A growing focus on digital transformation has helped Barron Equipment, a Davenport- and Des Moines-based material handling equipment company, significantly expand its reach and customer engagement. With support from CIRAS, Barron overhauled its online presence, achieving a sixfold increase in monthly leads and measurable growth in new markets.
Barron specializes in industrial doors, truck equipment, and loading dock solutions. Until recently, the company’s digital presence did not fully align with its growth ambitions. Recognizing the need for improvement, Amanda Clark, marketing manager at Barron, sought assistance. Based on their needs, Neal Rabogliatti, a CIRAS third-party resource specializing in search engine optimization (SEO) and digital strategy connected Clark with CIRAS project manager Paul Gormley.
“We needed to make our website a more powerful tool for sales,” Clark said.
With Rabogliatti as the initial point of contact, Barron took a strategic approach to enhancing its digital footprint. His guidance, combined with CIRAS expertise and resources, helped Barron reorganize its website structure to better meet customers’ needs. By refining product categories and optimizing content, Barron targeted specific search terms aligned with customer purchasing behavior.
“We’ve built web personas based on data from our customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning systems,” Clark explained. “This helps us tailor our website to the people most likely to buy from us.”
After establishing a strong SEO and web optimization foundation, CIRAS project manager Paul Gormley worked with Barron to expand its digital strategy. CIRAS connected the company with partners to create Google ad campaigns targeting customers in Iowa and Illinois.
“We focused on promoting industrial doors as well as truck and loading dock equipment,” Clark said. “The results have been very positive, generating leads for our sales team and delivering a strong return on investment. A year ago, we were getting just a couple of leads per month through our site. Now, we receive 12 or 15 leads a month, and half of those are for doors.”
“Barron has made tremendous strides in digital marketing by leveraging CIRAS’ network and their own initiative,” Gormley said. “Our role is to ensure Iowa companies have access to vetted expertise they need to tackle whatever challenges they face.”
For more information, contact Paul Gormley at gormley@iastate.edu or 319-721-5357.