HOW UNITED ELECTRIC CONTROLS INCREASED LEADS IN CHINA, LATIN AMERICA, AND BRAZIL
If you want to sell more products and services online, you can't sit back and pray that buyers will stumble across your website, especially when it comes to international customers.
To attract more leads online, United Electric Controls worked with IBT Online to develop a proactive strategy for the Chinese, Latin American, and Brazilian markets. IBT Online delivered a customized solution, including three localized websites and search engine advertising. A year later, UEC is seeing more leads than ever before and achieving click-through rates on their websites that are consistently above the industry average.
"Working with IBT Online has been a fantastic experience, the quality of work has been high. The IBT team is very responsive with value-added inputs." - Julian Yeo, Strategic Marketing Manager.
Read more to learn the specific strategy IBT Online developed for the company and how it's paying off for UEC.
FOCUSING ON THE BUYER'S JOURNEY
A significant percentage of the buyer's journey is completed before reaching out to a sales department person. Most buyers do extensive research and homework before they purchase, and most of this happens online. A seller's website, digital footprint, and ranking on search engines is critical to success, especially when doing business abroad.
UEC realized they needed to focus on their international buyer’s online journey to increase export sales. UEC is a manufacturer of industrial safety instrumentation such as wireless gas detectors, pressure and temperature switches, and transmitters used in the oil, gas, chemical, power, water, and wastewater industries. The company is based just outside of Boston, Massachusetts.
They have a partner network that spans the globe in more than 100 countries, but they still had trouble getting found online by potential customers overseas.
Julian Yeo, Strategic Marketing Manager, was looking to expand the company's online marketing presence when he discovered IBT Online through the Massachusetts Export Development Program. UEC decided to partner with the IBT Online to enhance its virtual footprint. IBT Online has now developed three international websites in three languages to serve their brand in Latin America (Brazillian Portuguese and Spanish) and Asia (Mandarin). IBT Online also manages UEC's online promotions in Asia and Latin America on an ongoing basis.
IBT Online is committed to helping US companies grow their exports, brand, and business internationally through the Online Global Initiative. This program has achieved national recognition for IBT Online. In 2020 the organization earned the President's "E" Award for its contribution to the expansion of US exports. "Throughout my experience with them, says Yeo, "IBT Online has consistently demonstrated that they are committed to their client's success, and I think that is what makes them stand out."
WEBSITE LOCALIZATION : SO MUCH MORE THAN TRANSLATION
UEC’s three international websites look the same on the surface, but there’s so much more behind the scenes. Check them out here:
Potential customers in Latin America use and explore websites much differently than those in the US. The same is true for buyers in Asia. Merely translating the text into Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin was not going to work. UEC's online presence had to "talk the talk AND walk the walk" of their potential customers.
That's where IBT Online came in. They built and coded each website's back end, so they are specifically tailored to each market. Now the localized websites look and function like modern, easy-to-navigate websites in Latin America and Asia. They have a look and feel that local buyers are familiar with and can trust as they research products online.
"So far, the partnership with IBT has yielded good results for UEC." Yeo states, "from a brand awareness standpoint, we now have localized websites in some of our target markets."
GETTING FOUND ON SEARCH ENGINES
UEC and IBT Online have taken the strategy one step further - they launched international marketing campaigns to drive more quality traffic, further increase engagement and conversions to their new localized websites through search engine advertising.
Remember, a significant amount of the buyer's journey happens online while they are researching. Buyers turn to search engines to start their research. The goal here is to catch their eye and captivate their attention FIRST before they "click" on a competitor's website. A search engine advertising strategy is crucial for achieving website page views and clicks.
IBT Online now manages UEC's search advertising strategy for their international markets. As a result, Yeo says, "Click-thru rates are consistently above the industry average."
When potential buyers are clicking on the website, this is where the magic happens! They start to learn about the products and services offered, and the door is now opened for the sales team to close the deal.
INCREASED WEBSITE TRAFFIC YIELDS AN INCREASE IN LEADS
A localized website and the right search engine advertising strategy can improve website traffic in just a few months. This strategy has proved to be effective in increasing leads for UEC, thus expanding their sales pipeline. Now, international buyers are finding UEC's websites, checking out their products - and most importantly - buying.
“We have seen our pageviews increase multiple-fold, with at least 80% of website visitors being new visitors. We’ve also seen a marked increase in the number of leads coming from our international websites,” says Yeo. “I highly recommend IBT as a partner for any company, and any Massachusetts company, that is looking to build their digital presence effectively and expand their international presence worldwide."
Whether you are ready to talk about how IBT Online can help YOU grow your exports, sales, brand, and business globally, or whether you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch!
