the client invested in a website redesign, Google search ads, and SEO simultaneously. Within no time, the client started enjoying the fruits of their decision.
We observed that a content-rich, attractive, fast-loading, and responsive website increased the total time spent on the website significantly and drastically reduced the bounce rate. At the same time, there was a sharp spike in mobile users.
Targeted Google search ads campaign to reach customers who are searching for safety matches gave instant results, as the website had an attractive layout, latest information, and online chat support. All of these factors helped our client attract more qualified leads and achieve excellent conversions.
The choice of our client for the Ultimate SEO package proved to be a game changer. The website started appearing on Google search results with top rankings, and many new keywords started listing and claiming higher rankings as days went by. We believe this success is due to the website design on the latest platform and powerful technical SEO. In fact, the client secured sizable deals within the first few months, along with a good number of distributor inquiries and a few possibilities for third-party manufacturing. We are happy to note that all of these inquiries were from new geographical areas that had potential but were never explored.
Competitors who have a presence in search engines also recognized the entry of our client into the digital world, and they became more aggressive. The competition boosted our energy, and we started applying strategies in more innovative ways, both in SEO and Google ads.
While the company started getting business from different geographical areas, their concerns about cyclical business, where they used to incur heavy overheads during the off-season, were alleviated. As each territory has different types of festivals and seasons, they also gained consistency in business.
Following the implementation of the effective SEO strategy and Google Ads, traffic started increasing month on month basis, which was very low as the safety match market segment is very precise. Website started appearing in Google First Page with Most competitive keywords like “Safety Matches”, “Match Stick Boxes”, “custom safety matches”, “Matchstick Manufacturer” and many more. Website Goal Conversions and Lead Generation also significantly increased with SEO and Google Search Ads campaigns. Website started to get searches with the most relevant search queries for their business as per google search console in a quarter website got 33600 total impressions with 740 different search queries. Website started appearing in 190 countries within a short span of 3 months as per google search console.
Conclusion
When we make decisions with confidence and receive outcomes beyond expectations, it always fuels determination. Staying competitive requires constant innovation and willingness to adapt to changes as per market conditions. With a strong online presence and commitment to excellence, the organization becomes more confident in meeting the challenges ahead, and continues to grow and thrive in the years to come.
Proper use of technology always pays handsome dividends. To utilize it in the optimum way, you need to have the right type of team that can explore all available features. We are excited to continue building on this success and exploring new opportunities to grow and innovate with the redesign of the website, Google search ads, and SEO efforts in the safety match industry.