New Era Excavation (NEE) is not your average excavation company. Renowned for precise craftsmanship and groundbreaking work —literally (see for yourself on their Dirt Ninja YouTube channel). But NEE faced a disconnect. Their online presence didn’t mirror the high caliber of their on-the-ground operations. With ambitions to dominate the excavation landscape further, NEE partnered with my team to transform their digital façade into a robust platform that reflects their market leadership and attracts and converts the kind of challenging, premium projects they live for.
“The whole process and the end result, I think was great. I mean, I really love the site. You guys really listened to us. That’s what I liked, because I’ve worked with some other marketing agencies for my social media stuff and I fired them within a week or two just because they didn’t listen and they didn’t take the time to get to know us and they had a vision of what it should be before they even started talking to me. I didn’t feel like that with you guys. I felt like you really got to know us. And then obviously we provided some visions, but you guys really kind of took it from there and made it what it is. And that’s what I think made it worthwhile with you guys. And I didn’t really have any problem writing the final check to you.”
Challenges:
Despite their strong reputation, NEE’s website was surprisingly underwhelming:
- Lackluster Website: The outdated website was doing them no favors. It failed to showcase the complexity and scale of NEE’s capabilities and they were embarrassed to share it with prospects.
- SEO Preservation: NEE’s website had been around long enough to generate a satisfactory amount of consistent leads and they needed a partner that was capable of preserving their existing search rankings during the digital overhaul.
- Unclear Brand Messaging: There was a critical need to dial-in their brand narrative to resonate with their new target market and align with their strategic business goals.
Solution:
Our approach was twofold, meticulously crafting a brand strategy before revamping their online presence.
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- Strategic Brand Refinement:
- Mining for Gold: We kicked off with an in-depth exploration of NEE’s target audience, competitive edge, and long-term aspirations.
- Clarification and Articulation: Insights gleaned were distilled into a comprehensive Brand Messaging Foundations Guide, ensuring all website content and future marketing communications would be consistent, clear, and strategically aligned.
- Digital Presence Overhaul:
- Visual Identity Enhancement: We upgraded the visual brand elements to boost brand recall and distinctiveness.
- SEO Integrity: Rigorous planning ensured their search rankings were not only preserved but primed for future boosts.
- Engaging Website Strategy: We developed a rich website content strategy that included detailed case studies and a dynamic project gallery. This not only highlighted NEE’s capability to tackle complex projects but also aimed to improve engagement with potential high-value clients.
- Strategic Brand Refinement:
“I mean, I think we had the messaging in our heads, but it never was conveyed anywhere. I just felt like we didn’t know how to say it or how to write it or anything like that. And just going through the process with you really made it evident to us what the messaging needed to be. And then obviously you tied it all together great, I think, with the actual written messages that are all over the site now and in that brand messaging guide that you gave us.”
“I just feel like if we hired some, just a website person, but we said, oh, yeah, we’re gonna provide all the images and wording for the website, it wouldn’t have been anywhere close to what we came up with with you guys.”
Implementation:
Led by insights from deep consultations with NEE, we undertook the creation of a tailored website that resonated with high-end clients and accurately represented NEE’s capabilities. The process involved:
- Collaborative Workshops: These sessions helped extract and refine the core values and selling propositions of NEE, ensuring the team fully understood and could articulate NEE’s market differentiators.
- Iterative Design Process: The website’s design and functionality were shaped through a series of iterative reviews, ensuring every element met the strategic objectives and aesthetic standards set out at the project’s commencement.
Results:
The overhaul of NEE’s digital presence brought about transformative results:
- Elevated Professional Image: The new website significantly enhanced NEE’s professional image, instilling pride within their team and confidence among potential clients.
- Sustained Lead Generation: The transition to the new site was seamless, with no disruption in lead generation — in fact, the quality of leads improved.
- Successful Client Acquisition: The enhanced online presence and direct links to featured projects facilitated the acquisition of new clients, particularly in the high-end market segments NEE was targeting.
- Extended Booking Timeline: Reflecting increased demand and client trust, NEE’s booking timeline extended significantly, seeing them booked out months in advance and marking an unusual but welcome achievement in their sector.
“I love the website. I’ve actually gotten a lot of feedback from people saying they like the website. It’s been working great and we’re still getting leads from it. We’re proud to show this website off. The old one was not a great representation of who we are or what we do, but the new one is. And I really like how we did all the featured projects, because those are some of our most impressive projects. So being able to send our prospects not only to the website, but the direct link to that project, has been very helpful in showcasing the work and in telling that customer the type of projects that we can do.”
“I definitely think the cost was justified. I really think we have a kickass site right now and we set the site up to easily update it in the future and maintain it with you guys, which was important to us because I didn’t want it to fall to the wayside like our last site and not updated. Now we’ll be able to keep up with it, adding new photos and projects and stuff.”
Ready to Transform Your Online Presence?
Just like New Era Excavation, your business deserves a digital platform that reflects your expertise and captivates your target audience. Don’t let an undifferentiated brand and website hold you back. Schedule your Brand Pathfinder session with us today, and let’s chart a course towards a website that not only looks exceptional but also drives your business forward.