> Increase of 300,00 visitors per month = top site in the category

The client: The Concrete Network

The situation:
The Concrete Network is a company that provides information about residential concrete products and services and helps buyers and sellers connect. It targets consumers who might want to plan and build a concrete patio, pool deck, or driveway (business-to-consumer), as well as concrete contractors (business-to-business).

The company had been using search engine optimization techniques as well as search engine advertising to reach new customers, but wanted to drive even more traffic to the company Web site. Before working with David, The Concrete Network site averaged 550,000 visitors per month (in 2005).

Jim Peterson, CEO of The Concrete Network, brought David in to work with him and his colleagues to develop a program of Online News Releases that Reach Buyers Directly. David created a news release strategy (including releases with headlines that are tied to holidays, releases that are on the humorous side, and educational releases), built an editorial calendar, drafted initial news releases, and developed a program that Concrete Network marketing people could manage themselves.

The ongoing thought leadership program includes at least one direct-to-consumer news release each week. Each promotes articles on the site; free online catalogs for categories such as countertops, pool decks, patios, and driveways; and photo galleries for potential customers to check out what is available.

The result:
The company's existing Web content, combined with the comprehensive direct-to-consumer news release strategy, drives business for The Concrete Network. In 2006, the site averaged 850,000 visitors per month, an increase of more than 50% or over 3 million visitors annually.

As a result of all of the terrific thought leadership content, The Concrete Network gets more traffic than any other site in the concrete industry and is the top ranked commercial listing on Google out of more than 8 million hits.

What the client says:
"Every business has information that can contribute to the education of the marketplace," Jim Peterson says. "You need to ask yourself, 'how can I get that information out there?' You need to think about how a series of one hundred news releases over two years will benefit your business and then commit to it, understanding that nothing is an overnight thing."

Jim also suggests getting help from an expert to get started with a program. "Don't sit there and leave this as just a part of your list of good intentions," he says. "Businesses will live or die on original content. If you are creating truly useful content for customers, you're going to be seen in a great light and with a great spirit-you're setting the table for new business. But the vast majority of businesses don't seem to care. At The Concrete Network, we're on a mission. Get down to the essence of what your product solves and write good stories about that and publish them online."