Case study · Industrial components · Since 2025
Marketing strategy and data-driven execution for a 50-year-old manufacturer of shaft collars and couplings. Every major decision started with Stafford's own data, from how buyers use the website to five years of distributor sales.
Per-visit figures from Microsoft Clarity, January 8 to April 24, 2026 compared with April 24 to October 1, 2026.
Before Jay, our marketing happened in bursts — whenever someone had a spare hour, which wasn't often. As a family-owned manufacturer, we knew our products and our customers, but we didn't have anyone turning that into clear, consistent messaging. Now we do. Jay writes product copy that holds up with our distributors, and he understands the engineering well enough that we don't have to translate for him. My advice to another manufacturer: you don't need a big in-house department, you need someone who takes the time to learn your business.
When we started working with Stafford in early 2025, the company had a strong product line, a 50-year reputation, and years of data that could tell us where to focus. Rather than guessing at what to fix, we started each project with what Stafford's own numbers said.
Microsoft Clarity recorded where visitors clicked on the old homepage. Every change on the new homepage traces back to that map.
The search box was the most-clicked spot on the page, and desktop visitors often clicked it first, even though it was small and tucked into the header.
A full-width search bar in the middle of the header that invites part numbers, and the same bar right under the logo on phones.
The Product Catalog button in the hero drew heavy clicks. On phones it was often the first and the last thing visitors tapped.
Shop the Catalog leads the hero on every device and sits in the header on desktop.
Products was the most-clicked item in the menu.
Products now opens a dropdown with every product category. The other labels got shorter so the menu reads at a glance.
The custom capability tabs drew steady clicks, while the nine product tiles below them drew almost none. Stafford's OEM survey also asked for more information on custom work.
Custom Capabilities comes right after the hero and proof points, ahead of the product grid.
The Resources button in the hero drew almost no clicks.
It was replaced with a link to the full factory video.
On phones, search moves into the header and Shop the Catalog leads the page.
Comparing the months before the website and ads overhaul with the months after.
| Per visit | Chart | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visits using site search | 0.33% | 1.29% | 4x | |
| Visits with a quote request | 0.26% | 0.52% | 2x | |
| Online catalog visits with a purchase | 0.51% | 1.22% | 2.4x | |
| Visits submitting a form | 2.12% | 3.46% | +63% | |
| Visits adding to cart | 1.29% | 1.98% | +53% | |
| Visits downloading CAD and specs | 1.06% | 1.78% | +68% | |
| Active time on site | 73 sec | 118 sec | +62% | |
| Pages viewed | 1.9 | 2.5 | +33% |
Source: Microsoft Clarity, January 8 to April 24, 2026 compared with April 24 to October 1, 2026.
The website numbers are the most visible part of the story. The bigger part is the distributor programs, quote follow-up, and customer work behind them, which have supported Stafford's growth every year since we started.
Engineers pick a base part, bore, and material, place holes and slots on a live drawing, and get a part number and spec sheet before they request a quote. Every feature is checked against machining rules as it is placed, so the spec Stafford receives is one the shop can make.
For Stafford's 50th anniversary, we wrote the creative brief, worked with designer Lindsay Zygadlo on the concept, and refined it into the final logo: two halves of a split shaft collar forming the S. We then ran the anniversary campaign.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Each new contact reviewed by hand before follow-up | Follow-ups run automatically, with no manual review |
| Leads graded by hand, A through F | Automated scoring based on fit and engagement |
| About 26,000 marketing contacts | 7,500 active contacts and more than $25,000 saved on HubSpot |
| Quotes tracked outside the CRM | A dedicated rep follows up on high-value quotes by phone and email, tracked in the CRM |
| A one-step quote request form | A two-step quote form that captures part numbers |
| Site search at 11% of homepage clicks | A menu built from visitor data, with site search at 17% of homepage clicks |
Most manufacturers already have the answers in their website, CRM, and sales history. They just haven't looked. A Growth Audit shows you where you stand and what to fix first.