How can a growing sustainable business thrive in an industry dominated by established-but-cheaper competitors?
Are big brands really willing to move to recycled packaging if it impacts their profits?
And can smart digital marketing strategies reach enterprise influencers who can make these types of decisions?
In this case study, we’ll share how our data-driven approach to SEO helped drive brand awareness, traffic and growth – helping our client go from niche to multi-national.
As an innovative, earth-friendly packaging company, EcoEnclose offered an exceptional product line – but lacked the in-house resources to pursue a comprehensive SEO campaign. Over the span of 3 years (and counting!) CanIRank and EcoEnclose have collaborated to expand their web footprint and their position as industry leaders, resulting in over 3,000 Page 1 rankings, Tier 1 press mentions, partnerships with some of the world’s most recognized brands – and proof that being environmentally-friendly can be big business, with heart.
The Challenge
- Innovative packaging company with a great product and mission, but a small web footprint
- In the process of a complete website redesign and platform migration
- Packaging is a stodgy, competitive industry, with well-established competition
It seems like just about every business these days talks a big game about how great they are for the environment, but in an era where online shopping is king, how sustainable your product is doesn’t matter if it’s shipped in layers of plastic and unrecycled cardboard. That’s where EcoEnclose comes in.
Lead by entrepreneur Saloni Doshi, EcoEnclose exists to create a world in which every business transaction takes place in a way that results in a net positive impact. They are constantly innovating and creating new, earth-conscious packaging that was previously thought to be impossible – a textbook example of when passion and product align for maximum differentiation.
Saloni graduated Magna Cum Laude from Princeton University with a B.S. in Operations Research and Financial Engineering. She holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
EcoEnclose was founded because they care deeply about the environment, and that sentiment is core to their entire operation. From founders to line workers, everything they do is for the betterment of the planet – they really do talk the talk and walk the walk. They aren’t satisfied to offer packaging that’s just more sustainable than the competition, they constantly strive to create the most eco-friendly packaging on the planet. Their commitment and dedication to the environment makes our job easier – with a clear mission and a passionate team, CanIRank’s transparent, data-driven approach to SEO makes for an ideal partnership.
While offering an extensive product line of sustainable packaging goods, EcoEnclose didn’t have an extensive website or many valuable rankings when we started our collaboration. You can have the best product in the world, but if your potential prospects don’t know about it, you’re not going to make a big impact (or much money). That’s where we came in. Our mission was to translate EcoEnclose’s passion and expertise into rankings, traffic, awareness, and most importantly, sales.
CanIRank’s Strategy-driven Solution
- Technical audit to ensure newly-launched website was built with SEO in mind at every level
- Implementation guidance to ensure SEO progress wasn’t lost
- Strategic, relevant content guidance
- Promotion of innovative new products
- Credibility-boosting with interviews, press mentions, and guest posts
- Data-driven content optimizations to ensure that each SEO focus area is aligned to gain keywords and relevant organic traffic
Every modern marketer understands that first impressions matter – so an out-dated website design can significantly impact your ability to grow your ecommerce business. At the start of our collaboration, the EcoEnclose site design hadn’t been updated in several years. To provide a user experience as innovative as their packaging products, we moved forward with a full website redesign, a platform migration to BigCommerce and a comprehensive SEO strategy.
Migrating to
If, like EcoEnclose, you have already invested in a custom, developer-built website, you might be nervous to migrate to another platform. Choosing a world-class ecommerce platform like BigCommerce can amplify the results of your online marketing efforts, while providing the kind of exceptional customer experiences that create long-term business relationships.
The Benefits of BigCommerce
Increased site speed
Real-time analytics dashboard
Robust inventory management
Trusted platform
Improved site search
Digital wallet
Social commerce
Built-in SEO
Simple bulk-pricing
Multi-currency payments support
Initial Launch Results
*Month following migration, compared to previous year
Transactions +80%
Revenue +95%
Quantity +262%
One Year Post-Launch
*Compared to post-initial launch metrics
Transactions +88%
Revenue +88%
Quantity +78%
Overall, Revenue increased 269% over a 2-year period.
We were there from the beginning, and our technical consultants helped guide the transition from what looked like a site with out-dated design to the present iteration, without losing any existing rankings, domain authority, or backlinks. From there, CanIRank’s mission was to not only support EcoEnclose’s continuous improvement and innovation in product development, but to ensure that the rest of the world knew about it. That’s where our promotions and content team members stepped in.
One of our key strategies here was to develop content briefs to help guide their content towards topics and keywords we knew relevant people and businesses were out there searching for. The CanIRank team used our software’s AI-powered keyword research tool to create a digital content strategy. We channeled EcoEnclose’s unparalleled expertise in sustainability into articles that were at once helpful, often-searched, and likely to lead to sales.
At the same time, promotional consultants got the word out about new product innovations from increased recycled content in existing products to entirely new product lines. They crafted press releases, reached out to journalists in the sustainability space, and much, much more. The product innovation was the important part, but if a new product is developed in a forest (that will help to save said forest), and no one is around to write about it, is it going to make an impact?
Beyond driving awareness about new products and increasingly eco-friendly packaging, CanIRank’s goal was to leverage EcoEnclose’s expertise to turn them into the go-to source for questions about sustainability, packaging, and everything in between.
They had the knowledge, we just found the outlets for them to deliver it. Because they really do practice what they preach, it was far easier to establish EcoEnclose as a thought leader in the industry. They’re able to answer the big questions about the technicalities of packaging, sustainability and the environment. They respond to inquiries with real stats and information, which in turn further built links, authority, and general trust.
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Our prime focus, especially early on in the campaign, was to secure founder features and interviews. This was crucial to establishing EcoEnclose and their team as industry leaders in sustainability and packaging solutions.
The next step was to create promotable and informative content. EcoEnclose values both sustainability and transparency over everything else. So an entire Eco Resource Center was created to help combat greenwashing and inform others about everything they could possibly want to know about packaging options. Is a compostable or recycled mailer better? What’s the difference between plastic and bioplastic? How does EcoEnclose define eco-friendly? And so much more. Then, through targeted page promotions, we found outlets that wanted to link to mention these resources.
We also consistently land journalist inquiries (HARO), roundup mentions, and guest posts. As a now established thought leader, Saloni continues to be featured in podcasts and webinars, helping to inform other business leaders about sustainability practices.
As the old saying goes, a rising tide lifts all ships. As the CanIRank team’s promotions wins began to add up, so too did EcoEnclose’s average rankings and traffic. EcoEnclose was landing quotes, interviews and guest posts, and CEO Saloni Doshi was firmly positioned as an industry leader in sustainability and ecommerce packaging. As authority rose, the effectiveness of standard optimizations also increased, thereby boosting their rankings even further. (Psst… Google eco-friendly packaging and see what happens.)
Key SEO Campaign Results (so far)
Beginning with a content and promotions strategy that grew referring domains from around 150 to over 1,500, the rest of the results followed suit. In 3 years, CanIRank delivered over 100% year-over-year revenue growth and organic rankings growth, and EcoEnclose went from 2,500 rankings in 2017 to over 13,500 in 2020. EcoEnclose now regularly receives at least 5 inbound requests per month from well-known brands looking for exceptionally large orders.
“CIR has helped me see SEO as a natural outgrowth of establishing and strengthening our brand – which is rooted in thought leadership and strong content. Because of this, we now see CIR not just as an SEO company, but as a true marketing partner”
“We’ve worked with many other outside agencies and CIR has been – hands down – the most organized, systematic and execution-oriented. Goal-oriented plans are developed and the team always follows through with these plans, with a focus on measuring outcomes and success. CIR has also been the most flexible and the team is able / willing to adapt as our own organizational goals change. This is largely due to the fact that they have such a diverse team in terms of their skill set – ranging from deep technical experience to graphic design to content development.”
– Saloni Doshi
EcoEnclose
Marketing That Communicates Your Brand Story
Too often, brand-building and digital campaigns don’t go hand-in-hand, but when they do, the results speak for themselves. Good search engine optimization isn’t about keyword-stuffing, spammy backlinks or trying to outsmart the Google algorithm. (In fact, those dark-grey-hat tactics are more likely to hurt you in the long run. If you’re looking to start an online store, don’t get fooled by agencies that aren’t on the up and up.) When an SEO campaign is done right, it’s about communicating a brand’s vision, showcasing their expertise, and positioning them where they ought to be, both in terms of search engines and in their industries as a whole.
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